Penelope's Press

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Chicago, IL
Penelope's Press

debbie lee is the proprietress of penelope's press, a letterpress studio in the chicago area offering paper products hand fed + printed on vintage presses

"penelope" is the name given to debbie's very first press, a vintage craftsmen superior. since then, 3 more presses have been added to the letterpress family, "blanche", a 1903 old style chandler and price, "sophia", a 1912 new style chandler and price, and "rose", a 1910 potter proof press.

05/05/2026

thank you for another great ! see you again in december!

01/23/2026

woke up to a windchill of -21… there’s no heat where i print, glad i’m inside packaging today

letterpress

01/18/2026

getting on that train and posting about 2016 in 2026:

—started that january flying to nyc for 36 hours for a macy’s x etsy press event, that year i was shipping wholesale orders to shops big and small
—penelope’s press was all in on wedding shows and designing and printing for couples, i also offered my printing services to other wedding invitation designers
—mid year the husband’s work offered him an opportunity to move out west, so our family made the 2000 some mile move to southern california… and so did penelope’s press and one of my printing presses
—moving a family of 5 with small children AND a business came with a lot of stress, so to combat it, i started running consistently again (after a decade long break)
—and that was also the last year i had black hair. i finally decided to ditch the dye and embrace my pre-mature grays that i had been hiding since discovering my first white strand back when i was in the 4th grade

it was fun looking back at my camera roll, but i’m looking forward to what’s in store for 2026!

12/19/2025

it’s been a busy year and even busier holiday season! the last orders of the year have shipped (please usps, get all the packages to their people on time)! thank you to all the letter writers, stationery gift givers, letterpress lovers, and small business supporters that have kept me busy for yet another year!

12/04/2025

some time lapse of day 2 of booth setup for , a few final touches tomorrow morning and we’ll be ready for you!

Dec 4-7 - booth 1056

12/03/2025

small business life lately, but add a puppy

12/05/2022

and like that, my 1st one of a kind show is over! what an experience!!! thank you to everyone that stopped in, purchased something, joined the mailing list, followed on social, and grabbed a business card! more recaps to come, but first— loading up the vehicle, eating, and sleeeping!

03/31/2022

hey there! long time no post, but wanted to pop in on this last day of “march meet the maker” with a little intro… debbie here, the printer behind penelope’s press. i’ve been letterpress printing since 2009 when i decided to leave the 9 to 5 and dive into entrepreneurship. this photo is a photo of me mid-printing, not staged and screenshot from a video that i recorded on a random, typical day. as a small business owner and a work from home mom to 2 teens and a tween, i’ve come to terms that life everyday doesn’t always follow the schedule i’ve planned, periods of ridiculously busy to slower fluctuate regularly, and the work/life balance struggle is real. i think it’s pretty crazy that i picked up a letterpress printed bookmark from a maker at a fair years ago that led me down the letterpress rabbit hole and into owning a small business… that the products i make are printed by my hands and are mailed to a store or a person that i’ve never met to be then given to another person… that in the sea of online stuff, someone found my little shop and bought something. that’s pretty wild to me. so thanks to all of you people out there that continue to follow my journey. oh i should actually include some tidbits about me… gray is my natural hair color, i like running because i like eating, i’m 4’11”, a plant lover, and i watch an embarrassing amount of tv/streaming shows with my husband 😂🙈

01/21/2022

2022 came in fast and furious for me… i hope your new year is off to a good start! maybe this year i’ll actually post more and show you some projects i’ve had the privilege to work on. like these cards, a holiday card order for a client who i’ve printed for the last several years. for the most part it’s the same design, but a different color palette every year. the client found me on the web 10 years ago… i was initially intimidated when she reached out, i was fairly new in my business and from her email i knew she was a paper lover- referencing paper manufacturers, paper weights, and pantone colors. over the years i’ve gained her design trust, learned her (design) likes/dislikes, have seen her children grow up through their annual photos, and earned her repeat business (from holiday cards, personal stationery, custom invitations, moving cards, etc). for all of you that have stuck around for years or just recently and whether you’ve purchased a single card or only tune into my lack of social media— thank you, thank you, thank you. i hope your 2022 is filled with good health, kindness, and laughter 😘

and in case you were wondering— letterpress printed on double thick, double sided, 2 colors, edge printing, photo mounting, custom envelope liners, return address printing, custom labels, stuffing/sealing/stamping, and dropped off to the post office. 450+ to addresses all around the us and some far off in south africa, france, and around the globe. phew.

12/26/2021

merry christmas from the printer (and her people) behind penelope’s press… from our family to yours, wishing you a blessed holiday season 😘

10/01/2021

it’s october already, the holiday chaos has started early, and my sophomore son was asked to homecoming by an upperclassman 😱 what is this craziness!?!? thank goodness it’s friday! i need to get these orders out the door so i can kick up my feet for a tiny bit. hope it’s a great weekend for you all!

Address

Chicago, IL

Website

http://penelopespress.com/

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