Square Card Reader

While I was in San Francisco, I was introduced to the Square Card Reader. The reader gets low app ratings on iTunes because the readers are backordered and hard to attain, with waiting times of 3-6 months, but the reader is free and the rates are low for occasional credit card swipers. I think once you've requested your Square Card Reader you have to pretend that it doesn't exist until you actually get yours to save on the frustration of not getting it right away. Imagine what this would do for your yard sale!

Willo in the video below has graciously offered to send me a Square Card Reader to try out, so hopefully I will get it before the Printer's Fair this weekend and I'll let you know how it works out!

Spiffying up the websites...

Okay, so whatever time I can carve out, I've been cleaning up Joie Studio's websites. Things have been viciously out of date and I've been feeling like the design of my website has been limiting. After the blog's renovation, I decided Joie Studio's main website should be next. It's not too terribly different, but I cleaned it up a bit to make it a little bit easier to maintain. I need to go through and add some Javascript slideshows and galleries and update some content here and there but the framework is there and I think it looks great.

Next up is Joie Studio's LUXE letterpress website. We've got a number of new designs coming up and it's going to be great!

Anyway, if you want, take a look at www.joiestudio.com and let me know what you think!

I have plane tickets!

I didn't go last year because it was too close to my due date, and the original plan when I started Joie Studio was to EXHIBIT at the National Stationery Show in 2010, but Baby Joie has changed the plans and now I feel lucky enough just to be able to go and see the wonderful goodness going on in the world of stationery. It's going to be a quick trip since Baby Joie's not going with me (I think he would be *not* pleased at a trade show) and the husband has to work, but I'm going to go this year for a day to see what my letterpress friends are up to and see what yumminess is available from paper vendors from all over. Yes, I fly into New York Saturday night, visit the National Stationery Show on Sunday, and then fly home on Monday morning. But I'm excited because I haven't been back to New York since the last time I went to NSS in 2008, and I'm looking forward to saying hi to one of my favorite cities.

New Website: A Letterpress Wedding by Joie Studio

Remember that gorgeous photo of Megan's invitation that I posted awhile back? I've been working on contacting my past clients and their wedding photographers to help out with this new project of mine called "A Letterpress Wedding." As this blog site is about all the goings-on at Joie Studio, I wanted there to be a blog site that was more of a showcase of actual letterpress invitations and the weddings that they were designed for. When I was planning my wedding, I got so much inspiration from looking at other people's weddings that I hope "A Letterpress Wedding" is a resource for people getting married, showcasing great designs, beautiful color schemes, and gorgeous photography. Let me know what you think!

Word of mouth only gets you so far...

For the last year, Joie Studio has been operating almost exclusively on word of mouth advertising. We've had great support from some really rocking design blogs like hapa hale, Paper Crave, and Poppytalk, which has been great for business, and our clients have been so happy with us that we've gotten some really great referrals for new clients. But, you know, at some point, word of mouth can only go so far.

So Joie Studio is now listed on The Knot, The Wedding Channel, and Partyspot! I absolutely love how The Wedding Channel ad is set up especially as the LUXE letterpress logo is on top. I'm excited to join The Knot community, too! I know when I getting married, The Wedding Channel and The Knot were wonderful resources, and I'm excited that Joie Studio is a part of that!

Introducing LUXE letterpress by Joie Studio

Introducing LUXE letterpress by Joie Studio! This has been a long time in the making. For months now, I've had all these letterpress wedding designs that I wanted people to be able to peruse and order online. And for the last three months, I've been building this website in my spare time. Usually it doesn't take me this long, but I sort of became my own worst client. I had built out a website for the LUXE letterpress line and then I decided that I didn't like it. So then it was back to the drawing board.

As a special for my blog readers, from now until August 15th, Joie Studio is offering 20% off any letterpress wedding invitation order off of the LUXE letterpress website (use coupon code "GoLUXE" at checkout).

New Online Shop!

Okay okay okay...I've been working on this puppy for a really long time, and I've finally finished! Introducing Joie Studio's new online shop! I'm very excited about it, as it gives me a good way to run promotions that involve coupon codes. I have exclusive Joie Studio pricing (of course) for a lot of my items in the shop, and you have the ability to order backordered items, and multiple items of any listing in the shop.

For my blog readers, I'm offering a special 20% discount off of a purchase of $10.00 or more (limit 1 per customer, offer ends 5/31/2008). Use coupon code 'BLOG20' at checkout for your 20% off.

Happy Thursday!

The Lost Week...

Some weeks just fly by and then suddenly it's Friday and I don't remember where my week has gone. I have been so so busy. Most of the time, it's just me and the cats and the dog. Don't get me wrong, I've got a great support group -- without my husband and my good friends Joie Studio wouldn't be where it is today. But most of the time, it's just me.

