A glance at the processes behind letterpress - Quoting for letterpress - Episode 3

QUOTING at Fluid Ink is still done on an individual basis. As each job is completely different, The old pen, paper and calculator is the method I use. Although I am getting a lot faster now that I have a good idea of supplies and costs and can use past quotes as a start its not quite as laborious as it was when I first began!

I have found that many times, clients do not know or have any idea of the costs involved in letterpress. Ball park figures are still difficult to offer especially considering the may variants of a quote. And thats fine! Letterpress is something you fall in love with and I am always happy to work with clients and find solutions so that they can have their letterpress dreams within their budget!

Hopefully the following  bits of information will go some way to explain the process of what needs to be considered when quoting for letterpress.

So, in order to start a quote, I require the following information:

1. Quantity
2. Paper size
3. Paper stock
4. Number of colours
5. Envelope requirement
6. Location for postage
7. Deadline
8. Artwork - supplied or commissioned?

Quantity:

On average, around 70% of what we charge to create a letterpress piece is made up of the cost of the polymer plate and the ‘making ready’ setting up the press so that it imprints correctly and in the correct place (registration) the time it takes to hand feed each piece in and the cost of the paper, mixing ink, cutting paper etc, makes up the rest, so as you can imaging, the more prints that are made, the cheaper the cost per print will be.

In a  comparison of 2 jobs A & B where:

Job A= 3 colours, 35 prints

job B = 1 colour, 100 prints.

job B may work out to be cheaper over all even though you are getting more prints. The cost of the 3 individual plates (one per colour) and the time it takes to set up each plate into the chase and have it registered correctly far outweighs the cost of the paper and the time it takes to actually hand feed 100 pieces into the press.

Paper size.

Obviously the larger the paper, the more expensive the product right?... Most often yes but if you can be economical with paper sizes so that perhaps making the final paper size 1cm smaller allows 14 cuts per sheet where 1cm bigger may only allow 12 cuts per parent sheet, then savings may be made here.

Number of colours:

Each colour requires a separate plate and as discussed plates are one of the biggest expenses for a job.

Envelopes.

You can choose from standard plain white budget envelopes, Cotton envelopes that match the paper, coloured envelopes that match text and then there is the endless selection of ‘pocket’ card envelopes that can hold all of your stationery together!

Deadline.

Deadlines need to be realistic. the design proof , correct process can take up to 10 working days, and then there is the print making process (another week) paper cutting, ink mixing printing and posting. Ideally, we would require a moth from start to finish for all bespoke invitation requests - that's not to say we can't rush a job and work under pressure!! Our presses work well under pressure! (get it?...;-)

Artwork.

If artwork is supplied, then artwork will need to be sighted before I can quote, just to ensure it is ‘doable’ see previous blog post on ‘Designing for letterpress’ found HERE. 

Growing pains of an adolescent business

In issue 7 of Bespoke Zine, there was a nutty little piece of writing by yours truly - (re published below) This issue was full of great hints tips and general pick me up stories perfect for small business owners.

*bespoke* is a quarterly Australian Zine (with both print and digital versions available) made by the handmade community, for the handmade community.
It is full of stories, interviews, features, tutorials, recipes, and much more! Topics covered include craft/handmade, vintage, art, photography, and all things creative.

To purchase your very own copy head to the Bespoke Zine website.

Growing pains of an adolescent business

By Davina Farinola,

Owner Operator of micro businesses Fluid Ink Letterpress www.fluidink.com.au and Mini Ink baby photo cards www.miniink.com.au.

I have a meditation podcast that I use to turn my mind off from the day’s babble and allow me to sleep. Honestly, most of them are a little too much on the fruity side but they tend to do the trick never the less. One of them has a section asking you to define what you want out of life. It repeats ‘What do you want? in soft meditative tones. (Just so you know ‘Shut up brain I want to sleeeeep’ doesn’t work) As I ponder this, a good nights sleep is generally up there, but also, guidance, a sign I’m heading in the right direction, a lotto win, perhaps a non life threatening illness where the only cure is being fed through a drip, being quarantined and made to sleep, read trashy magazines and watch TV for 7days…

Running a micro business from home, raising 2 active young boys and participating in ‘growing pains’ with my letterpress hobby – is tough. My hobby is making that awkward transition into small business and like an acne infested 16yo boy with a breaking voice, it is stretching and squeaking, resisting then blooming and creating general chaos around our home. At times there will be a flash of maturity and success, but otherwise, its growth although unstoppable and necessary, is proving to be ungainly and exhausting.

