Why Bruno Press Exists
Bruno Press exists because the world moves too fast, screens are exhausting, and most of us are craving something real.
This shop is my way of slowing things down—of putting ink on paper by hand, of honoring old tools, and of creating space for connection in a very disconnected time. Letterpress isn’t efficient. It’s messy, loud, physical, and unforgiving. And that’s exactly why I love it. You have to show up. You have to pay attention. You have to care.
Bruno Press started as a legacy—passed down from my dad and rooted in a tiny Minnesota town—but it’s grown into something much bigger than me. It’s a place where people gather. Where strangers become friends. Where awkward folks write love letters, protest posters get printed, and joy shows up in unexpected ways.
I believe handmade things carry energy. That humor and tenderness can live side by side. That craft is a form of care. And that creating something with your hands—especially alongside others—can remind you that you belong.
This isn’t just a print shop. It’s a love letter to analog life, to community, and to the magic that happens when we slow down long enough to make something together.
Welcome. Pull up a stool. Let’s print something.
WHO THE F*CK IS MARY C BRUNO?
Mary Bruno’s old-school, analog letterpress work is both a craft and a calling. Rooted in legacy and fueled by connection, her art tells stories, sparks conversations, and brings people together in a world that often feels too fast and too digital. For more than 20 years, Mary has used antique presses and hand-set type as tools for modern connection — blending humor, empathy, and history into work that feels alive. Her prints shout authenticity, honor tradition, teach the past, spark laughter, invite reflection, and occasionally break your heart in the best way.
Working from her small rural studio in St. Joseph, Minnesota, Mary’s bold and sometimes irreverent voice shines through everything she makes — from cheeky greeting cards to meticulously carved linoleum prints. Her work has been recognized in news media, books, and at events across the United States, and clients around the world have sought her out for deeply personal, story-driven projects. Among her most significant works is a large-scale, hand-printed scroll of The Rule of St. Benedict, created for a prominent Minnesota college and exhibited nationally. Her cause-driven prints have raised tens of thousands of dollars for organizations including Ukraine relief efforts, Catholic Charities, and Planned Parenthood. Mary has spoken to audiences of all sizes — from intimate workshops to a regional TEDx stage — always with the same goal: connection.
Although Mary earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from St. Cloud State University, she never planned to own a print shop. That changed in 2003, when her father passed away suddenly and she chose to carry forward his legacy through Bruno Press. Along the way, she fell in love with the smell of ink, the feel of type, and the way afternoon light spills across a press bed. Today, Mary lives to carve linoleum blocks, set type, swap stories with old-timers, teach the manual process to newcomers, and show up fully — making art by hand and leaving the world a little more connected than she found it.rs, teach the manual process to newbies, and be her best self while making the world a happier place.