Letterpress Invitations on a Budget
I know that a lot of you see letterpressed and engraved invitations and think to yourself…lovely, but so not in the budget. So, when I got an email from one of our readers as to how they had letterpress invitations designed while sticking to their budget, I knew I had to share it with you.
First, here are their invitations…
Jacqueline and her hubby had their entire suite printed through Studio on Fire based in Minneapolis, MN…with 2 color invitations, reply cards, save the dates and thank you notes in addition to 1 color letterpress outer envelopes, reply envelopes, thank you envelopes and save the date envelopes for less than $2000. That is CRAZINESS! That is a lot of letterpress.
Here are a couple of tips from Jacqueline…first, design them yourself. YES, it can be really hard for a novice, but many of the design programs (like Illustrator or InDesign) offer free 30 day trials where you can play around with fun typefaces and layouts. Jacqueline’s fiance designed all of the pieces for their own invitations.
Another quick tip from Jacqueline…have your entire invitation suite fitted onto 1 press sheet, then cut them into individual pieces after the press run is complete. This will cut down on the labor required if you were to have each printed separately.
Check out Studio on Fire’s blog to see more pictures of the invites and a breakdown of how they achieved the gorgeous look for a low price! Thanks so much Jacqueline for the great tip!!
19 Comments about “Letterpress Invitations on a Budget”
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I don't mean this to sound snarky because I don't know anything about how much invitations are supposed to cost - but $2000 is "budget"? How much do normal letterpress invitations cost?
This makes me happy to be ordering invites from India for well under $1000!
No, you are absolutely right...2k is a TON of money. But, when you consider everything they got (ie. two color is much more $$ than one color, plus they got save the dates and all envelopes pressed), well, they got a LOT for their dollar. If invitations are really important to you, and letterpress is one of those "things" that you want, this is a great option.
I probably should have called it "Letterpress for Less" rather than budget:)!
this is great information for a designer who is new to letterpress and is looking to design invitations for clients!!! thanks for a great post!
Thanks for the clarification, Abby! Seriously, I just started planning and have no idea how much things are supposed to cost. Plus, the fact that things are done so differently for Indian weddings, I think we're ordering our invitations online from India !
Haha, I love the first comment ;)
As a budget bride, I could not afford to spend 10% of my funds on invites, so I turned to everyone's favorite virtual craft market: etsy, and I'm having gorgeous letterpress invites, reply cards, and envelopes created at a fraction of typical prices..(well under $500 for 125 sets, to be specific!)..all because the designer relatively new to the scene. I'm helping a woman build her portfolio, and she's helping me get the wedding stationary suite of my fantasies.
I'm having Studio on Fire print my invites and from the samples I've seen - their work is really top notch. It is actually coming in cheaper than some offset printed invites that we were going to order!
First, I absolutely love these invitations. But, realistically, many of these invitations will work their way into the trash within a couple of weeks of your wedding day. $2000 is a quarter of my budget - I kind of wanted a dress too.
Two grand is an investment, no doubt about it, and some printers could do the same job for more; some for less [presses also have different paper capabilities, so check with your printer to see if they can handle large sheet sizes for mulitiple pieces]. But part of what you're paying for is not just disposable stationery--it's also the quality, hand-made product that's made custom for your special event. And, when you pay a letterpress printer, you're helping a small group of dedicated individuals keep an ancient craft alive.
I like this theme you are using... what is it?
It is very possible to order letterpress wedding invitations at a reasonable cost. My company, Thistleberry Press, would offer this same type of package for under $2000 (based on 100 sets). A great way to keep your cost down is to scale back to 1 color printing on the additional cards you order and print the invitation in 2 colors. Envelope printing is always included in the cost of our invitations, along with custom design work, so there is no need to worry about designing the invitations yourself. We are a small company that offers personalized service, quick turnaround and samples of our work to view before you decide to order. Plus, supporting small businesses helps to keep the art of letterpress printing alive.
I'm trying to find letterpress invitations for a SMALL wedding - maybe 25 people tops but more likely 20 - and it's nearly impossible to find a printer who will do an order smaller than 50. Some won't even consider fewer than a hundred. Am I out of luck or is there someone, somewhere who believes small weddings deserve the same beautiful touches as the big ones?
Studio On Fire does amazing work. I second Abby's recommendation for a visit to their blog -- there are some amazing invitation ensembles shown there. I'll mention also that my company, Parklife Press, prints letterpress invitations for all sorts of budgets, in all sorts of quantities. Rebekka, a small run of 20 sets is just fine with us. Our printing includes free design work, or we can print invitations that you've designed yourself.
No doubt these are very nicely done. Exquisite work.
Studio On Fire does amazing work. I second Abby's recommendation for a visit to their blog -- there are some amazing invitation ensembles shown there. I'll mention also that my company, Parklife Press, prints letterpress invitations for all sorts of budgets, in all sorts of quantities. Rebekka, a small run of 20 sets is just fine with us. Our printing includes free design work, or we can print invitations that you've designed yourself.
What in the WORLD are you people talking about, being happy to keep the price under 1k? My god, you DO know that you can get two and three toned invites with response card and envelope for $200 for 200 invites elsewhere, yeah? Costco, kinkos, a printable press, even invitation sets at Target or JoAnns. There's so many cheap options that more than a dollar per invite should NEVER cross your mind as reasonable!
Letterpress will add a classic, elegant touch to our wedding celebration, which will be held at an historic (18th century) inn. We want 45 two-color invitations, a one-color reply postcard, with inner and outer envelopes for under $900. I will check into Studio on Fire and Parklife Press. Thanks!
Kate -- Some of us are paper and printing snobs -- and pay the price! There is simply nothing like handmade paper.(which I prefer to mouldmade and Cranes Lettra, which is machinemade by Neenah paper mills. It's really nice, toothy paper, but nothing like handmade paper by Dieu Donne or Twinrocker, or Oblation -- or my favorite hand mills in Italy, France and the Czech Republic...) But, you're right, some people don't care and some may not even notice.
I learned a long time ago that some people have the aesthetic gene, and some people don't. If you do have the aesthetic gene and not much money, than you just learn to be really clever.
Letterpress takes time and skill. There are all sorts of work arounds and efficiencies a business can build into its processes, but letterpress printing is an artisan's craft. So is handpapermaking. It took Ben Franklin years to develop his letterpress skills, and Mark Twain, and William Morris...