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General Information Your web site is Canadian but I am an American looking for letterpress invitations. Can I buy from your site? Certainly! In fact, the current exchange rate is in your favour: A package that is 1000$ Canadian is equivalent to 760$ US. Compare our prices to those of our American competitors and you will find that we offer excellent letterpress printing at a considerable discount. Orders shipped to the USA arrive in most states within 3-6 business days. [Top] 
Where are you located? How can I contact you? We do not have a retail location. Our letterpress studio is located at the proprietor's residence near Georgetown, Canada. Due to our busy printing schedule, we regretfully cannot offer in-person consultations. The entire ordering process is conducted by phone or email.
How can I get samples of these invitations? Samples may be requested by completing our online sample form. [top]
Can my invitations be printed in a different language? Most of our typefaces include entire sets of multilingual characters. We can print any language that is based on the Roman alphabet. If you would like your invitations to include Hebrew, Chinese, or any other language that has it's own unique character set, please contact us for more details. [top] I've picked out an invitation I like. How do I order? Can I do this online? Please see our How to Order page for more details. [top]
How do I pay? Can I pay half now and the rest later? We do not offer an instalment plan. Please see our How to Order page for payment details. [top]
How many envelopes should I use? Do I have to use both inner and outer envelopes? Our standard invitation packages include one outer envelope and one small response envelope. We can include inner envelopes with your order for an additional fee.
Can you assemble my invitations for me? Will they be pre-folded? Folded invitation cards, place cards, and thank you cards printed on thick cotton papers will be scored free of charge. Once scored they are easily folded by hand. Anything printed on Japanese tissues or thin papers do not need scoring.
I'm interested in something custom-made. How much does this cost? We can design a unique design for you at no extra charge. We can use your own calligraphy or drawings instead of a regular typeface and ornament. For an additional charge, we can hand-colour small details or even carve original woodcut images for you. Email us your ideas and we will give you a general price estimate. [top]
Can I change the colours, fonts, or graphics in your gallery invitations? You can customise our gallery invitations at no extra charge. [top]
Can I send you my own art or calligraphy? Can I send you a finished design? We can print your own work provided that it is suitable for letterpress printing. We also must insist that all images used be taken from copyright-free sources. We accept AI, EPS, and PDF files that are compatible with Illustrator 9.0. Please ensure that all text has been converted to curves and that all art is solid line art. Artwork must be sent as high resolution TIFF (or BMP) files. Large detailed artwork should be scanned at no less than 1200dpi. Smaller pieces may be scanned at a lower resolution but fine details may be lost. Please write to us for more information. [top]
Do you set type by hand (one letter at a time) like in the old days? While we prefer hand setting type for all of our own personal projects, we rarely offer this service to the public. We find that most customers prefer using modern digital typefaces and desire a deeply indented effect. Since the excessive pressure needed to achieve this effect can quickly damage metal type, we prefer using photopolymer plates for most print jobs.
Are all letterpresses the same? What kind of press do you use? There are several types of letterpresses being used today. Some printers use platen presses that are operated by hand, foot, or by electrical motor. Others use floor model cylinder proofing presses that can print large posters and full newspaper sheets. We print all of our invitations using a hand-operated Vandercook SP15 press. Letterpress printing does not necessarily mean 'hand printed.' Some high-end letterpress companies use large electric Heidelberg Cylinder letterpresses to print their invitations. These presses, first introduced in the 1930s, are fully automatic and can print up to 5000 sheets of paper an hour. If you would like to see photos of these presses and learn more letterpress printing, visit the Briar Press Letterpress Museum [top]
Why are letterpress invitations more expensive than those that I've seen in mail-order catalogues? Modern catalogue invitations are printed on thin non-archival card stock using a press than can print over 10,000 pages per hour. You cannot customise these mail-order packages.
Why does it cost more to print extra colours? Unlike large modern printing presses, our letterpresses allow us to print one colour at a time. The paper must be allowed to dry before printing the next colour and much time is spent carefully lining everything up for accurate colour registration. If we print 300 one-colour invitations, RSVP cards, and reception cards, we will hand-crank our press a total of 900 times. Printing a second colour would bring the total number of times we hand-crank the press up to 1800. Multicoloured work is possible but quite time-consuming and is priced accordingly. [top]
I am a graphic designer / artist / printmaker. Can I use your equipment to print my own invitations? Can I borrow your press? Letterpress printing was once a skilled trade that required a 7-year apprenticeship. While anyone can learn the basics of letterpress printing in an art class or workshop these days, it takes years of experience before one can confidently take on any printing project and ensure consistent results. We do not let others print their own invitations on our presses. We can, however, print your own art and designs. Email us for details [top] |
| Glossary of Terms |
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Acid-free: Paper that has a very low percentage of acidity. Acid-free paper will not deteriorate as quickly as most commercial papers. Cotton Rag once described the method in which old cotton rags where used to make paper. The modern use of the term "rag" is generally used to describe the overall percentage of cotton fibres in paper. Deckle edge: An irregular edge that naturally occurs when making paper with a mould and deckle. Machine made papers have artificial deckle edges. GSM: The gram weigh of one square meter of paper. Handmade paper: Paper made by hand using a mould and deckle. This method produces uneven deckle edges and papers of varying size and thickness. High Alpha Cellulose is a very pure form of wood pulp considered to have the same longevity as cotton or other plant fibres. Kozo is the most common fibre used in Japanese papermaking. Kozo fibres come from the Japanese mulberry tree and produce strong sheets of paper. See 'Sa' below for more information. Machine-made paper: Paper made on a very rapid running machine called a "Fourdrinier", producing consistent quantities of sheets or rolls. Mould-made paper: Paper made by a slowly rotating machine that simulates the hand-papermaking process. Fibres become more randomly intertwined than in machine-made papers, producing a stronger, more flexible sheet or roll. Sa (also Saa) fibres are obtained from the Thai mulberry tree that grows abundantly throughout Southeast Asia. Like it's cousin kozo, Sa fibres produce strong sheets of paper. Many modern Japanese papers are manufactured using Thai mulberry fibres. [top]
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