Note Worthy

Emma Swartz ’16 has two prized possessions: a printing press and a button accordion.

So, when it came time to name her fledgling letterpress printing business, she looked no further than her favorite musical instrument and called it Squeezebox Press. Swartz got hooked on letterpress printing during her senior year at Smith, when she studied with Barry Moser, the Irwin and Pauline Alper Glass Professor of Art. She spent as much time as she could in the typography and book arts studio, which she describes as “a magical place filled with cabinets of lead type, spools of string and beautiful pages of printed words.” A year after graduating, she bought her own small press—a 100-year-old restored Craftsmen—and started her business. Her simple, sweet designs adorn stationery, broadsides and custom projects. Prices start at $2; single cards are $4.50–$5. Use code SMITHIE for 20 percent off.

SQUEEZEBOX PRESS
Emma Swartz ’16
squeezeboxpress.com

This story appears as part of the Smithies Create column in the Spring 2021 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.