November 19, 2025
By Clementina Verge
Photograph by Jim Henkens
In a restored 1821 church in Kent, history hums beneath the whir of antique printing machinery. This is the new home of Saturn Press—a letterpress card company rooted on a remote Maine island that is now experiencing a thoughtful renaissance.
When James Anderson and his wife Deirdre Keogh-Anderson acquired the business last year, they didn’t just buy a brand; they became stewards of a craft. Letterpress printing, with its rich texture and restrained beauty, dates to the 15th century and speaks to a time when communication was intentional and art was meant to be held.
Founded on Swan’s Island, Maine, in 1986, Saturn Press is known for image-forward greeting cards ranging from vintage-inspired trail signs to ethereal celestial prints—so beautiful that customers often frame them, Anderson reveals.
The story began serendipitously in 2021, when the Andersons’ daughter Julia and her husband, Zach Bucek, visited the original studio on their honeymoon. Captivated, they discovered the business was for sale. Julia informed her father; the idea felt impractical, yet lingered. Two years later, as Anderson considered life beyond his Manhattan career, Saturn Press orbited back—still needing a home. The Andersons had the place: A decommissioned church with “great light and open floor plans.”
They had already restored a 1739 farmhouse in Kent, loving “the idea and process of bringing old buildings back to their former glory, and finding contemporary uses that enable them to survive.”
Within two months, the church had new floors, upgraded wiring, and mini-split HVAC systems to stabilize humidity (crucial when working with fine paper). On an island ferry, then on a truck, the analog presses, dating from 1840 to 1910 and weighing 2,500 to 3,500 pounds, were transferred in.
Today, the family’s hands-on approach runs deep. Son Fitzwilliam manages operations. Bucek, an artist with a background in painting and museum work, is art director, and collaborates with Keogh-Anderson, a former educator who scours archives and ephemera for historical imagery. Many designs originate from forgotten 19th-century illustrations or vintage postage stamps, which are respectfully adapted into letterpress form.
“We strip away detail and specificity, so individuals who send our images can infuse them with their own message,” Bucek explains, emphasizing artistic transformation, not reproduction.
“We honor the legacy of the artists, identifying them on the back of our cards whenever possible,” says Keogh-Anderson, who pens design notes on her “Artistic Notes” blog.
This gives people “something timeless and beautiful to hold onto,” Anderson reflects. “What makes our cards truly meaningful is a blend of artistry and the personal message from a loved one.”
Once designs are complete, printer Rob Rice runs the presses. From inventory to fulfillment, operations stay in-house. Growth hasn’t changed their ethos: to bring elegance, history, and tactile design into the everyday.
Producing more than 120 designs and 250,000 cards annually, Saturn Press ships worldwide from its website, and sells through museum shops and independent bookstores, including House of Books in Kent and Lakeville Books.
Holiday cards—designed, scored, folded, and packed by hand—remain a seasonal favorite.
In a world of fleeting digital experience, Saturn Press offers something enduring: A way to send beauty, one letterpress card at a time.—saturnpresscards.com.
