Red Bat Press

Specialties

Red Bat Press is an artist-​based letterpress and printmaking studio featuring the art and design work of Carye Bye.

Illustrations are hand-​carved woodblock prints paired with movable letterpress type. Many designs are also hand-​painted. When possible, all text comes from the metal type in the collection, instead of printing from plates. This makes each printing project unique and small runs are affordable. Custom printing projects include: calling cards, stationery headers, envelope addresses, birth/​grad announcement, save-​the-​date, just moved, and holiday cards.

Bye is also interested in the history of letterpress printing and teaches small hands-​on workshops in her studio or will even bicycle over to you with a table-​top letterpress in her bike trailer if your business, school, or event is in central Portland.

With over 10 years of experience as a small business in Portland, Bye loves the people and the landscape. Her prints are sold online and in many retail outlets.

History

Established in 2002.

Carye Bye began printing an illustrated animal postcard monthly during the summer to debut at Last Thursday on Alberta. The original collection was 8 postcards. Soon the name, Red Bat Press was chosen after one of the original postcards which also included Bunny on a Bike, Sea Monkey, and Cat on a Pea-​green Chair. At the time, Bye was printing at the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Little by little the printing press grew, more postcards, then calendars, valentines and custom printing. For a few years Bye printed out of her garage and today she is in a commercial studio under the Hawthorne Bridge in SE Portland.

Meet the Business Owner

Carye B.

Business Owner

Carye Bye has lived in Portland since 2001 and has enjoyed creating a life of artmaking through Red Bat Press which celebrates 10 years in 2012. Bye is originally from Minnesota and has strong heart ties to the midwest, though she’s happy to live near an ocean and calls Portland her home now.

Never without a side project, Bye also is Portland’s Local Museum Lady (LMC) with Hidden Portland, the curator of the Bathtub Art Museum, and has developed a love of Bike Fun and organizes a variety of themed-​bike rides throughout each year.