..Handmade letterpress stationery is tactile, unique and charming: perfect for a special occasion. I print every wedding invitation, every card, every limited edition print myself, individually, by hand using my antique letter press. No digital mass-printing here. This makes printing pretty labour-intensive, but the personalised, hand-made feel is worth it.
SO, HOW DO THE LETTERPRESS WEDDING INVITATIONS WORK?
Firstly, I like to have a chat in person, on the phone or via email. I want to get to know you and find out exactly what you’re after. I can help you with your wording, design, font and colours; make suggestions and work with you until you’re 100% happy. At this stage I ask for a small deposit to start the design process. After some back-and-forth we’ll end up with a digital design approved by you.
We then choose the weight and texture of the paper that I source from my local trusted artisan paper specialists. I will discuss envelope choices and provide samples if needed at the same time.
Once we have agreed on a design, I take the remaining payment, order the materials and have the plate manufactured. Think of this as the stamp – your design as a raised surface / polymer plate ready to be used as a template for the ink
Now I literally peddle the press using the strength from my legs to get the rollers moving. In fact, my press is so old that it was made before safety was a consideration. I try my best not to get my fingers caught in the heavy rubber rollers and closing clam shell mechanism… a machine weighing close to a tonne needs to be treated with respect!
GETTING YOUR STATIONERY TO YOU
I like to hand-deliver stationery to local London clients if convenient. If not, I trust Royal Mail special delivery to look after them.
Package will require a signature upon delivery.
PRICING & ORDERING
Stationery design is a very personal choice, especially for a big event such as a wedding. As complexity of design, materials and volume varies per person, I like to give a quote based on individual requirements.
Please note, using two colours will cost more than just one (each colour is printed separately), but ordering more stationery, such as evening invitations and an Order of Service will bring the cost per piece down.
.
For a quote, please email me with the following information:
What you’re looking for and the quantity required.
(Please bear in mind, for invitations you usually send one per household not per person)
.
Any other extras…. Do you need a separate evening invitation? I can print information sheets including maps either by letterpress or digitally to match the wedding invitation design.
Finishing touches – would you like… rounded corners, a wax seal stamp, belly bands, luggage tags, twine etc…
COLOURS
Whether you have a rough idea of colour, a pantone reference number or a physical swatch of colour you’d like me to match, discussing your colour preferences is an important step. I can mix inks to almost any colour for letterpress stationery.
There are two points that I like to tell all my clients when it comes to choosing colour
– Colours appear differently on various computer screens, depending on brightness, resolution and other factors.
I can recommend colours based on my experience, but if you’re looking for a very specific colour and are concerned about it being an exact match, I like to discuss colour in person or by post.
– Unlike digital prints, colours can vary slightly in shade and depth between prints on a letterpress run.
For me, this is all part of the hand-made charm.
GOT YOUR OWN DESIGN?
I am happy to discuss printing your own designs, just email me a pdf and I will see if it is appropriate and quote accordingly.
..
TURN AROUND TIME
Once I have received your order information and design fee I will aim to get your design proofs to you by email within 5 working days.
A discussion and tweaks usually follow, and here it is your responsibility to ensure the layout, copy and spelling is correct. Take your time on this, it’s important to ensure it’s perfect. If mistakes are found once printing has taken place, I will need to charge in full for re-prints.
Once you are happy with everything, and have emailed me approval, I will order the materials and move on to printing.
This takes 2 – 4 weeks.
.