On the difficult days I’m thinking that running small businesses isn’t for me. There’s just too much pressure, too many decisions and compromises. Working as a check out chick seems so much simpler. Its what I did at Uni, it was fun and at least I would be out of the house and the massive mound of ironing, breakfast dishes and scattered papers wouldn’t be giving me the hairy eyeball. I’d be permitted to come home and have a reason to be knackered. But alas, I’m a creator now, the supermarket monotony would do me in. To stave off boredom I’d probably re-arrange the check out chocolates by colour, size, or maybe even prettiness.

So what do I want?

Well.. to be recognized as a professional printer, for others to admire my work and to live off the earnings. But with success comes a whole bucket-load of things I don’t have or don’t like.

1.     Time & energy: Seriously, if there was just a way that I could go to sleep past midnight and be able to function properly before 10am, then I would be set. And would 3 extra hours each day be too much to ask?

2.     Accounting. When you are forced to ask your husband how to add 10% to a number for the 10^th time, accounting is definitely not your thing and unfortunately unless you can live on ‘happy’, then its kind of necessary in business.

3.     Perfection: Since I am not ‘trained’ in letterpress, I have no printers certificate, I am self taught and no - I don’t now everything yet. I’m petrified that someone will find out that I’m perhaps not an expert, that there is more to learn and there are possibly others out there who know more, have been doing it longer and have the tools, equipment and finances to do it better.

4.     Confidence: I’m usually referred to as ‘quirky’ or ‘ a little bit out there’, and I like that! I’m quietly proud of thinking differently and I’m usually a pretty confident sort. However, try and make me admit my stuff could be pretty good; well I squirm like a nerd being chatted up by a buxom wench. And why? Because I believe– as many other crafters do - that until (insert famous Hollywood actor/starlet here) owns something that I have made, then its not quite fabulous yet!

5.     Doubt: What if I do this ‘for real’ make a go of it and subsequently don’t like it and get bored, fail, or disappoint? I have invested time and money, not to mention insisting my long suffering and patient husband sub let a portion of his (our) man cave (shed) out to me.

So what I do know?

Thankfully, these troubles are not unique. You are not alone. If you’re worried, have an issue or a question, or just want to know that someone else in the world is also puzzled by the chaos that is math, you should know, without a doubt, that someone else is in the same predicament. Thanks to the magnificent world of internet, forums, online teams social medias and such, there is always someone else sharing advice and offering assistance and venting their own frustrations.

Seek advice but listen to your heart – do not hesitate!

Be well read, but make sure you write your own book - you know more than you think!

Think about your lotto dream and what YOU want. If you did win lotto, would you still want to make and create? If so, you can’t possibly go wrong!

New 5x7 red tree of Love

I'm very excited to be bringing this to you all. I have had my requests for a frame-able version of this so here it is! You will be able to purchase it this weekend at the Made o the Left Markets here in Perth, or online (see out 'shop' page)
Its 5x7" printed onto 300gsm white Cranes Lettra 100% cotton paper in red ink. Print only - frame not included. Fits perfectly into any standard frame.

Find us this weekend

At the Made on the left markets, Sunday 29th July. 10am - 4pm State Theatre Centre Northbridge (Cnr William & Roe St).  Heaps of new products and designs available!

Exciting news!

Fluid Ink will be joining the Montage Collective. A pop up shop at 224a William street Northbridge WA, from Mon 6th Aug - Sun 2nd September. Whooooot!

Follow Montage on Facebook HERE
or check out the website HERE!

A quick little video of Mavis in action.

More... I love you more

New to the range: I love you more than, coffee, alcohol and chocolate. 

I really like the way the colours of the envelopes make them pop!

I dare you to send your loved one all 3. You would have to be insane or really, really in love.

 

Watch this space for 5x7" poster prints of these pressed onto super thick luxury 600gsm Crane's Lettra. A frame-able nerdy and stylish addition to your home decor.