If You Can Dream It, Creative Beasties Workshop Can Print It

Stunning letterpress designs that won't break the bank

love print

Calling all print nerds. This sponsor’s for you.

Hi, my name is Keriann, and I’m a print nerd and a bad influence. There’s a special place in the heart of the APW community for the art of letterpress… but my problem goes well beyond letterpress. And after I introduce you to newly launched full-service print shop Creative Beasties Workshop, yours might too.

See, when I’m not managing advertising for APW, you can find me working for a multidisciplinary print publication that regularly features printing acrobatics like die-cuts and inserts and letterpress, and that one time we hired a group of Hutterites to hand-assemble popup sculptures. Over the years, I have learned a thing or two about what it takes to create striking and unique printed matter and, ahem, what it costs. The former is usually a printing house that only handles large-scale professional jobs. And the latter is usually… a lot.

That’s why, when Creative Beasties told me they offer these kinds of fancy specialty printing for wedding stationery, my mind = blown. The truth is, no one needs four-color letterpress invitations. Or laser-cut signage, or foil, but after you check out Creative Beasties’ work (and their prices), you may really, really want them—and be able to afford them.

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WHAT CREATIVE BEASTIES OFFERS:

  • Letterpress: Most letterpress printers prefer to work with one- or two-color designs, because to be frank, printing more than two colors is a pain in the ass. Each color requires a separate pass of the printer (all done by hand!), and it takes a metric ton of precision and skill to not screw up. A three-color design with a hairline register like the one seen below? Very, very hard to pull off. But Creative Beasties is up for the challenge, and will print up to four colors of letterpress (like the “Love” print at the top of the page), so you don’t have to sacrifice your love of letterpress for your love of color.
  • Laser Cutting: This printing option can be used to create three-dimensional items like wedding signage or cake toppers. Nearly any image can be laser cut or engraved into acrylic, anodized aluminum, or wood—which can be further customized with paint or wood stain. (See the “Follow us to the party” sign above?)
  • Die Cutting: Dies are sharpened steel set in plywood, designed to precisely cut finished pieces into a custom shape—like cookie cutters on steroids. Die cutting can be used to add dimension to a layered stationery suite or a lace effect to single sheets of paper. (Check out the die-cut bows and bow ties on the baby shower invite below.)
  • Embossing: Embossing is kind of like letterpress in reverse (think of a credit card’s raised numbers and letters). While letterpress makes an impression into the material, embossing pushes the design outward toward the reader for a textured effect that’s a bit more unusual than traditional letterpress.
  • Foil Stamping: This one’s for the lovers of all things metallic. Foil stamping allows you to get a truly metallic look and shine that’s way glitzier than ordinary metallic ink or paper. And in addition to adding touches of shine, foils can be an effective way to add light-colored text over a dark stock—which is nearly impossible with ink. Foil stamping is done on the same machines as traditional letterpress, so it produces a similar tactile result.
  • Graphic Design: You likely need someone to design all this fancy stationery and signage, and Creative Beasties can help with that. In addition to being designers themselves, they work with a large pool of talented freelance designers, which allows you the opportunity to work with a designer who truly gets your aesthetic.

 

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MORE THAN “JUST” a PRINT SHOP

Creative Beasties Workshop is based in Roseville, California and works with clients across the country. Husband and wife team Danny and Jenna found APW when planning their own wedding, and it was you guys they thought of first when it was time to get the word out about their workshop:

We came across APW during our own wedding planning and fell in love with the site and its culture. We think APW couples are like us and value unique, artisan goods that are made with love and awesomeness.

The reason we call ourselves a workshop instead of a print shop is because we offer a wide range of services beyond traditional letterpress, from die cutting to laser cutting, and even digital printing with letterpress flair like embossing. We work with wood and paint. We love glitter and acrylic. We make cake toppers and seating charts. We can create a large assortment of custom wedding detail items that would normally take six to eight vendors to accomplish, all while keeping a cohesive design aesthetic throughout the process. On top of that, we have a large pool of freelance designers to choose from, which allows our couples the opportunity to work with a designer that best fits their style, not the other way around.

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The most reasonable rates around

Creative Beasties Workshop’s services start between $49 and $199 depending on the type. For example, $49 will get you a laser-cut sign on a 12×12-inch piece of 1/8-inch-thick plywood, while $220 will get you 75 5×7-inch single-color invitations printed on premium 300gsm cotton paper with your artwork or a customized design from their catalog.

Plus, they’ve recently introduced a pricing tool that will estimate pricing without you ever having to send an email:

  • 100 1-color 4×6-inch invites with matching envelopes and return address printing? $292!
  • 75 2-color 5×7-inch invites on double-thick cardstock? $357!
  • 50 4-color 5×7-inch invites? $437!

Go check it out here, and then take a moment to let those prices sink in. They’re kind of close to… what you’d be spending for not letterpress. For letterpress. I’ll wait here while you sit down.

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Basically if you’ve always wanted letterpress (or any kind of really unique invites), now’s your chance to get the deal of a lifetime and support a talented and growing small business while you’re at it. Contact Creative Beasties Workshop today to get started, and don’t forget to share with us all the crazy fancy designs you create together.

From now until December 31, 2016, mention APW to get a free letterpress upgrade of your choice: Choose from double-thick stock, matching envelopes, return address printing, or 25% extra prints.

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