Arley Torsone

Co-Founder, Ladyfingers Press

Lettering artist Arley Torsone co-founded Ladyfingers Letterpress along with partner Morgan Calderini in 2010. Driven by its motto “Stand Up, Give Back and Take Naps,” Ladyfingers is a lettering and printmaking studio, classroom, third place and retail experiment powered by its aim to make people feel safe, seen and celebrated.

Various forms of rebellion have always been an underlying motivation for Torsone. While pursuing an education at Parsons during the rise of digital tech, Arley strayed from the glowing screens and insisted on getting his hands dirty. He found that hand-lettering captured his creative spirit in a way that software couldn’t and has never looked back.

In 2007, he discovered letterpress through his budding relationship with printmaker Morgan Calderini. By way of a community printshop and lots of Neon PMS 805, the couple gained notoriety for their vibrant hand-lettered and letterpress-printed designs and unorthodox approach to printed media.

However, innovating their craft was not the only factor driving their work. Having faced discrimination while planning their own wedding, they saw a need to reshape the invitation experience for queer couples. They used their power of the press to not only print unconventional invitations for conventionally marginalized people, but they put it to use to support their deeply emboldened activism.

As their studio grew to house a wholesale line of greeting cards, stationery and gift—along with a brick and mortar storefront where they host classes and events—Ladyfingers has emerged as a precedent for operating a successful craft-centered and values-based creative enterprise.