Welcome to The Wren Press, the home of quality hand-crafted stationery presented with an unparalleled level of personal service. From hand-engraved personal writing paper and dynamic business cards to lovingly-designed wedding invitations and corporate event stationery, we are committed to providing the highest level of service throughout the creation of your bespoke order. We are also the proud holders of two Royal Warrants, which are testament to the luxury materials and flawless craftsmanship evidenced in all of our products.
Engraving and Diestamping
Our hand-engraved die stamps are almost synonymous with The Wren Press, notable for their exceptional quality and luxurious effect. This is the pinnacle in quality printing techniques, and requires exceptional skill and faultless craftsmanship.
Your bespoke die-stamp is personally created by our in-house design team, with as much input as you would like to give. It is then handed on to our London-based craftsman, who hand-engraves the design onto a copper plate using a sharp metal tool to achieve extraordinarily detailed images, from crests or monograms to scripted text. The complete die-stamp is then used in a press with up to 2 tonnes per square inch of force behind it. The finished result is an exceptionally clear and detailed image, with a tactile raised effect and the characteristic indentation on the reverse.
This printing process is undoubtedly what makes The Wren Press so exceptional, as we have a highly-skilled craftsman performing this traditional printing method personally on every engraved artifact we produce. It’s particularly effective in gleaming metallics, for personal monograms, crests or logos, but in any order it lends a certain luxury and quality that cannot be replicated. The hand-made die stamp is then kept on file for you to use in future stationery, or for you to keep as a treasured keep-sake from a one off event; a truly bespoke service.
Edging and Gilding
Both of these finishing methods provide a little extra detail and finesse to any stationery, but in a subtle and tasteful way. One option is coloured edging, where the edges of your card or paper are smoothed and hand-painted in your chosen colour, to compliment or contrast with the printing. This can create a wonderfully memorable effect, and is particularly effective on correspondence cards and letterheads. Alternatively it is possible to include a hand-painted border on cards and paper, in a similar process to edging but with the ink obviously visible on the front of the card, and this is sometimes just the missing detail in bespoke stationery that creates a truly personal finish.
A more luxurious option is gilding, or the application of gold leaf to the edges of the card. More successful on thicker card, the edges are beveled to give a slightly shaped finish and then gold leaf is applied by hand in several fine layers. This precise technique results in a really exceptional finish, just as appropriate on wedding invitations as luxurious business cards.