Letterpress pressure is a dial with three honest stops.
Kiss is an ink film. The type touches, transfers ink, and leaves almost no indentation. Use it when the sheet is hard, or when the letterhead is printed both sides and a deep dent would show through.
Bite is a dent you meant. The counters of the letters stay open, and a side light shows relief. Soft cotton will take this. A smooth hard sheet often will not, and forcing it is how you get the third stop.
Crush is a failed plate or too much packing. The paper tears at the edge, the counters fill in, and the type stops being type. It is not a style.
Choose the sheet first. Then choose the stop the sheet can survive.
How to check it
- Kiss: you see ink, and a fingernail does not catch a groove.
- Bite: the counters are still bright, and the edge has a clean shadow.
- Crush: the counters clog and the edge feathers. Stop. Do not call it tactile.
Usage
.impression-bite {
/* A second edge, offset, stands in for the dent. */
text-shadow: 1px 1px 0 rgb(192 48 15 / 0.35);
}