About Us

I grew up with my mom cranking away at her intaglio etching press in the living room and my dad building furniture in his wood shop behind our house. Handmade is just how we do things. I'm not sure I've ever known any other way.

Our work is part and parcel of our lives; there's not really a dividing line. We make sure we do what we love and the rest seems to follow naturally from there. It's amazing how much happiness that brings.

I learned to bind books in 1994 from Joan Soppe in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After several workshops with Joan, binding just stuck with me and I've continued to do it ever since. In 2006, while working away doing the midtown-Manhattan office job thing, I found I needed a physical outlet for some of my energy; binding books in every free moment was just the ticket. After staring at a screen and spending the entire day on the phone, sewing up books at night allowed my brain to think in an entirely different way; it allowed my hands to take over. In 2007, I took a letterpress printing workshop from Dan Morris at The Arm in Williamsburg and I was hooked. These days, I print most of my work on a restored 1915 Golding Official No. 4 tabletop platen press and use The Arm for larger pieces, like wedding invitations and calendars.

In 2008, my husband, Matt Raw, & I officially formed Campbell Raw Press and it became my full time gig. Today, I see a lot of myself in my work, as well as a lot of my parents' approach and style. My dad's Shaker style stools, tables, and cabinets exhibit a detailed simplicity that beautifully marries design and function. My mom's etchings and drawings are laborious and intricate. I'm proud to carry on my own work in the same way I learned from my parents: if you're excited about something, make it happen, and make it as beautiful as you can, while you're at it.

—Maggie