penelope’s press | letterpress stationery | debbie

Excited to welcome Penelope's Press to Stationery Fest 2026! @penelopespress Penelope’s press is an AAPI, woman-owned, and family-operated letterpress print & design studio that specializes in personalized, custom, and ready-made letterpress stationery and cards for paper lovers around the globe since 2009. Each card is hand crafted in-house-- from our original hand-drawn illustrations to every piece of paper that is hand fed through our 100+ years old printing presses, printed one sheet at a time and one color at a time, then carefully packaged and shipped with love from the heart of the Midwest.  penelope’s press' signature style blends modern and classic elements through minimalist design, clean typography, hand-drawn artwork, and subtle pops of color. Important Stationery Fest Timeline: Stationery Fest team is going through all the emails, and getting all your questions answered! Please don’t hesitate to send us an email! - Tickets are now live! - Stationery Fest Workshop Application Now Open (Workshop schedule to be released end of March) - Exhibitor Application Phase 2 will open soon - applications are continuing to be reviewed We need your help to make this possible, please email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) if you are interested in behind the scene volunteering the day off or involved in longer term planning volunteer leader (paid, see website!) At Stationery Fest, we bring together independent and international stationery brands to create experiences centered around writing, storytelling, and community. Working closely with each brand, Stationery Fest creates space to learn about the ideas, values, and creative processes behind the tools we use every day - through hands-on workshops, customization experiences, and thoughtfully curated conversations and gatherings. Founded in New York, Stationery Fest exists to bring people closer to stationery, deepen connections within the community, and help each person discover creative tools that resonate with how they think, write, and express themselves.

thank you for another great @ooakchicago ! see you again in december!

letterpress pals are the best! had a visit with amber of @afavoritedesign to get some windmill help and to shop of course! i visited amber’s previous studio over 10 years ago during an apa wayzgoose and now she’s giving me windmill advice, thank you amber! (and my very first windmill lesson was with another amber of @flywheelpress ) crazy how full circle life goes! #letterpress #letterpressprinting #heidelbergwindmill

me to my husband as i’m videoing this reel, “yes, i’m a grown adult” 🤣 my @chicagostationeryfest haul #stationery #chicagostationeryfest #stationeryhaul

thank you so much to tyler, eric, the entire team of @chicagostationeryfest @paperandpencilchicago , and the volunteers, staff, and attendees for another amazing chicago stationery fest 💚🧡 #chicagostationeryfest #stationery

packaging up all the things for @chicagostationeryfest and the puppy keeps trying get in the action! bringing a lot of new letterpress cards, boxed sets, rubber stamps, stickers sheets, curated paper packs, and more! if you were lucky enough to get a ticket at this sold out event, hope to see your face at table 206 this weekend! #chicagostationeryfest #stationery #letterpress

woke up to a windchill of -21… there’s no heat where i print, glad i’m inside packaging today #letterpress #stationery #personalizedletterpressstationery

getting on that train and posting about 2016 in 2026: —started that january flying to nyc for 36 hours for a macy’s x etsy press event, that year i was shipping wholesale orders to shops big and small —penelope’s press was all in on wedding shows and designing and printing for couples, i also offered my printing services to other wedding invitation designers —mid year the husband’s work offered him an opportunity to move out west, so our family made the 2000 some mile move to southern california… and so did penelope’s press and one of my printing presses —moving a family of 5 with small children AND a business came with a lot of stress, so to combat it, i started running consistently again (after a decade long break) —and that was also the last year i had black hair. i finally decided to ditch the dye and embrace my pre-mature grays that i had been hiding since discovering my first white strand back when i was in the 4th grade it was fun looking back at my camera roll, but i’m looking forward to what’s in store for 2026!

it’s been a busy year and even busier holiday season! the last orders of the year have shipped (please usps, get all the packages to their people on time)! thank you to all the letter writers, stationery gift givers, letterpress lovers, and small business supporters that have kept me busy for yet another year! #letterpress #stationery #shopsmall

some time lapse of day 2 of booth setup for @ooakchicago , a few final touches tomorrow morning and we’ll be ready for you! Dec 4-7 @themartchicago - booth 1056 #ooakchicago #oneofakindshowchicago #shopsmall #smallbuisness #stationery

small business life lately, but add a puppy #letterpress #stationery #mediumgoldendoodle #puppylife

disconnected in june and it felt good… went off the grid for a bit and sluggishly trying to get back into work mode #travel #vacation #europe