Paper Meets Press - Letterpress Company

While our standard turnaround is 15 business days, certain custom projects require extra time. For example, orders involving digital printing or sculpted embossing might require a few extra days. If your project falls into this category, we will factor that into your estimated delivery date.

Depending on the workload and the job requirement, we can accommodate rush jobs. A rush fee WILL be added. Rush fees depends on the date you need the final product.

We do not offer same day printing, but can sometimes do next day.

We prefer Illustrator, .eps and .pdf files. Please make sure all text is outlined and appropriate Pantone colors are used in your final file. It is key that the artwork is editable. We must be able to change the color of the artwork for the plate process.

All invoices are emailed and you can pay online or mail a check.

Depending on the job, a 50% non-refundable deposit may be needed to begin your job. Final payment of remaining balance is due upon completion, and highly preferred before shipment. Shipping costs are not included in estimates, but are included on the invoice.

Shipping will be added to final invoice. We ship all packages with UPS. If you would like us to use a preferred method or ship using your account, please let us know and provide the information.

Yes indeed. Invoice balance, including shipping must be paid before project is sent out. We will provide a few shipping quotes for you to choose from.

We do not have a minimum. Setup costs are consistent, whether we are printing 1 or 100,000.

Letterpress printing: We print on 10”x15” Heidelberg presses, which can handle a 10x15 sheet of paper. The artwork (including crops) must fit within 9”x12”

Foil Stamping- We foil stamp on 13"x18" and 10”x15” Heidelberg presses.

The majority of our printing is debossed- both letterpress and foil.

-Deboss is when the design is pushed into the paper.

-Emboss is when the paper is raised to a single height. There are a few different types you can choose from... rounded, beveled, raises roof... If interested, we can send photos.

-Sculpted emboss is when the design is raised and and has multiple levels and detail.

For sculpted emboss designs you can send a standard vector design or illustration. The more detail, the better. We have also hd sculpted dies made from black and white photos. Our diemaker can provide a pdf proof of the design, which we recommend.

Yes- If interested in a press check please let us know when you sign off on your job. All setup will be done before you arrive, since sometimes it takes quite a while. Once we are set up, we will print whether you show or cancel.

If you are not local, we can also send photos of the job one we start printing. For this we will also have to schedule a time so that communication can be made and time is not wasted.

Polymer plates and copper foil dies can only handle so much. .25 pt strokes are the smallest we can print. This also applies to serifs. The easiest way to test this is to draw a .25 stroke and drag it around to check. If it feels too small or have any questions, please ask.

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Yes, we can duplex any paper to create a one of a kind custom project for you. We can also triplex paper if interested. This adds a unique look, especially if a colored stock is sandwiched in the middle. Duplexing is not limited to paper. We can glue wood veneer, velvet, etc...

Yes, we can, but prefer not to.

When printing large blocks of color and also fine lines or text, it is sometimes best to have a separate plate. It takes a good bit of modified ink to print larger areas, so another plate is used to keep fine lines and text clean.

It is best to glue a colored sheet of paper if you want a solid color. This is not always possible with each job, but you will get the best result.

We use rubber based inks, and metallic inks are oil based.

We mix all inks.

Yes, we can print metallic inks. Metallic inks are not limited to silver and gold. It is important to know that metallic ink will not have a glossy shine to it, especially if printing on uncoated stock. If you are looking to have a glossy look, foil printing is the way to go.

Yes, we can color match. For the highest accuracy, we recommend using a Pantone Solid Uncoated color. If you have a specific physical sample you'd like us to match, you can mail it to our studio. Please note that since all ink is mixed by hand, the final result can be influenced by the color and texture of the paper you choose. We do our best to get as close as possible.

If you are creating files in CMYK or RGB, the colors must be converted to Pantone Solid Uncoated.

When submitting a job, please include pantone colors in the actual file.

Yes and yes. Both require plates and setup.

We mix our letterpress inks using a transparent base. Printing colored inks on colored paper is doable, but it is very hard to match a pantone color. When printing a colored ink on a colored stock, it will create a tone of the color chosen. We can mix opaque white when mixing the ink, but it is difficult to guarantee what the final result will be.

When printing opaque white, the ink will not appear bright white. It ends up being a light grey/blue and is usually spotty.

Metallic ink and foil stamping work great on color paper.

Yes, overprinting is a great way to create an additional color without requiring an additional plate. It is sometimes hard to predict what the final color will turn out to be, but in Illustrator you can get a general idea by using multiply.

We can handle smaller projects in house. We print for many great designers. If you need a recommendation, just ask.

We do edge paint, but we now outsource it. This requires extra time.

We are able to print on almost any paper. Cranes Lettra (Pearl & Flo) is our house stock. Some other papers we commonly print on include Reich Savoy Cotton, Mohawk Mosic, Colorplan, Gmund and Neenah Classic Crest.

Both letterpress printing and foil stamping are printed with a deboss.

-Letterpress Printing-

The Process: We use custom photopolymer (plastic) plates to press ink into the paper.

The Ink: Our inks are mixed by hand using a transparent base to match your specific Pantone Solid Uncoated selection.

The Paper Factor: Because the ink base is transparent, the paper color acts as a foundation. While colors match perfectly on white stock, printing on colored paper will slightly shift the ink’s hue.

Color Range: We can mix any color found in the Pantone Solid Uncoated Formula Guide.

-Foil Stamping-

The Process: Unlike letterpress, foil requires heat to bond to the paper. We use copper plates to transfer the material cleanly.

The Finishes: Foil is 100% opaque and available in:

Metallic: Both shiny (mirrored) and matte (satin) finishes.

Pigment: Solid colors available in gloss and matte.

Our Recommendation: In our experience, gloss pigment foils tend to release more cleanly, resulting in a crisper print. Matte foils can be beautiful but are more dependent on the specific paper texture for a successful bond.

A Quick Note on Opacity

If you are looking to print a light color on a dark or vibrant paper, Foil Stamping is the way to go. Because foil is a solid layer of material, it remains true to its color regardless of the paper underneath, whereas letterpress ink will be influenced by the paper's "base" tone.