What is May Day Studio?

It's a custom letterpress shop and bindery in one!

Here's just a sampling of some of the work that the studio has produced recently:

:: certificates of completion for a local design/build school 

:: business cards, envelopes, and catalog envelopes for a non-profit organization

:: show posters for local musicians

:: gift certificates for a yoga studio

:: wedding invitations, rsvp cards, and thank you notes

:: bill folios for a local restaurant

:: 12x12 wedding album

:: portfolio for a graphic designer's identity project

:: business cards & more business cards!

May Day Studio proudly prints on four printing presses: a Chandler & Price Pilot, a Chandler & Price 8x12, a Vandercook SP15, and a Nolan proofing press.  I can't use all of them at the same time, of course, but it does make for a little variety in life!

Other shop equipment includes a Sanborn 23" guillotine, two lead and slug cutters, two hand miterers, a 10x13 book press, and many hand-bookbinding tools.   Oh, and a coffee pot and a stereo.  Totally essential.

What else do you do?

I teach letterpress and bookbinding workshops all over New England. Email me if you'd like to have me teach in your space.

I produce several lines of blank journals and letterpress notecards, for sale online and in many local shops.  And yes, I do wholesale too!

May Day Studio is Kelly McMahon, a one-time poet and type junkie who learned the tools of the trade and never looked back. I have a BA in English Literature from Smith College, and an MFA in Creative Writing from California College of the Arts, where I spent (a little) time writing and (much more) learning the craft of letterpress. While in San Francisco, I interned at the San Francisco Center for the Book, and my book arts were shown at several group exhibitions. I now make my home in sleepy Montpelier, Vermont, where I can indulge my penchant for snow and sun--often in the same month.