Swayspace logo

Custom Designs

We encourage everyone interested in custom design to come in for a studio visit. These are informal meetings made by appointment in which we discuss what you’re looking for, answer your questions and show you samples of our work. We follow up with an itemized estimate and proposed schedule for your project.

If you’d like to get a preliminary estimate, call or email us with as much of the following information as possible and we’ll get back to you with a rough estimate:

  • Approximate dimensions and quantities of pieces you’ll need.
  • Number of ink colors.
  • Any other relevant details (2-sided printing, envelope lining, edge painting, etcetera)

    We charge separately for design services.

    Weddings

    A basic event invitation suite (comprised of an invitation, RSVP card, RSVP envelope and outer envelope) typically ranges between $1,300 and $2,000 for 100 – 175 letterpress printed sets. If you would like us to design your invitations, that runs an additional $75 per hour. After speaking more about your project, we’re happy to provide a custom estimate.

    If you have a design and are looking for a high quality letterpress printer, we're happy to work with you. Prices start at around $600 for one hundred 5"x7" pieces; give us a call or send us an email for a custom quote.

    Design of a invitation suite typically takes 3 – 6 weeks from the time we receive your go-ahead and a 50% deposit. Once a final design is approved, printing takes approximately 4 weeks. If you can plan 2 – 3 months ahead of the date you’d like to receive your invites, that’s ideal. Don’t forget to schedule time for envelopes to be addressed!

    Letterpress design process

    1. We will first have a meeting with you so you can review our past work, look at paper samples, and discuss the specifics of your project. It really helps if you come prepared with any visual inspiration and design ideas. Anything can be a good starting point, from images of your wedding locale to a mid-century poster design you’re loving.
    2. After meeting, we’ll email you an estimate.
    3. If you’d like to move forward, we ask for a 50% deposit.
    4. We begin working on rough designs. Often we’ll send you a few rough mock-ups first before going too far with any one idea. All designs are emailed to you in PDF format for your feedback along the way.
    5. We’ll go back and forth, each time getting closer to the imagery, font choices, and colors you’d like in your final design.
    6. Once a final design is approved and you’ve selected ink colors, we’ll have printing plates made and move forward with printing.
    7. About 4 weeks later, you’ll have your invites!

    Business Cards

    Letterpress printed business cards start at $625 (not including design time, if applicable). Factors such as the number of ink colors, the type of paper stock, the quantity of cards, single- versus double-sided printing, and extras like edge painting and corner rounding all affect the price of your cards.

    The price per card goes down considerably as your quantity increases. For example, a card that would cost $625 for a quantity of 250 – or $2.50 per card – is only $.75 per card when ordered in a quantity of 1000.

    If you would like us to design your cards, please get in touch so we can work up an accurate estimate for you and arrange a time for you to come in and discuss your project.