Custom letterpress printing for your own design

Pressed into thick cotton paper for a tactile, considered finish.

Your finished PDF is sitting in downloads, ready for something better than a flat print. Our letterpress printing service presses your supplied artwork into thick cotton card stock for a tactile finish digital print cannot give.

What the service includes

Custom letterpress printing for your own design

This online letterpress printing service takes your finished artwork, checks it for the press, and quotes within 1 to 2 business days. Printed in Melbourne, letterpress has a minimum of 50 and production takes 20 to 23 working days after proof approval.

If you are still exploring styles, browse letterpress wedding invitation designs for pre-made suites or compare letterpress vs foil vs digital wedding invitations before you commit.

Get in 1-2 business days

Cotton Impression

Your design is pressed into Wild Cotton 300gsm, or 600gsm double thick, leaving a tactile impression on every card.

Designer Proof

A proof arrives within 1 to 2 business days of accepting the quote. Proof rounds are unlimited and free, and nothing prints until you approve.

Included Envelopes

White envelopes come with every invitation order at no extra cost. Coloured envelopes are available from A$1.10 each.

A thousand smiles: Browse our 5-Star feedback

LETTERPRESS PRINTING
- HOW IT WORKS

UPLOAD AND QUOTE

Send your finished artwork through the quote request form. A quote comes back within 1 to 2 business days.

PROOF AND APPROVE

After you accept the quote, a designer proof arrives within 1 to 2 business days. Proof rounds are unlimited and carry no charge.

PRINT AND SHIP

Nothing prints until you approve. Letterpress production then takes 20 to 23 working days, with free StarTrack shipping within Australia.

UPLOAD REFERENCES
WRITE REQUESTS
SELECT CARDS
CHOOSE PRINT TYPES
CHOOSE SHAPES
CHOOSE ENVELOPE
ADD-ONS
FILL YOUR DETAILS

Print Your Own Design

Letterpress printing for your own design

This letterpress printing service takes a supplied design, checks it for the press, and works with you until the plates are right. If you already have finished artwork, this is how you print your own design on cotton paper with a tactile impression. Quotes come back within 1 to 2 business days.

What letterpress does to your artwork

Letterpress uses a plate to press your design into thick cotton paper, leaving a tactile impression. The stock options are Wild Cotton 300gsm and Wild Cotton 600gsm double thick.

Each plate carries one ink colour. If your artwork uses two ink colours, it needs two plates; each extra ink colour needs its own plate. Letterpress suits clean typography and line art.

Designs that suit letterpress, and designs that do not

Clean typography, line art, and single colour logos suit letterpress. Photos, gradients, and soft shadows cannot be letterpressed.

If your design is built around colour and imagery, digital print is the better match. For shimmer without the pressed impression, see foil printing for your own design. Foil can sit alongside digitally printed colour on the same card.

File requirements for letterpress

For letterpress, send clean single colour vector artwork as AI or EPS, with one file or layer per ink colour. Text should be outlined, and each colour should be a flat, solid shape. For digital elements, a print-ready PDF should be CMYK with 3 mm bleed on every side, 300 dpi at final print size, fonts outlined or embedded, and text at least 6 mm inside the trim. The upload form accepts up to 20 MB per file in JPG, PNG, ZIP, RAR or PDF.

Paper for letterpress

We letterpress on Wild Cotton 300gsm, a thick cotton card. For heavier invitations, choose Wild Cotton 600gsm, our double thick stock.

Wild Cotton is also the stock for foil stamping. The 600gsm double thick option gives a heavier card for the main invitation.

What is included and how pricing works

The minimum letterpress order is 50 cards. Printing a supplied design starts from A$3.50 per card for digital print, and letterpress costs more per card than digital print. If the file is not print-ready, the design team can prepare it for a fee from A$75. Your exact quote comes back within 1 to 2 business days.

Print-only jobs are paid in full before proofing starts. Proof rounds are unlimited and free, and nothing prints until you approve the final proof. White envelopes are included with invitation orders. Coloured envelopes are available from A$1.10 each, and guest address printing from A$0.20 per envelope.

Letterpress turnaround and shipping

After you approve the proof, letterpress production takes 20 to 23 working days. Expedited printing is not available for letterpress, so plan around the full window. Most customers need three to five proof rounds, so allow for that before final approval.

Within Australia, dispatch is free with StarTrack Premium and usually arrives next business day to metro areas, with extra time for regional and rural addresses. International orders ship by DHL Express in 2 to 4 business days after dispatch: free on orders of US$350 and over, otherwise a flat US$27.50 per order. Customers in the UK, Canada and the EU pay their own import duties and taxes on delivery.

Samples before you commit

Since cotton paper is hard to judge on screen, order a sample pack to compare paper and print finishes. The sample pack is A$5, and the full paper and foil swatch kit is A$20. Both help you choose between 300gsm and 600gsm before you commit.

For a printed sample of your own artwork, digital print is A$15 for the first copy. Metallic print or flat foil is A$25 for the first copy.

FAQ

Can Paperlust letterpress a design I made myself?

Yes. You can upload your finished artwork through the quote request form and we will check it for letterpress. If the file is print-ready as single colour vector art, we move to proof. If it is not, our design team can prepare it for a fee from A$75, stated in the quote. Quotes come back within 1 to 2 business days.

What does print-ready mean for letterpress?

Print-ready letterpress artwork is single colour vector, supplied as AI or EPS, with one file or layer per ink colour. Text should be outlined. If you send a print-ready PDF, include 3 mm bleed on every side and keep text and key artwork at least 6 mm inside the trim.

Can I letterpress a design I made in Canva?

Canva exports a print-ready PDF at 300 dpi when you choose PDF Print with bleed and crop marks, but it cannot export a separate foil or letterpress layer. For letterpress, those elements need to become single colour vector art. The design team can prepare that from the Canva file, from A$75, and the quote will say if this applies.

How many ink colours can a letterpress design use?

Letterpress uses one ink colour per plate, so a two colour design needs two plates. Each ink colour must be supplied as a clean single colour vector file or layer. Photos, gradients and soft shadows cannot be letterpressed.

What is the minimum order for letterpress?

The minimum for letterpress is 50 cards. If you need fewer than 50, digital print, metallic print, white ink and flat foil start at a minimum of 10. Exact quantity pricing for letterpress comes in your quote.

How long does letterpress take?

After you approve the proof, letterpress printing takes 20 to 23 working days. This does not include quote or proof time, which is 1 to 2 business days each. Expedited printing is not available for letterpress, so plan around the full production window.

What does letterpress printing cost?

Printing a supplied design starts from A$3.50 per card for digital print, and letterpress costs more per card than digital print. Exact pricing comes in the quote. Print-only jobs are paid in full before proofing starts. White envelopes are included with invitation orders, and coloured envelopes start from A$1.10 each.

Which paper is used for letterpress?

Letterpress is printed on Wild Cotton 300gsm. A double thick option in Wild Cotton 600gsm is also available. Wild Cotton is also the stock used for foil stamping.