WINTER
PAPER CO.
W
Process
Winter Paper Co. specializes in creating customized mixed media wedding invitations. We can accommodate a wide variety of sizes, styles, colors and printing options. We professionally print, and craft in-house, giving you a professional, but handmade product. Custom stationery is our top of the line option - if you’re looking for something which requires a little less time and financial commitment, check out our semi-custom stationery collection.
Fill out the Inquiry Form
Fill out our custom stationery inquiry form HERE. For fully custom stationery options, we’ll need more information to give you an accurate quote. The steps below will guide you through the questionnaire. If you're a visual person, our custom stationery ordering guide is HERE.
If you’re interested in a semi-custom suite, skip this questionnaire, and head over to our Semi-Custom Stationery Collection and make your selections! Our semi-custom collections guide is HERE.
Know your Quantity Needs
Remember when you are mailing wedding invitations, you send them to households. That typically means only one invitation is needed per couple or family living under the same roof. We provide invitations in quantities of 5, and our suites all come with one keepsake invitation, already assembled. You'll always want a few extra in case of envelope addressing mishaps, or for late invites. We will need to know where you’re sitting budget-wise, so we can make design suggestions that stay on track.
Select a Package
You'll select artwork that we've already designed, and we'll update the host lines, your names, dates, timing & locations. Select custom envelope colors and we will print and cut all the pieces. You'll still need to assemble the suites, stuff into envelopes, add postage & mail your invitations.
This is our full service option. Not only will we create the customized artwork, but we'll print, cut & assemble all the pieces. Typically, customers who select this option have us print guest addresses, stuff, seal & mail their invitations as well.
Our basic stock paper options are anything but basic! Quality paper is important to us.
We also have textured paper, cotton, and double thick options, as well as the ability to print on any color cardstock or alternative mediums we source.
We have hundreds of envelope colors available to fit your needs - this website will only feature our curated list. We have the ability to custom craft envelopes if your design calls for an alternative option - colors, styles, textures or shapes.
Adding a custom invitation wrap, envelope liner, wax seal, or invitation jacket, etc. adds that finishing touch to your wedding stationery. We customize all these pieces to your suite.
LETTERPRESS
Luxurious, vintage, lovely letterpress. This form of printing features de-bossed artwork in any Pantone ink color.
THERMOGRAPHY
We can take our art, and turn it into a stamp! From there, we can stamp & emboss artwork onto your envelopes.
WHITE INK
If you're selecting darker printing stock, white ink is always a fun accent. We can print white ink on any paper products, including envelopes.
FOILING
If you want bling, we can easily create artwork which is printed using metallic foiling - gold, copper, silver & rose gold are our options.
CMYK DIGITAL
This is your basic laser jet printing option, giving you vivid coloring. Most of our semi-custom suites are designed with this printing style in mind.
ENGRAVING
Our laser engraver can etch creative mediums (wood, acrylic, leather, etc.), for a modern twist. Additional postage is always needed for this option.
Send us some Inspiration!
We believe that graphic design is a form of art, and therefore, everything we create is original. We prefer to feature our own hand drawn artwork or painting. We don't plagiarize art, so please know that what we create for you will be different from what you send us. We'll use your ideas as inspiration to create your ideal personalized wedding stationery. We only need one invitation idea to get started, but a few more visual examples are helpful - they should include not only a suite you really love, but also fonts you're drawn to. Our font library is extensive, but if there is a font that you want to use, and we do not have it, we can purchase it for your use, and it will be added to your final total. We actually love seeing your wedding Pinterest Board, so we can see your overall design ideas as well.
The wording on your invitations is just as important as the artwork! The words should tell guests what to expect, but they should also speak to your personalities as well. Get as creative as you want! This helps us with formatting right up front.
Quote, Contract & Deposit
We’ll put together a quote or invoice based on your stationery selection. A contract is required to lock in any of our design services. Once the contract is signed and retainer is paid ($1000 down for custom artwork, 50% down for semi-custom), we'll begin our work! We do not order any custom materials at this time - this is simply a retainer to get locked into our design schedule.
