01 / Cards
Letterpress Business Cards
Double-thick cotton stock, a deep bite and optional painted edges. The smallest, most tactile part of a brand.
ExploreIstanbul · Since 1973
It leaves an
impression.
Business cards, wedding invitations and brand stationery, pressed sheet by sheet into cotton paper on half-century-old platen presses. From our Kadıköy studio to anywhere in the world.
- Founded
- 1973
- Projects
- 4,200 +
- Shipped to
- 38 countries
- Printed
- By hand
What we press
Three disciplines, one standard
Every job passes through the same presses and the same pair of hands, whatever the quantity.
The studio
Three generations, one street, the same presses
Lâle Matbaası opened in 1973 as a small typesetting shop in Kadıköy. We are still on that street, still running our grandfather’s 1958 Heidelberg platen press alongside two Chandler & Price presses that joined it later.
We make our own polymer and magnesium plates and mix every ink by hand. That is why colour on a Lâle print is tuned to the paper and to the humidity of the day — no two runs are ever quite identical.
- Cotton paper: 100% cotton, acid-free, 300–900 gsm
- Hand-mixed ink: Pantone matched, soy-based
- Sheet by sheet: Every sheet fed and checked by hand
- 52
- Years of practice
- 4,200+
- Projects printed
- 38
- Countries shipped to
- 24 h
- Quote turnaround
Techniques
Four things we can do to a sheet of paper
Most projects combine them: a letterpress base, foil on top, colour along the edge.
Technique 01
Letterpress
The plate is inked and pressed into the sheet, leaving a bite you can feel. Soft cotton paper lets the impression sit deep enough to cast a shadow.
- Paper300–900 gsm cotton
- Colour1–3 Pantone, hand-mixed
- Bite depth0.2 – 0.6 mm
Technique 02
Hot Foil Stamping
A heated die transfers metallic foil onto the sheet. Gold, silver, copper and matte colours — the only real answer on dark stock, where letterpress ink disappears.
- FoilGold, silver, copper, matte
- FinishDebossed or flat
- Best forDark stock, monograms
Technique 03
Blind Emboss & Deboss
An impression with no ink at all — read only through light and shadow. The quietest way to place a monogram on a cover or a card.
- InkNone
- Minimum400 gsm
- Best forMonograms, covers
Technique 04
Edge Painting & Duplexing
Two sheets bonded into one thick body, then colour applied along the cut edge. It is the detail people notice first as a card changes hands.
- Body600–900 gsm duplexed
- ColourPantone or metallic
- Adds+2 working days
Process
Five steps from idea to box
You know what happens next at every stage, from first email to delivery.
Brief and quote
We agree on quantity, paper, colours and date. A detailed quote follows within 24 hours.
Design or file check
We print your artwork or design from scratch. Every file goes through a pre-press check first.
Plate and proof
A polymer plate is made and a single proof is pressed on your chosen paper for approval.
Printing
Ink is mixed by hand, the press is set, and sheets are fed one at a time. A control sheet is pulled every 50 impressions.
Finishing and delivery
Edge painting, sealing and trimming are completed; everything is wrapped in acid-free paper and boxed.
Testimonials
What clients tell us
Lâle has printed our cards for three years. In meetings, the conversation always starts with the paper before anyone reads the name.
They prepared three separate paper proofs for our suite. We only understood which one was right once we held them — that patience matters.
We rebuilt the hotel’s entire stationery set. Everything, including shipping to Amsterdam, landed on the promised date.
Journal
Notes from the studio
What we have written about paper, ink and timing.
What is letterpress printing, and why does it feel different?
The 500-year-old meeting of plate, pressure and cotton paper — how it differs from digital printing and when it is the right choice.
Read the piece
Wedding stationery timeline: counting back six months
From first sketch to wax seal — a realistic month-by-month production calendar for a letterpress invitation suite.
Read the piece
How to choose the right paper for your business card
What changes between 300 gsm and 900 gsm, why cotton behaves differently, and when edge painting is worth it.
Read the pieceLet the next impression be yours
Tell us what you want pressed.
Artwork ready or not, send us the quantity, paper and date you have in mind — a detailed quote follows within 24 hours.
Request a Quote