Frequently asked questions

Can I visit you?

Yes – We always welcome visitors although we kindly request that visits are only made by prior appointment.

Where can I purchase your letterpress cards, prints & posters?

All of our products are available for purchase via our online shop or from a select number of independent shops and boutique’s in the UK, although these stockists will only hold stock of a limited range of our products.

Can you design for me?

Yes – We offer a full in-house design and artworking service and cost very much depends on the complexity of the design required. Please contact us for to discuss your requirements and a price estimate.

Can you letterpress print my digital designs?

Yes – Assuming your design(s) is compatible with the letterpress process, we will have relief metal letterpress plates etched for letterpress printing on our antique & vintage presses.

What typefaces have you available for hand typesetting?

We have a wide selection of metal & wood type available in sizes from 4 point to 40 line (480 point) and many typefaces, borders and ornaments dating from the Victorian era to the mid-20th Century. We can supply details and proofs of typefaces that we have available, on request.

If I supply my own artwork am I restricted to the fonts you have available?

No – Providing your artwork is supplied (see acceptable file formats below) with all fonts outlined, you can use whatever fonts you have on your system.

How do I need to supply artwork?

We can only accept artwork in EPS, PDF or Adobe InDesign format with all fonts converted to outlines. Preferably images should be vectors although we can accept bitmap images supplied in Tiff format and at a minimum resolution of 600dpi (1,200dpi is recommended) at 100% of the artwork size. Fine lines should be no less that 0.4pt, otherwise detail may be lost in the plate etching process. For more complex designs and where areas of colour touch or overlap, we may request that artwork be supplied in layered files so that we can split the colour plates apart easily and ensure that colours trap, overprint or knockout correctly.

What is the largest you can print?

The largest sheet size we can print is 50 x 70 cm, with a print area slightly smaller than this size. This does very much depend on the artwork or design and we can confirm this once we’ve discussed your requirements.

Can you only print standard sizes of cards?

As we offer a fully bespoke service, you can specify the exact size you would like your piece trimmed down to and there are no restrictions on size. For wedding and social stationery, we would recommend that you stick to standard sizes (C7, C6, C5, DL, 5”x7”, 166x166mm or 125x125mm) as envelopes are more readily available. We can have envelopes made to order although the minimum order for made to measure envelopes is a quantity of 200.

What is the difference between embossing and debossing?

Embossing uses male and female dies to mould a raised design into the paper or card stock. Debossing adds a subtle sculptural impression by letterpress printing without ink.

Can you print using the four-colour process. ie. CMYK?

No – We only print spot colours, specified against the Pantone Matching System (PMS).

How do you match/mix colours?

All colours are mixed to order (in-house) and matched to the Pantone Matching System (PMS) UNCOATED swatches as we print onto uncoated paper and card stocks. Please note that it is essential that colours are specified from a physical Pantone swatch book as on-screen versions of Pantone colours are not accurate representations.

Can you mix your inks to RGB, CMYK or HEX colours?

No – We will need to be suppled with Pantone (PMS) UNCOATED colour references as we are unable to match our inks accurately to RGB, CMYK or HEX colours.

Can you print in glossy inks?

No – As we print onto uncoated paper & card stock, colours will appear matt. If a glossy sheen is required, we would normally recommend hot foiling the colour(s).

Can you print in metallic inks?

Yes – Metallic inks work particularly well on dark coloured paper & card stock as they are highly opaque. However, metallic inks printed onto uncoated stock will appear quite dull as they will absorb into the surface of the paper or card stock. If a bright metallic sheen is required we may recommend either that we apply a superfine metallic powder (bronzing) to the printed areas or hot foiling, depending on the project.

Can you print solid areas of colour?

Yes – However, solid areas of colour make it difficult to ensure consistency of colour and in most cases do not provide the desired letterpress impression. Fine lines and detail knocked out of solid areas can fill in and we may recommend foiling onto coloured or duplexed card stock as a better solution.

What is the heaviest weight of card stock you can print?

We regularly print onto card stock between 540-700gsm although we can print onto stock that is much thicker than this, on our hand-fed presses.

Do you recommend cotton rich over wood pulp based papers & cards?

Both cotton and wood pulp based stocks work well with the letterpress process although 100% cotton papers & cards are softer and allow for deeper letterpress impressions.

Can you edge paint cards that I have had printed elsewhere?

No – We only offer edge painting for cards or invitations that we print ourselves.

Can you paint the edges of cards in Pantone colours?

Yes – We can edge paint to specified Pantone (PMS) colour references, however the colours that we use for edge painting are pre-mixed and there can be a slight colour variations between printing inks mixed to Pantone colours and edge painted colours.

Can you foil the edges of cards rather than edge painting?

Yes, we are pleased to offer a gilt edged or foiled edged service to enhance your letterpress stationery.

Can you print tonal images/designs?

Yes – However, printing halftones using the letterpress process is technically very challenging and the finely etched copper plates required are more costly than the standard letterpress plates that we use. The screen ruling (lines per inch) would also be far coarser than used for litho/digital printing and only possible on very smooth coated or glossy card or paper stocks.

Can you mix digital printing with letterpress printing, ie. printing letterpress on one side and digital on the reverse?

Not ordinarily and it’s not something we recommend. The two printing processes are very different and require different set up techniques and the papers that work well with letterpress don’t usually work well with a digital press and vice versa.

Can you send me some samples of your letterpress work?

Yes – We are always happy to send sample packs (free of charge) although in return we do kindly request a small donation be made via our JustGiving page where we are raising money for UNICEF UK, because all children deserve a good start in life.

Do you ship outside of the UK?

Yes – We can ship our products and custom orders worldwide.

What are your shipping costs for letterpress commissions?

Shipping costs vary depending on the size, weight and destination of the parcel and whether an expedited delivery is required. Upon confirmation of order, we will contact you with a cost estimate and options for shipping.

Do you have a minimum order quantity?

No – We can print as many or as few as required although unit costs can increase dramatically with small orders due to the cost of plates and setup time. We strongly advise giving a lot of thought to the quantity required prior to ordering as reprints can prove costly.

Do you provide printed proofs prior to printing?

We are always happy to provide printed ‘wet’ proofs for checking although these will incur additional charges and increase timescales.

Can I check my project on press prior to printing?

Yes – We are always happy for clients to check their projects on press.

What are your lead times for letterpress printing?

Our lead times average 10-14 days, however these do vary depending on the complexity of each commission and on other orders going through at that time. We will always estimate a dispatch time on confirmation of order and can expedite orders if required and work flow permits.

What are your terms of payment?

Payment is preferred via direct bank transfer although we can also accept credit and debit card payments over the phone. Credit card payments will be subject to a 3% surcharge due to high processing fees. Cheque payments will delay lead times as we need to wait a minimum of 10 working days for funds to clear into our account.