Terms of service.

By placing an order with laurenink. you are accepting and are bound by these terms and conditions. Throughout the rest of this document 'I' and 'my' will refer to laurenink. and 'you' and 'your' to the customer.

Handmade Paper.

CHARACTERISTICS

Handmade paper is made by hand using a blend of natural plant fibres. Because of this the paper will contain natural imperfections and speckles of plant matter. The surface is slightly rough and has a linen like texture. Because the paper has the deckled edge typical of papers made with a deckle and mould, there are slight variations in the exact shape and dimensions. Any dimensions stated are an estimate only. There will also be variation in thickness and weight. I will not accept responsibility for any disappointment pertaining to these imperfections, irregularities and variations which are considered acceptable and reasonable for a handmade and 100% natural product.

SUITABILITY

The paper is internally sized to accept ink making it suitable for use with a number of different mediums and different printing techniques. It is the your responsibility to check that the paper is suitable with your chosen medium. I am not responsible for any resulting outcomes associated with your use of this paper. 

BOTANICAL DYE

With coloured papers I use various botanicals in different forms to hand dye the paper. Because of the natural nature of botanical dye the appearance of the paper may contain slight irregularities in colour and some mottling. Swatches and samples are recommended when choosing colours but be aware that colours may also differ slightly from batch to batch. I will not accept responsibility for any disappointment pertaining to these imperfections and irregularities which are considered reasonable for a handmade and 100% natural product.

CUSTOM BLENDS & COLOURS

With bulk orders I can work with you to develop a custom colour or fibre composition/blend. Custom colours will be available only within the limitations of botanical dye and I will advise you at the point of enquiry about the feasibility of your requested colour. Because of the nature of botanical hand dying I can not produce exact colour matches and aiming for certain colours can be time intensive and does not have guaranteed results. By placing an order for a custom colour you are agreeing that you accept a level of uncertainly and unpredictable outcomes.

Letterpress.

CHARACTERISTICS AND PROCESS

Letterpress is a handmade process. I hand mix ink colours and manually control all aspects of print including alignment, impression and saturation. Each sheet of paper is hand fed into the press one sheet at a time. Therefore, variations in all the above aspects of print are expected. Designs with larger blocks of colour may not be perfectly 'solid' and natural 'salting' where the ink appears grainy may occur. Letterpress inks are transparent and so colours can look different on different colours of paper. All colours are mixed by hand and by eye using the Pantone formula guide and so perfectly exact colour matches are not possible to achieve.

I print exclusively on my own handmade paper which has variations in size, thickness, texture and colour (see previous section on handmade paper characteristics) The variation in size results in variation in print alignment. Variation in thickness results in variation of impression and variation in texture and paper colour results in variations in ink appearance.

I will not accept claims for a refund or reprint due to any of the above characteristics.

DESIGN SUITABILITY

Designs are created into polymer plates where each design and/or colour has its own plate similar to a stamp. The nature of letterpress allows printing of one colour at a time requiring a separate plate and a separate pass through the printer for every colour to be printed. Perfect alignment requires a straight edge  and consistent paper size. As handmade paper has deckled edges and small variations in size, designs where there are multiple colours requiring close and exact alignment may not be suitable for printing on handmade paper. Designs with borders close to the edges of the paper are also not recommended for the same reason. 

I will advise you on the suitability of your design but I do not accept responsibly for any disappointment resulting from designs which are poorly suited to the nature of letterpress on handmade paper.

PROVISION OF ARTWORK

If you are providing the artwork to be made into polymer printing plates I ask that you provide in pdf format in the correct size and ready to be sent to the platemakers. I can provide guidance on how to make your design plate ready. Be aware that any delay in the provision of plate ready artwork may affect the overall time lead time.

I provide a basic design service for clients who would like additional help preparing their designs. This can be anything from making your design plate ready, to digitising hand drawn illustrations, to creating artwork from scratch. My design fee is £40 an hour and is included in your deposit invoice. Any additional design fees incurred after the deposit is paid will be added to the final invoice. Se section on 'Payment'.

LEAD TIMES

Made-to-order batches are scheduled on a first come first serve basis from the point of payment. Customers will be given 48 hours to pay the invoice to secure the slot in the batch production schedule and a delay in payment may result in a longer lead time due to the reallocation work in the production schedule. I do not accept responsibility for delays and changes in lead times which result from delays in payments. 

I depend on various suppliers to fulfil orders. In the rare event that there are significant delays beyond my control I will contact you to discuss the status of your order and may issue a full refund if needed.

Both my antique printing press and much of the equipment used to make paper in my studio is either old or rare and specialist. In the event of a breakage or mechanical error it is highly unlikely that it will be a quick fix. If this occurs and is likely to cause a delay in lead times I will contact you to discuss the status of your order and may issue a full refund if needed.

As the sole artisan and single person running all aspects of the studio, in the event of illness or accident there may result a cease in production. If this occurs and is likely to cause a delay in lead times I will contact you if I am fit to do so, to discuss the status of your order and may issue a full refund if needed. 

RUSH FEES

If my schedule allows I can sometimes facilitate a faster turnaround but this may be subject to a 25% rush fee if it requires me to work outside of my normal working hours.

PAYMENT

Payment is made via bank transfer or Stripe because it’s fast, reliable and secure. My account information will be provided on all invoices. Full payment is required to secure your order and reserve a slot in the batch production and print schedule. Customers will be given 48 hours to pay the invoice to secure the slot in the batch production schedule. Batches are scheduled on a ‘first come first serve’ basis from payment of the invoice and a delay in payment may result in a longer lead time due to the reallocation work in the production schedule.

SHIPPING

All custom and bulk orders and all international orders will be shipped insured and with a tracking service. A shipping and handling fee will be included in any quotes and invoices. With tracked shipping service I will accept responsibility for any loss or damage of post and for making claims for compensation providing the customer adhered to the following: Any damage must be reported to me within 24 hours of you receiving your order and you will need to provide photographs of the outer packaging, inner packaging and of the damaged product in order to assist with any compensation claim. You may request a different shipping service but If you do you will be responsible for any loss or damage and for making any postal service claims for compensation. In the event of loss or damage where the customer has adhered to the above procedure for reporting I will either offer a refund for the particular items damaged or reschedule the work to be redone. Any rescheduling of work will be subject to availability in the production schedule.

CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS AND REPLACEMENTS

If you wish to cancel your order you must do so 48 hours before the date your order is scheduled for production and will receive a full refund. If you cancel after this time I reserve the right to decide how much, if any, of your order to refund. I will always strive to be fair under these circumstances.

If you receive your order in a faulty or damaged condition you must inform me within 24 hours of receipt and we can discuss the options going forward (see shipping details above for orders damaged in transit). 

Every sheet of paper is individually quality checked for faults beyond the imperfections and irregularities that are considered reasonable for a handmade 100% natural product. I pay close attention to the details and put the utmost care into the creation and handling of each sheet of paper. If however you are not happy with the quality of your order you must inform me within 24 hours of receipt and we will discuss the options going forward. Papers that are sold as part of the core collection of colours can be refunded in full if and once they are returned in the same condition. Unfortunately I cannot guarantee any refunds for custom or printed papers.

I reserve the right to make any changes to these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice.

Last updated on the 29th March 2022