How to Letterpress in Photoshop

Letterpress is a printing process where a surface with raised letters is inked, then pressed into the paper or other substrate. It’s a technique that has been around for hundreds of years. While you cannot use Adobe Photoshop to create a real letterpress printing, you can use the program's effects tools to simulate it. Through a combination of indentation, lighting and three-dimensional effects, you can make a text layer of a Photoshop document appear like a letterpress printing.

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Launch Photoshop. Select “New” from the “File” menu. Click “OK” to open a new document.
- 2
  
  Click the Foreground Color Picker tool in the left panel. Select a color for your foreground other than white.
- 3
  
  Click the Text tool in the left panel. Type the word or phrase you would like to apply a letterpress effect to. Type “Ctrl” plus “T.” Resize the text box by clicking and dragging the outer edge of the box. Make the text big enough to allow the effect to stand out.
- 4
  
  Click the Character panel in the menu bar. When the Character panel is moused-over, the text description reads “Toggle the Character and Paragraph panels.” Change the text font from “Regular” to “Bold.”
- 5
  
  Go to the Layer menu. Select “Layer Style,” then “Inner Shadow.” This option makes your text look indented on the canvas. From the Blend Mode drop-down menu, select “Multiple.” Set the Opacity and Size to suit your preference.
- 6
  
  Select “Drop Shadow.” This option adds a blurred shadow effect to the text, providing the text with a subtle three-dimensional look. From the Blend Mode drop-down menu, select “Normal.” Click the color box next to the Blend Mode menu. Set the color to white. Set the Opacity and Size to suit your preference.
- 7
  
  Select “Gradient Overlay.” This tool is used to add a slight lighting effect to the text. From the “Blend Mode” drop-down menu, select “Overlay.” Set the Opacity and Size to suit your preference.
- 8
  
  Click “OK.”