Thursday, June 26, 2008

Hand-bordering Fine Stationery at Crane

I was giving a tour to a new employee earlier today, and we had a blast gabbing with all the wonderful craftspeople who apply those elegant borders on Crane's fine paper. I've been sitting on this video for a while and decided it was time to share it with you. It features Deborah Larkin, who mastered her craft at Crane 20 years ago.

Insider Note: More than 15 years ago, some folks wondered if they could figure out how a machine could print borders of the same quality. They gave it their best shot. Not a chance.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

Kenn Fong said...

This was fascinating. Was there an audio track? It played MOS,* as they say in screenwriting.

Kenn Fong

[* MOS means this scene is silent. It comes from a German director, a refugee of Hitler's Europe, who came to America and resumed his career. When asked by the sound engineer, he said (this scene) is "Mit Out Sound!" I thought since you are a historian, you'd like to know the origin.]

Peter Hopkins said...

Hi Kenn:

Thanks; you're right. As a historian, I appreciate such origins. And to put you at ease, there is no sound track. I narrated the video on engraving and decided I wasn't very good at it. I may add some sound in the future.

With best regards,
Peter