Working with Dauphine Press

Letterpress Invitations Time Frame We are often asked how long it will take to receive wedding invitations. The time your invitations take to be designed and printed depends largely on how quickly you make decisions and communicate them back to us. If you come prepared with completed wording, definite choices of color, shape, design and paper, the process will go quickly. If you need extra time to circulate designs around to family and friends and make multiple rounds of changes, the process will be slower and more costly. We strongly advise our clients to come to us with complete wording that has been approved by all necessary parties and carefully proofread for errors in advance. The more advance preparation you do, the more you will save in both time and money.

The entire process consists of four parts:

PART ONE: Getting Started
PART TWO: Design (1-2 week process)
PART THREE: Printing (2-3 week process)
PART FOUR: Finish Work (optional - up to 1 week)

 PART ONE: GETTING STARTED

1. Begin Creating Your Custom Designed Stationery
Select a design from our website - you can order it as-is or personalize it by selecting options from the Customize section of our website. Choose your favorite motif, layout, ink color(s), fonts and embellishments. This part of the process is essential to saving you additional time and money on extra proof fees later in the process. Please consider all of the different options carefully and select your favorite combination.

2. Placing Your Order
Once you've chosen the design elements you would like to incorporate into your stationery, contact us. We will walk through your order with you and answer any questions you may have.

So you can prepare, these are a few of the details we will need:

• Choice of invitation design including style, paper, ink, motif and font choices
• Printed elements you wish to order (invitation, response card, save the date, etc.)
• Quantity for each of these elements
• Any additional embellishments (envelope liners, pocket folds, ribbons, etc.)
• Confirmation of who will be assembling the invitations - you or Dauphine Press
• The date you wish to receive your invitations
• All your contact information including phone, address and email

Within one business day of our conversation, will e-mail you:

• A text form for you to complete
• A contract for you to sign and return
• An invoice and payment form for you to submit your deposit (50% is due to begin design)

When you return your fully completed text form, signed contract and 50% deposit, the design phase begins. Please note that all three elements are required to move to the next phase. Any delays in getting these back to us will push back your timeline.

3. Completing Your Text Form
This is a very important step in the process that marks the start of the design phase (1-2 week period). We suggest that you take your time filling out the text form with your final wording that you would like to see appear on your stationery. We ask for all final text before we can get started on design. Please be sure to double check any questionable spelling, grammar and punctuation details and proof read carefully. One of our designers will review the information and contact you if she has any questions.

 PART TWO: DESIGN (1-2 week process)

4. Your Proof
Once you have submitted your completed text form, you will receive your design proof PDF sent via e-mail within 3-5 business days. This proof will include all of the pieces in your order, based on the details you provided.

If you wish to see additional fonts, motifs or design options, a proof fee of $25 per printed piece (i.e.: envelopes, response cards, invitations, menus, programs, tags, etc.) will be incurred. This is your opportunity to make any final changes or revisions.

5. Approving Your Stationery Suite
Please proofread all items carefully prior to giving Dauphine Press your approval. We urge you to carefully consider all content on every piece of your stationery and to take the time to verify all information. If any edits are required beyond this point, a proof fee of $25 per printed piece (i.e.: envelopes, response cards, invitations, menus, programs, tags, etc.) will be incurred. Your proof includes approval boxes for your sign-off.* Fax your signed/approved proof back to Dauphine Press at 707.776.0795.

Please note that your signature approving artwork for print assumes total responsibility for all design and typographical elements. Dauphine Press is not responsible for typographical and design errors that you have approved. Dauphine Press will not incur the costs of reprinting and shipping orders due to these errors, nor will a refund be issued.

 PART THREE: PRINTING (2-3 week process)

6. Scheduling Your Press Date
Once all pieces are approved, we will coordinate your press date, shipping details and final payment and contact you within 2-3 days after your final proof is received. Any changes (i.e. quantity changes, additional printed pieces, additional embellishments, etc.) to your order will be applied at this time. Final payment must be received at this point before your invitations are printed.

 PART FOUR: FINISH WORK (optional - up to 1 week)

7. Finish Work
Once your printed pieces are complete, our skilled assembly team will undertake any finish work (i.e. lining envelopes, setting grommets, mounting invitations on pocket folders, tying ribbons, stuffing envelopes, etc.) which you have chosen. This process can take up to one week.

8. Shipping
Our standard method of domestic shipping is UPS ground, which takes up to 5 business days to the east coast and 1-2 days to west coast addresses. Expedited and international shipping are available, please let us know in advance if you require these services.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Rush Orders
Rush orders are available: Orders requiring a 3 week turnaround are subject to a rush fee of an additional 25% of printing costs. Orders requiring a 2 week turnaround are subject to a rush fee of 50% of printing costs. Any expedited shipping required for custom embellishments such as ribbon or pocket folders will also be billed.

Early Envelopes
Please let us know if you wish to have the envelopes shipped separately to your calligrapher. Envelopes may also be printed ahead of the rest the invitation suite and sent separately. An additional press time charge of $100 (retail) plus shipping charges will be added to the invoice. Please note that Dauphine Press does not proof read any addresses nor are we liable for the work of any outside calligraphy service.

Ready to take the next step? Check out our price estimator, request a sample, or contact us today for ordering information!