Behind the Scenes: Proofing Our New Collection

We have just 10 more days to go until we release our brand-new collection of 18 letterpress greeting cards, the 'All in Time' Collection celebrating our 10-year anniversary!

In anticipation of this month's new release, today we are sharing the meticulous proofing process that happens every time we release new designs.

Sometimes this process is very straightforward with only needing to make small changes like cleaning up a little "noise" or removing unwanted marks where the block is picking up ink. Other times a design might go through a dramatic transformation and we might switch out colors or even add a third layer during this process. In her ​video​ below, Rachel explains how we make decisions about carving, design, and color to achieve the perfect balance of hue and contrast and infuse our bright, warm Heartell feeling into each card. We added timestamp notes in the description of the video, so if you have a favorite design or are interested in a particular aspect of the process you can jump right to it. :)

We hope this video gives you some good insight into the process of releasing a new collection. It has certainly deepened my appreciation for the thoughtfulness and love that goes into the cards. The collection will soon be available on July 15th in our whole collection on our ​site.​

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes content plus the release of a new batch of Generous Kitchen Towels (dyed with natural dye!) and our first-ever collection of (eco-friendly) die-cut stickers all coming out later this month.

Thank you for your interest in our work; we are so grateful!

  Watch while Rachel explains the process of proofing in our Fort Wayne studio.

Helpful swatches showcase the different color values of the inks.

Making final carvings to add highlights and to take out some texture.

Looking over the ways the colors are layering over one another.

Each block is printed and then layered with another color from a plate.

Rachel and Erin feeling happy with one of the new Winter Botanicals prints.