KoBold Manufaktur

A letterpress workshop in Winterthur

KoBold Manufaktur is a small letterpress workshop, registered as KoBold Manufaktur KLG, at Else-Züblin-Strasse 21 in 8404 Winterthur. Its wedding page offers the full set of printed pieces for a wedding: save-the-date cards, invitations, table cards and thank-you cards, all designed and printed in the workshop. The couples quoted on the page name the two people behind it, Milena and Dani, and describe them as both the designers and the makers of their cards.

The wedding page is written with some humor. It congratulates couples on finding the right partner and says the most important thing is still missing: the save-the-date and the invitation, the table cards and the thank-you cards. Guests should be impressed by the couple, the food, the venue and the atmosphere, and not least by the stationery, and "mit uns* macht ihr Eindruck", with a footnote admitting it is really the letterpress that makes the impression. The introduction ends: „Denn manchmal sind es die scheinbar kleinen Dinge, die den grossen, prägenden Unterschied machen“ (because sometimes it is the seemingly small things that make the big, defining difference).

What letterpress means here

The workshop's page on letterpress explains the technique. It calls letterpress today's form of the art of book printing, a process that goes back to the 15th century, when lead type was only meant to kiss the paper, touching it lightly. Today, by contrast, a firm impression in the paper is made on purpose, so the print can be felt as well as seen.

The paper is part of that effect. KoBold uses high-quality cotton paper with a heavy weight, and says the matte natural papers work particularly well with the pressed impression. The inks are classic letterpress inks rather than offset inks, mixed individually by hand to Pantone references, and the workshop notes that small differences in tone are a sign of genuine handwork. Each color needs its own pass through the press and its own printing plate. The plates, called Klischees, are made of magnesium and produced externally from the workshop's digital designs, and KoBold now also exposes its own photopolymer plates in the workshop. In both cases the printing surface is mirrored and slightly raised so the design takes the ink precisely.

The workshop owns three platen presses (Tellertiegel), which it calls the heart of the business. The about-letterpress page says that when the first press arrived, the team hardly knew how to operate it, and that they learned the technique step by step with the help of two retired printers. Every card leaving the workshop, it says, carries the traces of how it was made.

The wedding page asks whether letterpress suits a wedding and, unsurprisingly, answers yes. It says the technique suits couples who want to give their invitation a personal, high-quality and tangible touch, and who care about paper, feel and craft. In that case, the page argues, the invitation makes its impression at the first touch, before a single word has been read.

The four-step process for a wedding

The wedding page sets out the collaboration in four steps.

1. Getting to know each other. The couple describes the occasion and their ideas, and the workshop shows how these could become paper products that suit them.
2. Design. From the couple's brief, KoBold develops a first draft, which serves as a preview and the basis for further work. Once everything fits, the handwork begins.
3. Printing. Paper and plates are prepared, inks mixed and the press set up, and then the cards are printed "Farbe für Farbe, Stück für Stück" (color by color, piece by piece), by hand.
4. Result. Folding, scoring and finishing are all done in the workshop, and the couple receives the finished cards in person or by post.

Couples who already have a finished design can skip the design step and go straight to printing. The page presents the whole set, from save-the-date to thank-you card, as one consistent, tactile style.

What couples say

Three couples are quoted on the wedding page. Dominique and Robin write that Milena and Dani designed their invitations with great attention to detail and real craftsmanship. Lisa and Lukas describe competence, friendliness and a relaxed manner and say they would work with them again at once. Bäbs and Ernst found them very competent as designers and as makers of the cards, and say the result was exactly as imagined: elegant, well designed and cleverly worded.

Beyond weddings

KoBold also runs an online shop of its own letterpress cards, most at CHF 8 each, with some reduced in a sale to CHF 5 or less, plus art prints and postcards. It offers letterpress workshops, and it takes individual commissions for other projects. The events page lists the markets and design fairs where the workshop sells in person, among them the HPM book and print art fair in Frauenfeld, Blickfang in Zurich, AUSZUG in Zug, DesignSchenken in Emmenbrücke and Design22 in Bern. Shops, museum shops and concept stores can apply to stock the cards.

What the site does not settle

The wedding page publishes no prices for wedding stationery, no minimum quantities and no lead times, so couples need to request a quote with their date. It does not say how many colors or which paper sizes are possible for a wedding set, or whether envelopes can be printed. The site is written in German and gives no statement about working in English, so couples who need English should ask in their first message. The contact page says the workshop usually replies within 48 hours. It can be reached by phone on +41 78 738 50 50 or by email to mail@kobold-manufaktur.ch.

Who it suits

KoBold Manufaktur suits couples who want wedding stationery with a physical, pressed finish and a single consistent design across every printed piece, made by the same two people from first draft to final card. It also suits couples who already have a design and want it printed by letterpress. Couples within reach of Winterthur can meet the makers, and the markets and fairs on the events page are another way to see the work in person. Couples from abroad should confirm language, schedule and delivery by post before ordering.