Guess what? We’ve given our print culture catalog a make-over.

Some of you have followed the adventures of Pinball Publishing over the past two years via our blog CoinOp. With CoinOp, we showcased the range of wonderful projects that we had the honor to print at Pinball, and featured some of the super talent that we were able to hang out with on press. CoinOp was a great tool to document the goings-on in our corner of print-land. But, we decided it’s not enough to simply document our work. Since the relevancy of print in the 21st century is at a critical crossroads, we feel compelled to widen the lens.

Enter Bangback. A new blog dedicated to print culture.

Ink on paper is a magical method of communicating, and Bangback is here to restore and foster the magic of print. We sincerely believe that print matters, even and especially in the digital age. And we will use this forum to explore the myriad reasons why. Yes, we are print lovers. And yes we are even more biased because we operate from within a print shop. But our goal with this blog is to elevate the critical discussion about print culture, shine a light on the amazing work that is being produced within the medium of print, and celebrate the people and places that continue to foster printed expression. We would like to see the industry and practice of print elevated as a result. Lofty goal, yes. But that’s they way we like our goals. Lofty. Inky. Lasting.

Please head over to our new site to see a sample of what to expect from Bangback. We have four categories in our inaugural release; Print Crush focuses on the people and places of print, Fresh Ink highlights the best work rolling off the presses, and Book Report allow us to share our favorite bound editions.Print Matters will be our zone to engage with the critical discussions surrounding the relevancy and practice of print in the 21st century.

We think it’s going to be good. Really good. Let us know what you think.

P.S. Bangback is a pinball term that describes a somewhat controversial maneuver. When the ball is heading toward the drain from an outlane, a super skilled player can hold the flipper up and bang the machine at just the right time to bounce the ball back into play on the opposite flipper.

P.P.S. Print is dead, Long live print!

We’ll be at Crafty Wonderland’s Super Colossal Spring Sale this weekend! This Saturday and Sunday, May 1 and 2, we’ll be at the Oregon Convention Center with Scout Books in tow. Stop in to grab a gift for Mother’s Day, talk about Making your own Scout Book, or just to say hi.

We’re proud to be sponsors of the event! Keep an eye out for a special Crafty Wonderland Scout Book featuring illustration by the fabulous Ryan Berkely.

The Oregon Convention Center is located at 777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. We’ll be in Hall D, space number 24, from 11am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Crafty Wonderland is free and open to all ages! For more information, visit their website.

Last week, we gave a shop tour to graphic design students from the Friends of Graphic Design student group at Portland State University. The students had loads of great questions about designing for print, maximizing efficiency, and the restrictions and capabilities of different presses. We really enjoy starting an open dialogue with the next generation of graphic designers! Thanks for stopping by, everyone.

Justin Flood, one of the students, took these terrific photos of the tour. Thanks Justin!

More photos after the jump.

Spicy! Floral! Sweet! Tannic!
Record your ventures in wine tasting with 33 Wines, a snazzy new wine journal from 33 Books.

We’re pleased to release a new Scout Book into the Scout Books shop! 33 Wines comes to us from Dave Selden and 33 Books, the masterminds behind the 33 Beers Scout Book.

Each page contains a flavor wheel, color meter and fields to note the vintage, varietal and price of each new wine you taste. The handy inside cover demystifies wine terms like “legs,” “linger,” and “tannin” for the newbie oenophile.

And get this: we added a little bit of red wine to the ink, just to make these books even more special.

Check out more photos here!

To celebrate the release 33 Wines, we’re giving away a handful of three-packs today! Simply leave a comment on this post. Tell us about a wine you recently enjoyed! We’ll choose the winners at random tomorrow morning.

Our friend Kate Bingaman-Burt debuts her book at the Land Gallery! Daily drawings, posters, prints, zines galore!

Don’t miss the opening of Kate Bingaman-Burt’s new show at Land this Friday. Word on the street is that it’s going to be AWESOME. Kate’s new book is out from Princeton Architectural Press, and a whole slew of new work (and a fresh coat of paint!) awaits you at Land tomorrow from 6-9pm.

If you’re not familiar with Kate’s work, here’s a brief introduction from Kate’s website:

“I’ve been drawing something that I purchase every day since February 5, 2006. Obsessive Consumption represents a selection of these daily drawings. I draw objects that are rather ordinary: Coke cans, Post-it notes, toilet bowl cleaner-sundry items that a lot of consumers have a shared experience with; items that we interact with, but don’t really think about. I love documenting the mundane and, in turn, putting a personal face on something that is mass-produced. I make work about personal consumerism, market economies, guilt, joy, excess, more guilt, gifts, celebration, repetition, and the community of these shared experiences.”

