- What is Letterpress?
- Ordering Process
- Customization
- Turnaround Times
- Proofs
- Rush Orders
- Terms of Payment
- Proofreading Responsibilities
ABOUT LETTERPRESS
In the 14th century, Johann Gutenberg (among others) was credited with the invention of movable type printing from individually-cast, reusable letters set together in a form. Though the craft has been long forgotten in modern society, letterpress printing -- printing from metal type and custom engraved plates -- is enjoying a renaissance of popularity and creativity as a unique option to offset printing. Its tactility is an antidote to e-life and to slick, impersonal advertising. A little letterpress can make a big difference in printing, providing an unexpected, engaging element, giving any character or image a 3-dimensional aspect, because the ink is pushed into the paper. Letterpress offers a tactile quality and nostalgic feel that can't be achieved with any other technique. Crane's paper, made from 100% cotton fibers, is the perfect match for the letterpress process. Lettra's fluffy surface takes a deep impression beautifully. Though it looks and feels like an art paper, it gets right down to business on press.*
OUR ORDERING PROCESS
1. Begin the process by looking through our gallery. Remember, all of our sets are customizable in fonts, colors and pieces. We want to make you happy!
2. Email us to request samples of the designs that you're interested in or to schedule an initial consultation. Your sample costs (not including shipping) will be refunded if you order from us.
3. Once you have selected your perfect design, contact us for the price estimates for your set. Please include details such as quantities required, pieces needed, color selections, font faces and any special design or ordering instructions. You can adjust paper or envelopes, or change a 2 color design to 1 color, to find a set that's within your budget.
4. Once we have the ordering details, we'll create a estimate/invoice, which we'll e-mail to you as a PDF. Once you are ready to proceed with your order, fill out the deposit form and mail us your 50% non-refundable deposit. If you prefer to pay online, please let us know and we can send you a PayPal payment request.
5. Once we receive your deposit, we will email you a digital proof of your set. Remember, we include in the cost of our invitations three rounds of changes to your initial proof. There is a $25 charge for each additional round of proof revisions.
6. Once you approve the proof, we will provide you with a more precise date of delivery and charge the balance of your invoice.
7. You may choose to pick up your invitation set locally, or we will ship to you via UPS.
Creative Director Emily Feinstein is available to assist you in designing stationary and wedding sets that are precisely customized to your needs. Send us an email giving us an idea of colors, themes, wording, budget you are working in and timeline you'd like to meet and we will contact you to set up a consult and time to view our samples. After we have a good idea of your needs, we will send you several initial designs in PDF format, from which you can choose your favorite design. The first proof of your ensemble will be emailed to you shortly after. Please look over the design and submit changes in written form via email; your set will be modified based on your feedback and your second set of proofs returned within the week. Please note that a third round of revisions is complimentary, but subsequent rounds of revisions are charged at $25 a piece. Once all revisions are complete, you will receive a final proof with a request for signed approval, at which point the printing process will begin. Your stationary set will be printed by hand by our skilled pressman, Kevin O'Neil, and carefully reviewed for quality and craftsmanship. Once payment for the balance of your bill has been made, your invitations will be shipped. We offer advance shipment of your envelopes to allow you or your calligrapher additional time to address them for an additional $30 fee.
An estimated 5-7 weeks, though certain designs may take additional time, which we will discuss on an individual basis.
Once we completed the design, we will e-mail you a PDF proof containing every piece in your set. Please bear in mind that colors may vary slightly from what you will see in print depending on your monitor settings. When you approve the proof, you are saying that you accept the design, text, paper, color and illustrations of the invitation, so be sure to take this final opportunity to proofread one last time and review the design's details. We include in the cost of your set three rounds of changes to your initial proof with a $25 charge for each additional round of proof revisions. Of course, we will correct, at no charge, any mistakes caused by our own error. Once proofing begins, substantial changes to the design may delay the ship date and/or create additional expenses.
We do offer rush turnarounds depending on our schedule, with charges varying based upon the size of your set. You can typically expect an additional charge between $200-$700. Contact us as soon as possible if you are experiencing a invitation emergency!
Upon placement of your order, we request a 50% non-refundable deposit. The balance must be paid before we can begin printing and is contingent upon your acceptance of the proofs. We accept money orders and personal checks, or payment through PayPal. Please note that while we can begin printing immediately with PayPal and money order payments, we must wait up to ten business days for a personal check to clear before we begin work. If you pay for the deposit and balance with a personal check, this will add to our turnaround time. Shipping costs must be paid in full before we send you your invitations.
Many thanks to Crane's for providing information about the printing process.Remember to proofread your invitation text, looking for typos, misspellings, etc., as Lemondrop is not responsible for these errors. Unfortunately, if you find such errors in your printed pieces, we cannot offer a refund and will have to charge for reprinting. We certainly do not want this to happen and encourage you - and your friends and family! - to proofread thoroughly. We will print the text exactly as you send it to us and will produce an invitation set that looks exactly like your (approved) proof (keeping in mind that color varies from screen to screen). Remember that one of the beautiful aspects of letterpress and silkscreen printing is that all printing and inking is done by hand, not digitally, and a slight but still lovely variation in color might be expected.