Welcome! I’m Carol Clifford.

I’m an artist, printer, and the proprietor of Orange House Press.

Carol Clifford, letterpress artist at Orange House Press

Born and raised in Michigan I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wayne State University in Detroit and it is where I was first introduced to letterpress printing. After relocating to Seattle I took letterpress classes at the School of Visual Concepts and eventually began filling my studio with presses and equipment.

I treasure my antique presses and feel fortunate to be able to practice, and be connected to, a craft that is more than 500 years old.

I continue to hone my skills through practice, taking classes with visiting artists, and being among a local letterpress community of inspiring and generous printers and mentors.

I create my work with a meticulous attention to detail. I get excited about a font choice, play with the details such as a curve of a line, debate the perfect shade of orange, and I’m totally jazzed when the whole design comes together and is printed.

About the studio

My house isn’t orange but I feel at home around the color orange.

I’m often asked why I named my press “Orange House”? The simple answer is that the color orange has been in my life for as long as I can recall. My earliest memory of the color being important to me was asking my parents to paint my room orange, a burnt orange, which they so sweetly did. While I love lots of colors there is something about orange that keeps drawing me in and remains my most favorite.

For me, the color orange encompasses warmth, the unexpected, happiness, whimsy, and creativity — all things I hope my work conveys.

Launched in 2009, Orange House Press is a custom letterpress printing studio specializing in stationery, limited edition art prints, and commissions. All work is printed by hand at our studio in Seattle, Washington.

Photo credits: Carol Clifford, Catherine Grisez, and Christy Kinskey :: Please do not use any images without our written permission