Letterpress printing for your own design

Custom letterpress printing on thick cotton paper, with proofs before production.

Your invitation design is finished on screen, from a Canva file or a wedding designer's final. We letterpress that finished artwork onto thick cotton paper and send a proof before anything is printed.

What our letterpress printing service includes

Letterpress printing for your own design

Send us your finished design and we will quote within 1 to 2 business days, then prepare a designer proof for approval. Letterpress printing is priced from 50 pieces and includes white envelopes with invitations. Proof rounds are unlimited and cost nothing extra, so you can refine the plate work until it looks right. Every order is printed in Melbourne and shipped worldwide.

Looking for ready-made letterpress wedding invitation designs? Compare letterpress vs foil vs digital wedding invitations before you upload your finished artwork.

Get in 1-2 business days

Tactile Impressions

Your design is pressed into thick Wild Cotton paper, leaving a tactile impression. Minimum order is 50 pieces.

Unlimited Proof Rounds

Approve a designer proof before production, and request as many revisions as you need. Most customers settle the design in three to five rounds.

Cotton Paper Options

Choose Wild Cotton 300gsm or the 600gsm double thick stock. Both are thick cotton sheets made for letterpress.

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LETTERPRESS PRINTING
- HOW IT WORKS

UPLOAD AND QUOTE

Upload your finished design through the quote request form. Paperlust reviews it and sends a quote within 1 to 2 business days.

PROOF AND APPROVE

Accept the quote and a designer proof arrives within 1 to 2 business days. Nothing prints until you approve the proof.

PRINT AND SHIP

After proof approval, letterpress production takes 20 to 23 working days. Orders to the United States ship by DHL Express in 2 to 4 business days.

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

Print Your Own Design

Online letterpress printing for your own design

This letterpress printing service is for finished artwork you already have. You upload the file, we quote within 1 to 2 business days, and a proof follows before any production starts. If you are still building the file or need broader guidance, start with our print your own design service. You can also contrast this finish with foil printing for your own design if you want metallic shine. For paper and print textures before committing, order a sample pack.

What letterpress does to artwork

Letterpress printing presses your design into thick cotton paper, leaving a tactile impression. This is different from digital print. Each ink color needs its own plate, so the method favors clean, deliberate artwork.

Because the press uses a plate for every color, the final file has to separate cleanly. That is why a designer proof matters: it shows how the impression, stock and ink will look together before the run begins.

Which designs suit letterpress

Typography, monograms, borders, and single-color line art work well in letterpress. Photos, gradients, and soft shadows cannot be letterpressed, because the plate requires clean vector edges and one ink color per plate. Digital print suits photos and gradients better.

Canva and template files often need preparation before they are ready for letterpress. If the design team prepares a file that is not print-ready, the quote shows a preparation fee from US$59.

File requirements for letterpress

Send clean single-color vector artwork as an AI or EPS file, with one file or layer per ink color. Outline text or embed fonts, embed images, and include a 0.125 in (3 mm) bleed on every side. Keep key text and artwork at least 0.25 in (6 mm) inside the trim.

The upload form accepts JPG, PNG, ZIP, RAR or PDF files up to 20 MB each, while the letterpress artwork itself should be supplied as AI or EPS.

Paper for letterpress

All letterpress work is printed on Wild Cotton 300gsm, and you can choose Wild Cotton 600gsm for a double thick card. The 600gsm sheet is the thicker of the two.

Letterpress is printed on Wild Cotton from the paper range. The paper choice is part of the letterpress service.

What is included and how pricing works

A letterpress order starts at a minimum of 50 pieces and costs more per card than digital print. Custom letterpress printing is quoted exactly from your file. White envelopes are included free with invitations. Colored envelopes are available from US$0.87 each, and guest address printing on envelopes starts from US$0.16 per envelope.

You pay in full before proofing starts. The quote comes back within 1 to 2 business days, and a designer proof follows in the same window after you accept. Proof rounds are unlimited and carry no charge; most customers need three to five rounds.

Turnaround and planning backwards

Letterpress production takes 20 to 23 working days after you approve the proof. Expedited printing is not available for letterpress, so plan for the full window. Production does not include shipping time.

Orders to the United States ship by DHL Express and arrive in 2 to 4 business days after dispatch. Shipping is free on orders of US$350 and over; under US$350 it is a flat US$27.50 per order. Work backwards from your mail date to allow for proofing, production, and delivery.

Samples before you commit

Letterpress has a tactile finish, so start with the sample pack or the full swatch kit. The sample pack is US$4 and the full swatch kit is US$16; both let you review the paper and print options before ordering.

A printed sample of your own artwork is available for digital print for US$12 and for metallic print or flat foil for US$20 for the first copy. You can use it to check a supplied design before committing to a letterpress run.

FAQ

Can Paperlust letterpress a design I made myself?

Yes. If you have finished artwork, upload it through the quote request form and we will send a quote within 1 to 2 business days. Letterpress works well with clean typography and line art. Photos, gradients and soft shadows cannot be letterpressed, but the design team can prepare a file that is not print-ready for a fee from US$59.

What does print-ready mean for letterpress?

For letterpress, print-ready means clean single-color vector artwork supplied as an AI or EPS file, with one file or layer per ink color. Text should be outlined or fonts embedded, images embedded, and a 0.125 in (3 mm) bleed on every side. Keep key text and artwork at least 0.25 in (6 mm) inside the trim.

Can I letterpress a design made in Canva?

Yes in most cases. Download the design from Canva as PDF Print with bleed and crop marks ticked, and set quality to maximum. PDF Print exports at 300 dpi and converts RGB to CMYK. Canva cannot export separate foil or letterpress layers, so those elements need to become single-color vector artwork, which the design team can prepare for a fee from US$59.

How many ink colors can a letterpress design use?

Every letterpress plate carries one ink color, so each extra ink color needs its own plate. You should provide one file or layer per ink color. The design team can help separate colors if the file is not already set up, and the quote will show any preparation fee from US$59 that applies.

What is the minimum order for letterpress printing?

The minimum order for letterpress is 50 pieces. If you need fewer than 50, flat foil and digital print start at 10 pieces. The quote request form will confirm the right option for your artwork and quantity.

How long does letterpress printing take?

Letterpress production takes 20 to 23 working days after you approve the proof. The proof arrives within 1 to 2 business days of accepting the quote, and unlimited proof rounds can add time. Orders to the United States then ship by DHL Express in 2 to 4 business days.

What does letterpress printing cost?

Printing a supplied design starts from US$2.78 per card for digital print, and letterpress costs more per card than digital print. White envelopes are included free. The exact price depends on the design, ink colors, quantity and paper, so we send a quote within 1 to 2 business days.

Which paper is used for letterpress?

Letterpress is printed on Wild Cotton 300gsm, with a Wild Cotton 600gsm double thick option. Both are thick cotton stocks made for letterpress. The sample pack and full swatch kit let you review these papers and the other stocks before ordering.