It gets emotional.

I have to admit, I enjoy hearing that there were tears.

A customer contacted me about a collection of albums I put together for her. She was getting married and wanted special memory gifts for her family who couldn't attend the wedding. There were tears, she said. These memories are lifetime memories, active memories that grow and develop every time a new photo is pasted in or a quip is penned.

This is one reason I love custom journals.

Ben
Annotated Press

When I am working, I drink a lot of coffee.

Be advised: artifact may be present on the pages of bound books.

Coming soon...

PICTURES.

I started binding books because I couldn’t find any I liked in the stores. I was in college, and had a lot of profound thoughts I needed to capture. The first several were very rough, mostly grocery bags wrapped around cardboard and printer paper, tied together with dental floss. Slowly, the process streamlined, played with different materials and binding methods. Finally, I settled on the Coptic stitch because of the elegant simplicity and the 'braid' produced on the exposed spine.

It is an ancient stitch, the oldest of its style. There is no glue used in the Coptic method, and similar to a keystone arch, each element of the book is integral to the structure. There is strength and durability in these books.

Examining the growth of these books has been fascinating. I wonder how all the books I have sent out are doing. If you have a one of my books, I would love to collect pictures of them in their new places, on shelves, desks, at coffeehouses or posing for a portrait on a European vacation.

All my best,

Ben
-Annotated Press

Coffee, Kids, and Journals

I have been working the last 4 years teaching barista skills to young adults with disabilities or other barriers to employment. I had the pleasure to receive some great initial barista training from a friend & former Stumptown barista, (which led to a part-time cafe gig) and have done a decent job setting up the training program. However, it is time I got some serious training & moved my coffee hobby into a something more... professional.

Journal sales during the month of September will fund my barista training. Get a start on your Christmas list. Put together a photo album of your summer. Send a new mother a journal for new baby. Gift Uncle Karl with a custom book for his retirement.

Check out Annotated Press on Etsy. I will be adding more books & a few new features very soon.

Some of the Greatest Cities in America

What do all these great cities have in common? Someone there is writing in a journal that I had the pleasure to make.

A Look Into a Journal

From a journal, given as a wedding gift. In the background is my 1937 Royal model '0' typewriter.