Our Letterpress Process
A quick, visual guide to how your letterpress wedding stationery design goes from screen to paper.
Letterpress printing is timeless and unlike any other printing process. The process has been perfected over half a millenium and new techniques and practices are still being developed today.
The final results are a high-quality, high sensory print that looks and feels beautiful. The entire process is incredibly hands-on, which means we’re reviewing and perfecting the print with each step.
There are many steps in the process, but it can be simplified in four general steps: setting up the press, mixing the ink, printing the piece, and reviewing the quality. Each step is critical to ensuring the final piece is printed correctly.
Setting the Press
The printing plate is carefully laid down on the base and then set into the letterpress machine. A few test prints will be done to confirm alignment and registration before beginning the final printing run.
Mixing the Ink
We mix our letterpress inks to match the Pantone color selected for your design. The test prints are compared to a reference book to be sure the color is accurate. If the color is off, we can easily add or remix until we have a perfect match.
Printing the Piece
The paper is hand-fed into the press, one sheet at a time. The rollers pick up ink on each pass and run it along the printing plate. The paper and plate are then pressed together, leaving the final impression. A new sheet is inserted and the process repeats.
Reviewing the Quality
We continually review the quality throughout the letterpress printing process to be sure that the impression, alignment, and color remain even and accurate. This is to guarantee that your wedding invitations are beautiful and uniform!