Rainbow Roll Letterpress Hang Tags

One-of-a-Kind Tags for One-of-a-Kind Kimonos

Noe was a small collection of one-of-a-kind vintage Japanese kimonos — each garment sourced individually, restored, and resold. Every piece had its own story, so every hang tag needed to feel just as singular. We printed every one by hand on our 1958 Vandercook #4 using a technique called rainbow roll, where two or more inks sit on opposite ends of the ink train and blend into a gradient as the press is worked.

Leslie inked the press slowly and deliberately, pulling each impression one at a time so the blend shifted from tag to tag. The result was five distinct colorway families — warm reds, oranges, greens, blues, and pinks — and within each family, no two tags share the same gradient. Every one is unique.

The tags needed to feel substantial, but the Vandercook can only print paper that wraps around its cylinder, which rules out heavy stock. So we printed on 100lb text weight first and then duplexed each sheet seamlessly to thick coasterboard after printing. The finished tag has the weight and presence of a luxury card with the deep letterpress impression only a lightweight stock will take.