When I bought my first press, I was six months out of my apprenticeship at a local printshop, six months into my marriage, and 2 months into a job at a law firm that I already ached to leave. On my lunch breaks I would draw in my sketchbook, put together plate orders, call paper distributors, and work on my tumblr blog. I named what I hoped would turn into a business “Mink” after my maiden name – Minkin – and I named my press “Esmeralda” after a character that my maternal grandmother performed. I spent the eight years that followed designing and printing custom prints and invitations for clients, creating greeting cards and an annual desk calendar, and being a student of the craft.