Cartoules Press is a design and letterpress studio located in sunny Long Beach, California, and is owned and operated by Julie Karatzis, a consummate lover of paper and the art of printing. Cartoules is Greek for "Little Cards," and was founded in 2009.
With the mission to create well-designed stationery in both Greek and English, and reach the Greek community both in the United States, Greece and beyond, our offerings have expanded from custom wedding invitations to greeting cards, art prints and a variety of home goods. Each piece is meant to surprise the recipient and brighten their day with a little taste of Greece. All letterpress designs are hand-printed in house on a century-old Chandler & Price antique press, using luxurious cotton papers.
ABOUT CARTOULES PRESS
We’ve had the honor of being featured internationally, in print, online and broadcast, on Greece’s own ERT TV. Other outlets include Apartment Therapy, Huffington Post Greece, Marie Claire Greece, Gynaika Magazine, and Oh So Beautiful Paper.
You May Have Seen Us Around
MEET JULIE
I've been a long time paper fanatic ever since I could pick up a pair of scissors and make things with my hands. I always appreciated the art of quality made stationery and the craft of letterpress. When my husband and I began planning our wedding in Greece years ago, we longed for bilingual Greek and English invitations, but couldn’t find what we were searching for. After designing and printing our own invitations together, and having enjoyed our experience so much, we decided to set up shop in sunny Long Beach, California.
When I'm not behind the press, I love to host dinner parties, troll for flea market finds, and most of all hang with my three main men - my husband Spiro, and our sons Mihali and Giorgo.
Where can you find us?
Besides our own online shop, you can find our products in a number of stores in-person and online.
If you're a retailer interested in carrying our products please drop us a note!
IN STORE
53 Rocky Point Rd
Kogarah NSW 2217
Australia
82 Main Street
Cold Spring, NY 10516
USA
Frequently Asked Questions
You're almost ready to pull the trigger and place your order, but you still have a few questions, right? Do I choose letterpress or flat/digital printing? Do I choose a custom design or a semi-custom collection design? We've tried to answer your frequently asked questions below to help you place your order.
LETTERPRESS PRINTING
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What is letterpress?
It's a centuries old printing process in which ink is applied to the surface of a raised image or text area (a polymer letterpress plate - like a stamp). This plate is adhered to our antique printing press using precision and detail to make sure it's perfectly registered. We print all of our letterpress projects in-house on a century old Chandler & Price. The raised surface is then pressed against paper (which is hand fed into the press) transferring the ink and design, and leaving a slight kiss impression. It feels and looks gorgeous! Letterpress is generally limited to between one and three solid colors, as each piece of paper is hand-fed and printed one at a time for each color in the design. After each color is applied to the paper, all pieces are trimmed down to their final size. It's also the more expensive printing option and has a longer turn around time (4-6 weeks). -
What kind of paper do you use?
Our house stock is a 100% cotton paper in pearl white and ecru white. We have both #110 and #220 weight paper. If you have another request, we'll do our best to accommodate you, just let us know.
FLAT/DIGITAL PRINTING
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What is flat or digital printing?
Digital printing (also called flat printing) is the typical print method you probably think of – much like your printer at home where ink is placed onto the paper by a digital press. Digital printing can be done on many different papers, such as 100% cotton paper or metallic shimmer paper. My personal favorite is cotton, because it has such a gorgeous and luxurious feel to it, making it perfect for wedding invitations. It can print more complicated artwork, such as full color watercolor images. It's the more economical option and has a faster turn around time (2-3 weeks).
CUSTOM AND SEMI-CUSTOM INVITATIONS
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Will you send a proof to review?
Absolutely - you will receive 4 total digital complimentary proofs - any proof thereafter will result in a $50/proof fee. So definitely check for accuracy of information, spelling and placement early on to catch any errors before we get too deep! Please involve all parties in the design process upfront, so that we don't have any last minute major revisions. Once you have approved your final proof, no changes can be made. -
Do you offer other printing services?
While our main printing method is letterpress, we do offer foil printing and flat printing. -
Can I see a physical sample?
Sure! While we cannot provide physical samples of your actual invite, we'd be happy to mail you some paper samples to get a feel for what the texture and color of each paper option is. What you receive may be a mix of styles or suites, but will definitely give you a feel for our work and quality. -
What is your turn around time?
Typically 4-6 weeks AFTER your final proof has been approved (plus shipping time) for letterpress printing. And about 2-3 weeks AFTER your final proof has been approved (plus shipping time) for flat printing. Please consider that it may take us an additional 2-4 weeks in the design process to get to a final proof. -
Do you print addresses?
Return addresses, you bet! For letterpress invite suites, we can letterpress print your return address on the outer envelope and on the front of your respond envelope. Or for a more affordable option, we offer a custom rubber stamp with your invitation fonts to coordinate with your suite. We do not offer the printing of guests addresses at the time. -
Eek! What if I need to order more invites?!
Adding to your order will be treated as a new order. It's recommended to add at least 15 extra sets when you calculate your total quantity needed. -
Do you provide extra envelopes?
Yes! You will be provided with an extra set of ten envelopes - if you’d like to order more, please let us know! -
Can you print a design I've already created?
Not at this time -
Can I come see your work in person?
The studio is closed to the public, but we do sell samples so you can see the quality in person! Please email with the types of samples you're looking for (baptism, wedding, save the date, etc) and any colors that you're interested in. Once booked, and if you're local to Long Beach, California, let me know and we can grab a coffee and go over everything in person!
SHIPPING
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What shipping methods do you offer?
Custom wedding, invitations, and stationery are all shipped UPS with tracking. Once your order has shipped we'll let you know when you can expect your package. If you prefer Fed Ex or USPS, please let us know.