Bring your business cards, letterhead, invitations and marketing material to the next level by using our letterpress Craftsmanship, from “kiss” to “Crush”!
Letterpress Printing
The day we added letterpress printing services to our printing and finishing selection twenty years ago, we fell in love with it. There is a certain allure with its every impression; the visual definition of every character letterpressed is way greater than any other print technique. When you letterpress the surface of the paper with a die, a kissing action will occur; some clients favour this depth on the extreme. We prefer to letterpress so hard that the characters form a valley under the paper surface, until you see the light reflected on the edges of the paper, formed on the side of the valley which, will give letterpress its unique look. This will leave a bruise on the other side of paper, some may love it, and some may not, so, we hide it by duplexing another paper on the back.
A Lasting Impression
Intaglio Engraving
Intaglio Engraving is part of the Intaglio family of printing processes which includes etching, drypoint and aquatint. It is one of the oldest printing processes. Engraving creates a three-dimensional image that is precise and with vibrant and opaque colours. When burnished it adds a metallic shine to an already exquisite piece.
Quality • Unique • Exquisite
More About
Intaglio Engraving
01.
Process
Engraving starts with a copper, zinc or steel plate that is engraved or etched with the reverse copy of the image. Ink is then forced into the crevices of the engraved plate. Paper is pressed into the plate forcing the ink to adhere to the paper creating a raised impression from the ink and the lightly embossed paper - the paper is literally raised by the pressure.
03.
Intaglio Engraving Printing Shop - Captain Print
Captain Printworks has an engraving press in-house - one of a select few printers that has one. In 2014 we had acquired an engraving press from Cronite Inc, one of only 2 manufacturers of engraving equipment. After 3 weeks of intensive training conducted by Robert Steffens (His father wrote the book on engraving, literally) our engraving crew are now masters of the craft. Our attention to detail reflects the precision that this process warrants, from our unique colour matching system to pin registration of two or three colours. This combination of equipment and expertise is essential in producing the engraved printing project that will have a lasting impression on your audience.
02.
Engraving Brief History
Engraving emerged in Europe in the early 1400s, a product of goldsmiths that decorated religious objects, musical instruments and armors by engraving images into it. Goldsmith’s practices of making an impression of an engraved object by filling the engraving with ink and transferring this to paper by
pressing could be the precursor to engraving as a printing process. Goldsmiths do this to record their work or as proof to check the quality of the engraving.
In the 1500s, mass production of art pieces by artists like Albrecht Durer of Germany was made possible by this method. It was also used to mass produce sheet music, maps and books. It was well developed throughout Europe by the late 1500s and still in use by the 18th century by artists like Francisco Goya of Spain. Engravings from these Old Masters are still prevalent and can fetch as high as $50,000 – a truly lasting impression.
The emergence of offset printing, copiers and digital presses began the decline of engraving. Engraving today is largely used in printing high end stationery, stamps, paper or plastic currency, bank notes, stock certificates, etc. There is now only a handful of engraving presses in Canada that are in operation today. Captain Printworks is only one of a couple of engravers in Toronto. We are at the forefront of reviving
this process.
Craig Gallagher
2023-08-31
My daughters, wedding invitations and signs were just perfect. They picked out the right stock, ran the short run digital and the oversized on thier flat bed printer. Very impressed with the service and quality.
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Selman Nasir
2023-05-26
This has to be the best print shop in Toronto, hands down. We had the pleasure of working with Captain Printworks for a number of custom print orders, from printing our wedding invitations and placeholders, to our business cards, posters and exterior signage for our business over the years. I can't speak highly enough about their quality of services, professionalism, quick turnarounds, and their excellent pricing! If you're looking for the best custom printing in Toronto, you've found it! Thank you guys for all your hard work and dedication to your craft, and we look forward to working with you again very soon!!
Alisha Rotstein
2023-05-23
What a pleasure it was to work with Vickie at Captain Printworks. Very professional service and the end product (place card labels for a family function) looked amazing.
Juan Munoz
2023-05-11
What stood out to me the most was the exceptional customer service provided by the staff. They were incredibly knowledgeable and able to provide us with paper samples, prototypes, and proofs once we provided them with the artwork. This level of care and attention to detail helped us make informed decisions and ensure that the final product was exactly what we wanted.
Moreover, the staff went above and beyond to adjust the artwork based on their clear understanding of what we were trying to achieve. Their expertise and creativity allowed us to achieve a result that exceeded our expectations.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with my experience with this print shop. Their exceptional customer service, attention to detail, and quality of work are second to none. I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of a reliable and professional printing service.
Maryam Ramadan
2023-05-11
I recently had the pleasure of using Captain Printworks for my business cards, and I couldn't be happier with the results.
The team was incredibly helpful with editing the design details I provided. They went above and beyond to ensure that the final product was exactly what I had envisioned. The printing was flawless, and the colours were vibrant and eye-catching.
The speed of service was also impressive, my cards were printed and ready for pickup in a very timely manner and they have amazing customer service.
Overall, I highly recommend this printshop for any printing needs!
Ariel Dixon
2023-05-09
Great service. Excellent quality of work and overall a great experience.
Rafid Alaboosi
2022-07-13
Good service and knowledgeable staff, thanks guys!