Consultation & Discovery
Once our contract is approved and deposit is paid, we’ll set up a consultation to review your order, to make sure we’re on the same page. We’ll also activate your online portal as well, which digitally stores all your information, drafts and proofs.
Drafts & Final Approval
It is your responsibility to spell check closely the event dates & times, and give us all your changes at one time to avoid additional fees. We always suggest having another set of eyes look at your stationery each round - it’s easier for someone outside of the project to quickly notice things which need updating!
ROUGH DRAFT
For custom clients, we typically start with a color palette and a rough sketch drawing. When we’re on the same page, we’ll send a rough draft, and we'll get your input - feel free to draw on it (red pen is best), bring more images to the table if necessary - this is our starting point. We will take that feedback and begin your first draft. Word-smiting is also taken into account here. For semi-custom suites, we’ll plug in your information provided.
Each draft typically takes 48 business hours, for text only edits. Reformatting & custom art can take up to 2 weeks to complete or edit. Please build this into your planning timeline. We cannot give a timeline beyond this, as much of the timing relies on your prompt & detailed feedback on our artwork. We simply ask that you take the time to give us honest and detailed feedback during each round of editing.
FIRST DRAFT (PROOF 1)
CUSTOM STATIONERY - Creating custom elements (painting, drawing, etc.) & editing to get us a more polished looking piece. Review text edits, layouts, and coloration.
SEMI-CUSTOM STATIONERY - Review text edits, layouts, and coloration
SECOND DRAFT (PROOF 2)
CUSTOM STATIONERY - This is your last round of edits, before additional charges apply. After this draft, an additional $45/per round of edits will apply to your final invoice.
SEMI-CUSTOM STATIONERY - Sometimes not even needed, but this addresses any outstanding edits you want to see. After this draft, an additional $45/per round of edits will apply to your final invoice.
PRINT APPROVAL
Once you tell us your artwork is perfect, we will send a print approval form for one final review. Upon approval of that form, your art is off to the printer, and we will not be able to make any updates after that point in time.
Printing, Cutting & Assembly
The timing listed below relates to invitation suite only, so we strongly suggest starting early with any additional paper products you might be interested in (programs, thank you notes, etc.). Based on the package you choose, here are the timelines once you approve final artwork:
LETTERPRESS, FOILING, THERMOGRAPHY & ENGRAVING
4 Weeks for Printing
7-10 Days for Cutting, Assembly, adding Postage and Mailing
WHITE INK &
CMYK DIGITAL
7-10 Days for Printing
7-10 Days for Cutting, Assembly, adding Postage and Mailing
ALL
SEMI-CUSTOM
SUITES
See Letterpress, Foiling, Thermography Engraving, White Ink & CMYK Digital for estimated printing times
These are immediately mailed to you, not assembled.
Final Payment
Your remaining balance plus shipping cost is due once your items are ready to ship. We'll send the invoice.
Shipping
This mainly applies to our semi-custom suites.
We ship everything from our studio in Montana. Although we ship all items using USPS Priority mail, please take note that shipping USPS from Montana can take additional days, beyond the 2 day “Priority mail guarantee.” We will always provide a tracking number and $50 worth of insurance. If you would like more insurance, that can be added on the final invoice, before we ship. We are not responsible for delayed shipping times due to the US Postal Service. Priority Shipping typically costs $21 - $42 depending on how many boxes we need to ship.
If you've ordered custom invitations, we typically handle the addressing, stuffing, sealing, postage & hand cancelling. We’ll weigh your finished & printed invitations, in order to provide you with accurate postage information. With fully customized invitations, you have the option to have us order, add postage, hand cancel for you, and mail. If you’ve ordered a semi-custom suite, they do not come assembled. Once you receive your package, you will have some work to do before your invites are ready for the mail! We do not provide postage, but can give you guidance on what your postage rates might be, and also where to source the stamps.