FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - Find out more about our wedding invitations

What are the prices of your wedding stationery?
Please see our pricing page for a guide to costs.

How long does the whole process take from when I place my order to when they will arrive at my door?
Joie collection/flat printed invitations will be delivered within 2-3 weeks from when we receive your final approval on the digital proof of your design. Jardin/letterpress designs are more time-consuming and usually take at least 4-5 weeks from when you approve the digital proof. Any extra time before this depends on how quickly you can provide us with your wording, colour choices, envelope choice etc. If you are having personalised invitations or mailing labels, we will also need you to supply us with your finalised guest list as an Excel spreadsheet.

It's best to allow at least a couple of months before you want to have your invitations in the post, and it's never too early to get started. Please note: letterpress is not suitable for urgent orders (i.e. less than 4 weeks turnaround).

How will my invites arrive?
Because we are an online stationery boutique, we send all stationery orders via express, registered post, with a signature required on delivery. Each part of your order will be carefully wrapped so it arrives safe and sound at your door.

I'm ready to get started - what happens now?
Once you have your order figured out (quantity, stationery pieces and chosen design), please email us for a quote. If you accept the quote and would like to get started, a 50% deposit is due (payable via direct transfer to our account) in order to confirm your booking and begin the design process. The remaining balance is payable before your order is sent to print. Please note: for urgent orders with a quick turnaround, the full balance may be required upfront.

What is letterpress printing?
Letterpress dates back to the 15th century and is the original method of printing. Today it's considered a craft, highly regarded for the wonderful, one-of-a-kind results it gives. Letterpress uses the relief method of printing, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of luxurious cotton paper to create an impression you can see and feel. Each invitation is printed one at a time, hand-fed into an antique press, giving a result that no other printing technique can replicate. A letterpress printed invitation is tactile, beautiful and a work of art in itself! Each Ruby & Scarlett letterpress order is printed by a skilled pressman on antique presses, for a flawless result every time. We guarantee you will absolutely love your letterpress invitations, and so will your guests!

What is flat printing?
In flat printing, the ink appears to lay flat atop the surface of the paper, creating a smooth, matte finish. This style of printing is alot less expensive than letterpress and still achieves a beautiful, elegant result, making it the most popular printing choice for our stationery. Ruby & Scarlett uses the highest quality digital offset printing press available, and all flat printed stationery is printed professionally (no home desktop printers!). Flat printing delivers high resolution colour similar to offset printing, and is the perfect choice for our bolder, more colourful designs. It also allows for the flexibility of personalising invitations and labels with guest names/addresses (unlike letterpress printing which requires a custom plate for each part of the design).

How long before the wedding should I send my invitations out?
Roughly 6-8 weeks before the wedding is the ideal time to get your invitations in the post, more if you have a lot of guests who are travelling and will need to book flights/accommodation. A save the date card can be sent out as early as you like, or as soon as you have the date set, and is a nice way to give guests plenty of advance notice.

Can I change the colours for any of the designs?
Yes you can! Any of the designs can be printed in any colour or combination of colours. For flat printed stationery, there is no extra cost to customise colours. For letterpress stationery, we have a list of house colours you can choose from at no extra cost (a small fee applies to have a custom colour mixed for you). If you have a specific colour in mind, you can either let us know the nearest Pantone swatch colour, or send us a sample of what you have in mind, and we'll do our best to match it.

Can I choose the fonts?
Yes you can! We usually like to create your invitation using the fonts that we feel best suit the design you have chosen, the style of your wedding, the layout of your wording etc... however you are welcome to change fonts at the proofing stage if you would like to see something else. We have a font list available on request.

Can you design other stationery items like order of service covers and seating charts?
Yes we can! We can design any other stationery items you may need, such as: order of service covers, menus, seating charts, save the dates, direction/info cards, accommodation cards, table numbers, and anything else you can think of! Please see our pricing page for costs, or email us if you can't find a price listed for a particular item.

Can I have lined envelopes with the Joie collection invitations, or are they just for the Jardin designs?
Yes, of course. However, please bear in mind the liners work best on neutral envelope colours such as ivory or kraft - not so much for bold coloured envelopes (red, green etc.) We are happy to advise you on the best choice if you are not sure.

Do you have any suggestions for invitation wording?
Yes we do! Just click here for our guide to wording your invitations.

Is there a word limit I should stick to for the wording of my invitation?
Feel free to be as lengthy or as concise as you like with the wording of your invitations, however it helps to keep in the mind the size of the invitation - C6 invitations will fit less text than the larger C5. For letterpress printed invitations, it's better to keep the wording on the minimal side so we don't have to go too small with the size in order to fit it in.

I'd like my invitation to be square in size, but it looks like it only comes as C6 size? Can you do other sizes?
Yes, we certainly can - our standard invitation sizes are portrait or landscape C6 size (small flat postcard style), but we can also do A5 (large flat postcard style), DL or square if you would prefer.

I like one of the designs in the Jardin collection, but would like to have it flat printed instead of letterpressed. Is this possible?
Yes - any of the Jardin designs can be flat printed at no extra cost. Please see our pricing for the Joie flat printed collection.

I like one of the Joie designs, but would like to have it letterpress-printed instead of flat printed. Is this possible?
For some designs - yes, but for others, no. It depends on the design. Please ask us and we will let you know if your design choice is letterpress-able!

Can you personalise the invitations and envelopes with my guests names?
For the Joie collection (flat printed):
We can personalise any item in the Joie collection with your guests names and addresses (please see our pricing page for costs). We also offer personalised mailing labels to match your invitation design. Simply provide us with a finalised list of your guests names and addresses, and we’ll provide the labels - all you have to do is stick them to the envelopes!

For the Jardin collection (letterpress printed):
Unfortunately, we cannot personalise letterpress printed stationery - this is because every piece of the design has to be printed from a plate, so to print every guest name and address would require a plate for each one.

Don’t feel however that you have to personalise every invitation with guests names - it is commonplace these days to leave the invitation blank and just personalise the invitation envelope. However, if you would prefer to handwrite or calligraphy guests names on the invitation, we can leave a space in the design for this.

We also offer personalised mailing labels to match your invitation design. Simply provide us with a finalised list of your guests names and addresses, and we’ll provide the labels - all you have to do is stick them to the envelopes! (Mailing labels are flat printed, not letterpress).

I would like to include a photo from the wedding in our thank you card. Is this possible?
Yes, of course! We can do this for any flat printed invitations (unfortunately photos are not suitable to be printed letterpress). Just email us a high res photo and we can place it in the design for you.

I really like one of your designs, but would like to make a few changes to it. Is this possible?
Yes! We can customise any of the designs to suit your needs. A customisation fee is applicable, ranging from $25 - $75, depending on the extent of the change. If you require extensive changes, a custom design fee will be applicable ($250).

What sort of paper do you print your stationery on?
Our flat printed invitations are printed on a soft, luxurious ivory stock (a brighter white shade is also available) with a subtle eggshell finish. We use stock that has been manufactured using wind power, is certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), and is made from mixed-source pulp from sustainably-managed forests. It's also Green Seal certified and acid free.

Our letterpress stationery is printed on Italian ivory (or white) 100% cotton paper - tree free! It's beautifully thick and ultra luxurious.

Do you do stationery for events other than weddings - baby announcements, parties etc?
Yes we do! Any of the designs can be customised for a baby announcement or other special event.

What methods of payment do you accept?
Payments can be made by direct deposit to our account, or online using a credit/debit card via Paypal (you do not need a Paypal account to pay). Payment details can be found at the bottom of your invoice.

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