Elliot Garcia
2022-07-11
I am a digital artist and I have been going with Captain Printworks for my 11x17 prints, business cards, flyers, and even a banner for an Artists Alley I tabled at, and their services have always been amazing. The prices are just a little higher than other places, but honestly it's completely worth it: their quality is incredible, the colours are super bright, they are quick to communicate, and the turnaround is super fast. Always go with them and always will, never left disappointed
Inka Dreger
2021-10-13
(2021) Two years later we renewed our friendship with Captain Printworks to print the second book in our family chronicle. A huge thanks goes to Vickie C. for her professionalism and courtesy in organizing, producing and delivering our book, which was beautifully and precisely printed and bound. Thank you again and we highly recommend the services of this company.
(2019) We are truly impressed with the product and with the quality of personal service at the Captain Printworks. We prepared a book of family memories and photographs and, at the end, we got an album which, I hope, will last for generations, due to very high quality of printing and binding. We have to thank Ahmed M. who guided us through the designing process and made a great effort to find the best presentation options for our project. I am writing now a second book and I will print it at Captain Printworks as well.
Thank you, Inka and Witold Dreger
Transform your 2D products to 3D with high precision.
Laser Cutting & Engraving
Laser Cutting is a process in which a high-power laser beam vaporizes material directly in its predefined path resulting in a high quality, clean-cut edged, elegant shaped product. Since the laser beam is a fraction of a millimeter wide, it produces very intricate and detailed designs that cannot be accomplished using other cutting methods.
Laser Cut Wedding Invitations
As a printing company and expert on paper stocks we have mastered cutting through paper as flimsy as vellum or as thick as 0.25”. Laser cutting is most definitely a cheaper alternative to traditional die-cutting. Just imagine the cost just to create a cutting die for a puzzle.
We can also engrave on thicker cards or even corrugated boards. The engraving process leaves a golden-brown tint to the finishing of the products. This is a cheaper and quicker alternative to letterpress or debossing on short run invitations as no die is required.
Laser Cutting and Engraving Materials
Acrylic
If there is a material that is perfectly suited for laser cutting – it is acrylic. Also known as plexiglass, we
can cut through this material with a polished clean edge inherent in the laser cutting process.
Laser engraving adds fine details on acrylic including your message, logo or background patterns. The possibilities are endless.
Laser engraving adds fine details on acrylic including your message, logo or background patterns. The possibilities are endless.
Leather
It comes in a variety of colours, thickness, texture and softness. You can customize your leather belts or shoes by laser cutting your designs on them.
We can laser engrave leather in all of its various forms. Laser engraving leaves a branded look which seems natural on leather.
We can laser engrave leather in all of its various forms. Laser engraving leaves a branded look which seems natural on leather.
Glass, Metal, Marble, Concrete
While we do not offer laser cutting of these materials, however, we do engraving.
Customize wine glasses as wedding keepsakes; mugs for special occasion; your family crest on a marble slab; pictures on dog tags.
Customize wine glasses as wedding keepsakes; mugs for special occasion; your family crest on a marble slab; pictures on dog tags.
Wood
One of the more trendy and popular materials for laser cutting is wood. Laser cutting is possible from veneer to plywood to 1/4” hardwood. It gives a dark brown edge on the cut-edge which adds character to the finish.
Engrave your message on wood to give a professional branding look. The dark brown finish contrasts greatly with lighter coloured wood like birch or ash. The effect is more subtle on darker coloured wood like ebony or mahogany.
Engrave your message on wood to give a professional branding look. The dark brown finish contrasts greatly with lighter coloured wood like birch or ash. The effect is more subtle on darker coloured wood like ebony or mahogany.
Foil and Emboss Combo Dies
CNC Machining Dies
Combo dies that can emboss and foil simultaneously are made from brass. Combos are used when registering foil and embossing are difficult. We manufacture our combo dies inhouse with Datron latest CNC technology. This German engineering marvel is the most advanced and precise CNC in our industry. By producing our dies in-house with its resin counterforce die, we ensure highest quality to meet your specification and avoid shipping cost and delays.
Perfect Registration
Perfect registration between foil and emboss in one pass
Cut production time
Cut production time in half with one press pass for foil and emboss
Time & Cost
Set up time and cost reduction
Transform your 2D products to 3D with high precision.
Microtextured Anti-counterfeiting Dies
We custom engrave the surface of the foil dies with micro textures of text and images to produce unique foil surface that is easy to identify, extremely difficult and expensive to counterfeit or reproduce.
Microtextured dies are an economical alternative to the hologram and can meet faster turnarounds to
produce short runs for:
- Concert Tickets;
- Warranty Certificates;
- Legal Authentic Documents;
- Art Print and Products Authenticity.
3D Sculpture Emboss Dies
We produce in single or multi-level, round or beveled edge and sculptured dies with resin counterforce for fast and defined details. Prior to creating the dies, we send you a 3D rendered image of the multilevel and sculptured dies to check the depth and required effects.
This type of custom artistic relief dies is the pinnacle of the graphic art and is similar to coin minting.
3d Sculpture Foil and Emboss Dies
We have the capability to convert your picture or supplied image to create a realistic impression with
our sculptured foil and emboss dies.
Our expert artists will process your file in a special 3D program to lift the image details into multilevel
relief to create one of a kind foiled relief image that has a timeless indelible mark. Once we start your
project, we will work with you in each step till we produce a 3D rendering before making the final die.
Among the uses of this type of dies are the following: