romance

lingers at the Laughing Owl Press.

It comes from the hum of vintage machinery. It comes from the relationship between Joe and Andrea Lanich—whose love for one another created a business from the ground up. It comes from a team that laughs together, inspires one another, and creates art every day for clients who adore the craft. It comes from a connection to the community, and roots that run deep.

Joe Lanich will tell you that he fell in love with the machinery.

“The machines have a soul. People stood behind these machines for generations. They helped people build homes, and feed their families.”

His sense of grounding and intentionality is heard loud and clear. He cares about the way the letterpress transitioned from a trade to a craft. The legacy of letterpress matters to him, which is why he left the world of engineering to follow his dream with Andrea.

Andrea Lanich also tells a story about purpose. Her drive towards letterpress was motivated by her own creativity. She wanted to design her own wedding invitations. As an architect, she was attracted to design and structure. And, as an architect, she was also feeling restless in her career. She wanted to change things up. It was fate that her first project was pressing her own wedding invitations. Her passion was punctuated when she then quit her job and letterpressed her resignation letter.

Alan Runfeldt, a mentor and owner of Excelsior Press, may have described the couple’s determination the best.

“You two are like bumble bees. They aren’t supposed to fly, but no one ever told them that, so one day they just did.”

And fly they did.

They got everything they needed to set up a proper shop in 2010, but it took a rescue mission to do so. The machinery housed in a basement near Philadelphia set them up for weeks of adventure. The heart of the journey, though, lied in the fact that the Heidelberg and the Chandler and Price presses that they saved would carry on the legacy of a business that a husband once shared with his late wife. It is a story the couple still carries with them.

With help from Andrea’s dad the machinery made its way to Kane, PA. Disassembled, reassembled, moved, and shuffled several times–the machines finally found their final home at 59 North Fraley Street. At every step of the way, the machines, Joe and Andrea, and their vision had a fan club. Families rallied, a community embraced them, and the business sunk its roots deep.

The Laughing Owl Press was meant to have an imperfect story because beauty lies within that imperfection. That’s the heart of letterpress.

The business was crafted and curated through hard work, friendships, challenges, and laughter just like the work that leaves the shop every day.

From tabletop to a garage, to storefront, a dream was built. And today, Joe and Andrea have a team that shares their vision. Every day when the door opens at the Laughing Owl Press, friends walk in and do amazing things. It’s no wonder clients adore their work—it already has a story.

Our Team

Joe

Co-founder & Sales

Superpowers: Forward Thinking & Inciting Laughter

Robotics engineer turned pressman and business owner–Joe is a character. He is a forward thinker with a humble attitude, always finding ways to make Laughing Owl Press a better shop for customers, the staff, and the town of Kane, Pennsylvania. He’s that guy that people stop by the shop just to say “hi” to. While you're there, he'll make you laugh–hard.

For Joe, running a business allows him to create a work culture that matters a whole lot. He believes employees should have opportunities to strive for their dreams and create lives they love. Joe’s a happy dude, raising his family and running a letterpress shop, and having the time of his life along the way.

Andres, Co-owner, Presswoman and Designer

Andrea

Co-founder, Presswoman & Designer

Superpowers: Interpreting Visions & Zen Thinking

As a co-founder of Laughing Owl Press, Andrea is involved in a little bit of everything. Andrea amazes her team with her creativity and the way she can translate a client's vision into a design. Andrea came into letterpress with a background in architecture and has always enjoyed the graphics part of the work.

She's the one that reminds everyone to breathe when things get busy. Her supportive advice, sense of balance, and appreciation for comedy keep the shop vibe fun. Andrea’s life is very full with their two young kids and the family dog, Ruby. She’s an early riser, a runner, and a master organizer. Andrea can be found nurturing her creativity by spending time alone on the shop floor with her love of the presses and her imagination.

Ingrid

Project Coordinator

Superpowers: Logistics & Perfect Paper Picking

Ingrid is a big part of why Laughing Owl Press runs so smoothly. Her degree in business administration and expertise in logistics helps organize how things flow. She’s involved with everything including customer quotes and orders, proofing artwork, packaging and shipping, and taking care of the inventory of materials. Having her on the team has allowed Andrea and Joe to spend time on their passion projects and developing ideas for how to grow the company.

Don't be fooled though–Ingrid is not all business and process. She’s a paper lover as well. Before finding her way to the shop, she was already an amateur collector. Her love of the material drives her to go to great lengths to find the best paper for Laughing Owl’s clients. She knows it will create amazing results and that people who have a love of letterpress will appreciate it as well.

Dana

Presswoman

Superpowers: Levelheaded Mix-Master

Dana is a world traveler, friend-maker, mixologist, and Kane native. Her degree in Hospitality—Travel and Tourism landed her a job as a production assistant on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. How cool is that? This woman loves music and she relishes the opportunities she's had so far in her life. Celebrating milestones—big or small—matters a lot to her.

Riding the waves of life, keeps Dana grounded. And she rode one of those waves right to the door of the Laughing Owl Press. Learning letterpress is something that she is proud of and the team appreciates her calm, cool, collected approach to the work. There's nothing that will get her too rattled. Besides, with her mixology skills, she can chase all the worries away (after 5:00 of course).

Nikki

Retail Shop Administrator, Workshop Event Planner, Letterpress Administration Assistant

Superpowers: Owl of All Trades & Super-Mom

Raise your hand if you're a multi-tasker? Nikki isn't just raising her hand; she's jumping up and down. This mom of three boys knows how to keep things moving at home and in the shop. Taking cues from her Veteran husband, she's been floating the idea of folding our papers with "hospital corners."

Nikki takes pride in her faith and how it helps guide her. Like how it's led her to advocate for the treatment and research of Hemophilia A and Epilepsy. This is just one of the zillion ways she supports her sons. When she's not in the shop, you might find her in the great outdoors–kayaking, hunting, or fishing. One thing is for sure, when you spot her, she'll have a big ol' smile on her face.

bill frick

was one of a kind.

Bill was Andrea’s dad, the first investor in the Laughing Owl Press, a mentor, and friend.

A hobbyist with flywheel engines, he fabricated a pulley system to remove the first large presses we ever bought from a basement in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was the move that allowed us to take our business to the next level. For this, we will forever be grateful.

His ingenuity, sense of adventure, and unconditional kindness shaped us as people. He taught us to take risks, work hard, and treat people well. Here at the Laughing Owl Press, we will forever honor that.

Notable Clients

Jimmy Kimmel
Seth Godin
American Office
DDB Canada
Wolfgang Puck Catering
Murphy Epson
Bills Sidney
Dodge Communications
Asheville Scene
Woody Guthrie Publications
Otto’s Pub & Brewery
Strange Land Brewery