General Info
What do you print?
Bench Pressed specializes in letterpress printing.
Letterpress is a process by which a whole lot of pressure smooshes inked designs directly into paper, to create a gently embossed, tactilely pleasing final product. Our stable includes two Heidelbergs (1960s), a Chandler & Price (new style), one Vandercook 219 (1960s), and a pair of smaller table-top presses (1890 & 1950s).
This means we are Paper People™ so we can’t print t-shirts – but our pals at Overproof might be able to help you out!
Do you do custom work?
Short answer: Increasingly so!
Longer answer: We’re expanding our capacity to take on custom work!
In the past, we've been excited by fun and/or meaningful projects that let us have a hand in the design process from start to finish. A few thrilling, recent opportunities have included donating prints to the Women’s Prison Book Project, contributing to Springboard for the Arts’ CSA: Community Supported Art program, and providing original design and printing for local small businesses like Tandem Vintage, Hola Arepa, and Lilia Flower boutique.
If you have an idea you’d like to pursue with us, we’d love to hear from you!
Some helpful parameters:
- Our usual turnaround time for custom projects is around 30 to 45 days
- We don’t do small runs (meaning: anything less than 100 finished pieces)
- Custom wedding invites/save-the-dates haven’t been a good fit for us
Will you print my design that’s already finished?
No, sorry. We don’t print other people’s work. We recommend checking in with the folks at Czar Press and Skylab Letterpress – they’re great!
Can I intern with you?
Apologies, but no. The amazing Mary Bruno, of Bruno Press in St. Joseph, Minnesota, has an internship program though!
Do you offer classes?
Not yet, but we’re working on it. We’ll holler once we’ve got those ducks in a row – hopefully soon! Sign up for our newsletter (below) to be among the first to know. Until then, Minnesota Center for Book Arts offers letterpress workshops.
What is your return/exchange policy?
We are happy to accommodate an exchange or offer store credit within 10 days of the original purchase. The items must be in new condition with all original packaging and tags intact.
All sale items, cosmetics, consumables, and undergarments are final sale.
When returning items purchased through our online store, the buyer is responsible for return shipping costs.
Shipping Info
General Shipping Info
We make every effort to ship orders ASAP after your order is placed. You will automatically be notified via email once your order has shipped, including tracking info.
Please let us know via email if your order arrives damaged, incomplete, or wrong! Email us at info@benchpressed.net.
Lost or delayed orders
The fastest and easiest way to figure out shipping issues is to contact the appropriate shipping company directly using the tracking info you were provided, as the shipping company will have more detailed information than we do regarding the whereabouts of your order. (Sometimes packages mistakenly get marked as delivered, etc.)
- If USPS is delivering your order, call 1-800-ASKUSPS to have them geolocate your package
- To find out the status of a UPS package, you can call UPS at 1-800-742-5877. You can also text "TRACK [Your Tracking Number]" to 69877 (MYUPS) to receive a location update
- For FedEx shipments, call 1.800.GoFedEx (1.800.463.3339) and say "track my package." You can also track packages by texting "follow" plus your door tag number to 48773
We cannot be held responsible for lost and stolen packages as this is in control of the mail carrier, and will not refund or replace your order. Please contact the carrier directly to file a claim. Unfortunately, Bench Pressed is unable to file a claim on your behalf because carriers require personal information that only you can provide.