Like this week, I got back and immediately set to work finishing up some custom letterpress projects for one of my very best clients. I had to run to meet with my local ink guy to pick up some ink and work out my accounting with them. There were estimates and wedding proofs to be sent out and a holiday line (yes, a holiday line) to be finalized. All of yesterday, I worked on some special designs that I will debut as part of the Sampler's MTV Style Lounge Gift Bag for the MTV Movie Awards. Then of course, I had to figure out what papers and envelopes to use.

I've still got my baby line, which keeps getting pushed back, and two new wedding collections that I need to build out the web pages for. AND I've been working on an online shop for my website, off Etsy, which is also on the to-do list.

But today, first things first. I need to go downstairs and grab all my new cards that I debuted at Bazaar Bizarre to photograph. Then sample packs need to be sent out today, as well as products for a store in Menlo Park, before the postal rate change! Busy busy Friday!

On Blogging...

For the first 15 days of April, I decided to try blogging at least once a day, preferably two, on something, anything going on with Joie Studio. I have to say that it actually takes quite a bit of discipline to do this, and I am a little glad the experiment is over as I've got major work to do in the printroom, and me on the computer prevents me being in the printroom.

I feel bad that I missed posting yesterday, even though my experiment is officially over. But now I want to know if you all enjoyed the daily postings? I liked it a lot, and have resolved to make it a more regular part of Joie Studio.

Joie Studio on Facebook!

OK, so I'm still figuring out Facebook, but while I'm doing that, won't all of you online friends out there add yourselves as a fan of Joie Studio on Facebook? I'd be so glad if you could!

An Upcoming Anniversary...

Joie Studio's first anniversary is coming up! Wow! Hard to believe almost a year ago I decided to set up shop and letterpress commercially. I'm doing something special for Joie Studio's first anniversary and was up until 3 last night figuring things out.

Alchemy & Letterpress Business Cards: A Reflection

Ah, Etsy Alchemy, how you've unintentionally wronged and insulted so many artists out there. Recently Adventures in Letterpress asked fellow letterpress printers to submit bids on Alchemy that reflected "real costs." Over lunch, my friend noted that some of the "ideal prices" were insulting to artists. One of the Alchemy requests was for 16 custom fashion illustrations for $200, when an Etsy artist doing the very illustrations desire was charging $300 for 1 custom illustration. I simply take it for what it is. I mean, honestly, if you were to ask me how much I wanted to pay for something, anything, my answer would probably be, "My ideal price would be zero."

But we went on to bitch about letterpress business cards, the hot topic of the moment ever since there was an Alchemy request for 50 business letterpress cards for $20.

I, for one, love doing business cards. But the smaller the piece of paper, the harder it is to letterpress. And at a certain point, clients are paying more for the labor than the paper. I was so surprised to learn that there are letterpress printers out there who will print only 50 cards, and for such a small cost (probably not $20, but nowhere near Joie Studio prices!). So different from...ahem...certain letterpress printers who will take your arm and leg (plus your fiance's) for wedding invitations. There are so many fixed costs in letterpress. I mean, wow. The time it takes to design the card and handset type, if that's what they're doing, then to set up the press and then to clean off the ink after you're done. For me, all this takes WAY more time than printing 50 cards. And mind you, it takes at least the same amount of time to print 50 business cards (sometimes more because of size) as it does to print 50 invitations.

I'm not in the business of ripping people off -- that's hardly the way to engender love from your clients. I'm looking to build my business with fair prices for me and for my clients. I will tell you now that everything I do is custom work. Even if you pick a design and say, "I want the same colors, the same fonts, everything." It's still your text, your name, and I make sure that the layout is perfect, the fonts fit your names, and that the designs are placed to best show off your project. I mix all the ink to make sure that it matches the color of the paper from the lot that your paper comes from. I obsess about whether your ink matches your paper or not. I ask everyone who walks in the door if they notice any flaws with the printing. I annoy my neighbors by printing past midnight sometimes. So as much as I would like to, I simply can't offer 50 letterpress business cards for the same price as others. My minimum pricing is based on 250 business cards, although you can certainly request a smaller number.

Pictures and Samples

Last week, the rain came down like mad. Since I try to take all my pictures outside, I haven't had a chance to take pictures of all the cool special projects that I've been doing. Soon, though, hopefully!

I am very excited to announce that you can now purchase Joie Studio custom letterpress samples through Google Checkout. Each package will have printed samples on at least three different papers and at least two different kinds of envelopes. The cost, with shipping included, is a mere $5, and you can use it as a credit towards your custom order.