Pat Castaldo from buyolympia and Land has been snapping pictures of the installation process over at the gallery, so here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect. Check out more in his KBB@Land Flickr set.

If you’re not here in Portland but still want to share in the excitement of the new book release, head over to Kate’s newly redesigned website (nice work, Clifton!) and order the book directly from her: for a limited time, she’ll include an original daily drawing and sign the book for you! Sweet.

Pinball Publishing would like to offer an internship this spring. Are you interested? Do you know of anyone who might be interested in applying? It is an office-based, writing-intensive position with a focus on generating online content for our Scout Books and CoinOp blogs. The ideal candidate would be smart, friendly, organized and self-motivated. Terrific writing skills are a must, and good email communication and people skills are always a bonus! An interest in print culture and an understanding of social media would also be very helpful.

We’re accepting applicants through this week!

Read more below.

Here are some of the details:

8-10 hours per week (2-3 afternoons, ideally)
Aiming to fill position by April, for three months
Unpaid (but could be a foot in the door)
We’re happy to coordinate school credit if that is applicable.

Internship tasks:

• CoinOp blog support (Post to Pinball’s blog about “Hot Off the Press” Items, inquiry into permissions, research and interview clients about print projects, research and write blog articles about print culture)
• Scout Books blog support (Post new releases and news to Scout Books’ Read+Write section)
• Outreach to potential wholesalers
• Generation of monthly newsletter content
• Help answering phones
• Shipping/filing
• Organize samples for client requests
• Other projects as needed

As part of the application process, we’d like to request a writing sample in the form of a CoinOp blog post. Internship applicants should compose and include an article about a creative person, organization, project, space or shop that would be relevant to CoinOp readers.

If you are interested or you know anyone who might be a good fit, please have them email nicole@pinballpublishing.com with their resume and writing sample.

Thank you! Have a great week!

“Make Your Own” can mean so many things!

We just released DIY Scout Books into the Scout Books shop! Are you a printmaker? A pen-and-ink enthusiast? An embroidery expert? Why not take your craft and apply it to an eco-magnificent pocket notebook? Or maybe you’re an Etsy crafter who already customizes pocket notebooks. Perhaps you’ve been creating homemade pocket notebooks as Christmas gifts for years.

Well, the Scout Book is here for you. DIY Scout Books boast blank interior pages and a blank chipboard exterior. They can be found in handy three-packs over in the Scout Books shop. Find more images here on our flickr!

What will you make?

February print promotion! Receive $25 off any order over $200 through February.

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that is notorious for evoking mixed responses. I liken it to cilantro: you either love it or you hate it. Well, Pinball wants you to LOVE it, if only because it’s an excuse for us to launch a sweet print deal. Starting now and lasting throughout February, if you place any print order* over $200, you’ll save $25. Simple and sweet.

Please reference coupon code Sweetheart2010 when placing your order.

*Use of the color pink, hearts or clipart of cupid not required.

Pinball has set up a fundraising page through Mercy Corps to help with continued relief efforts in Haiti.

Mercy Corps is a Portland-based humanitarian organization that “exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.”  They are sending experienced relief workers to bring Haitians water, food and temporary shelter.

Please consider making a donation here. You can follow updates on Haiti through Mercy Corps here.

Thank you!

The bowling alley provided us with our very own commemorative pin, which we all signed and designated as the trophy. Too bad we had too much fun to notice who had the highest score! (It wasn’t me.)

Happy Holidays from the Pinball Team!

Our trophy!

Little Phoebe shoes, not so little Nicole shoes.

More fun photos after the jump!

Dave and Andrea show their game faces.

Little Alice enjoyed bowling until she fell asleep.

Austin!

What a funny little haircut, child from the late 1980′s!

Andrea! (With Florida Gator colors.)

Quite an array of beautiful colors.

My favorite part of bowling alleys is that they boast funky retro touches that haven’t been updated.

Nicholas makes his mark on our commemorative bowling pin.

Kate is much better at bowling than she lets on…

So. Many. Great. Socks.

Kristen winds up. Nice stance!

Clifton!

Kate!

More vintage goodness.

We headed across the street to Hopworks Urban Brewery instead, but this typography is sweet.

Andrea teaches Phoebe a few tricks.

Looks good, huh Phoebe?

Delicious pizza and delicious beer!