ABOUT US

OUR MISSION AND VISION

we connect people through paper. 
at penelope's press, we strive to
...celebrate the craft of letterpress and the art of the written word
...create products that celebrate life's occasions, from the everyday to the milestone moments &
...cultivate gratitude and spread love in all that we do to the people that surround us-- our loyal customers, our fellow independent business owners, and the community we serve and beyond

OUR STORY

debbie and elaine are sisters. debbie is younger than elaine. when elaine wasn’t looking, debbie would steal elaine’s strawberry shortcake stationery and hide it for her personal use.  over 30 years later, debbie still has the strawberry shortcake stationery.  debbie is now a stationer and elaine is her illustrator.  and so, the story begins… debbie has always dreamt of having her own creative business while elaine has always imagined her drawings on greeting cards… together, they make magic happen.
officially launched in 2009, penelope’s press is a chicagoland area letterpress studio.  each card is hand crafted in-house-- from the hand-drawn illustrations to each piece of paper that is hand fed through 100+ years old printing presses.    penelope’s press signature style fuses modern and classic using simple design, clean typography, hand drawn illustrations, and subtle pops of color.  all design, printing, ink mixing, die-cutting, paper trimming, scoring, and packaging is done at her home studio using eco-friendly practices.  all materials are domestically sourced and made in the usa and paper is 100% cotton and tree free, made of remnants from the textile industry.
what started out as a small venture, has grown into a full service letterpress studio that ships stationery, greeting cards, wedding suites, and custom designed projects to clients and select retailers around the globe.  penelope's press is proud to have been featured in print and online publications including stationery trends, uppercase magazine, style me pretty, oh so beautiful paper, the paper chronicles, ruffled blog, southern weddings, midwest bride, and more and is humbled to have clientele that includes notable celebrities and retailers both big and small.
a chicago born and illinois native, debbie relocated to the chicago southwest suburbs where she resides with her husband and children and continually grows her business.  penelope's press is proud to be a minority, woman owned, and family run business!