Custom Samples
$5
(shipping included)

New Phone Number!

Joie Studio has a new phone number! It's 626-628-9665. Please make note of it. Our old number will stop working January 1, 2008.

Festive and Fun!

I've been racking my brains for a custom holiday card for Joie Studio. I was starting to freak out because I wanted to send a custom design instead of one of my stock designs with a message inside, which is probably what I should have done. But this card is the result and I'm so so thrilled at the way it came out!

I wanted the card to be festive and fun yet have it be just a gorgeously printed card that shows exactly what letterpress is and what Joie Studio can do. So I printed it on super-duper thick, 600 GSM/220lb, 100% cotton, textured Crane's Lettra in Ecru. This is NOT stock you can shove through a printer, and it showcases the fact that letterpress can print on so many different types of art paper. The snowflakes are in metallic gold and metallic silver and the wording is in red. I have a blind deboss on the back of Joie Studio's logo. It was a lot of work, but I'm glad that my husband convinced me to do 3 colors!

And here are the envelopes that go with it! It's metallic silver printed on red envelopes and metallic gold envelopes:

I'm going to send these cards to my suppliers, my custom order clients, and my best customers. Happy Holidays from Joie Studio!

Phones are SO last century!

So, an odd problem just reared it's ugly little head. My business phone provider is going out of business and apparently since it's a special number, I can't just port it to any old service. The provider that I can switch to and keep my business number is WAY WAY too expensive. It's hard for me to justify paying a huge amount for a business phone number because I don't sit by the phone very often to hear it ring, and for my own safety, there isn't a phone installed in the press room, just my laptop with Wi-Fi. I call people back when I can, but right now the best way to get me is while I'm checking email while taking a break from letterpress work, since I'm finding that I'm ending letterpress runs after dark at times when I think it's too late to call people. I'm addicted to the Internet, so it's a safe bet that you'll find me online before you get me on the phone.

So I have decided instead of moving to the recommended phone provider, I am going to be changing my phone service setup completely to one that integrates my voice and fax needs into one phone number. Which means a whole new phone number. And that people won't be faxing Washington State when faxing me in California. And that the new batch of business cards that I just printed is completely worthless. Sigh. At least the business is young and the number isn't too established.

The current number will be in service until the end of 2007. Joie Studio will have a new phone and fax number in the beginning of next week. If you are ever at all confused as to how to contact me, just email me at info[at]joiestudio.com. I can call you, but please let me know what good times are to call. I'd hate to interrupt dinner!

Joie Studio Calendars at Clover in Houston, Texas

Clover (1024 Studewood, Houston, TX 77007, 713.868.8089) has stocked Blooming 2008 calendars in the store for the holiday season. So for those of you who live in Houston, Texas, and are looking for a lovely letterpress calendar this holiday season, go to Clover to see, feel, touch, and grab one of Joie Studio's Blooming 2008 calendars!

So much to do...

With my first upcoming show this Saturday, I still have so much to do, and it does NOT help that the electricity will be shut off on Wednesday, which is one of my last days to print. Luckily I have a tabletop, hand-operated press, but that means the next couple days are big printing days in the studio!

My longtime friend is helping me with an e-commerce solution, which will give Joie Studio an online shop on its own site. As much as I like Etsy, I'm pricing my items a little higher to account for all the Etsy fees, and I would much rather charge my clients and customers less! This probably will not be ready until early next year, but it's an exciting development.

And probably one of the most exciting things in the works is a holiday collaboration with Shop Toast! To tell you just a little about it, it's a 3 color letterpress holiday card with a "Naughty/Nice" theme. I can't wait to finish and share!

Oh, and the letterpress calendars are going fast! Get yours in my Etsy shop or email me at shop[at]joiestudio.com before they're sold out!

Joie Studio on Trunkt.org

Joie Studio is now on Trunkt.org! Trunkt is really cool, I like it a lot. Everything on there is phenomenal. It's a free but juried portfolio site featuring independent artists. If there are any artists out there that want to apply, please list "Joie Studio" as the company that referred you so I can get credit!

Anyone can make a "Wishlist" of items on Trunkt. Right now (through November 15), if you make a wishlist, you are entered to win $500 worth of Trunkt featured products. Go ahead and make yourself a Wishlist, and don't forget that Joie Studio's got a bunch of great products (hint hint, wink wink).

What's really cool is that the Warm Wishes card was put into a showcase, and the showcase is being featured on Trunkt's homepage! Go Trunkt!

Today on the Sampler Homepage!

The Sampler does little features on all of their contributors, and today they did one on Joie Studio. Yay! They featured the "Warm Wishes" holiday card, as well as one of our coasters.

SWEET!