Letterpress PLAY

What Letterpress PLAY does

Letterpress PLAY is a woman-owned, Austin-based letterpress printing company founded in 2019 by Kyle Hawley. It designs and handcrafts paper toys, greeting cards, garments, accessories, notebooks, artwork, and home decor using vintage wooden type and a fleet of eight letterpress machines, each named after a pioneering woman in print. The product portfolio spans 218+ SKUs across the main collection, including 145+ greeting cards and eight distinct paper-toy lines, with pricing ranging from $6 cards and $18 paper-toy packs to higher-ticket items such as $198 kaftans and $68+ washable paper hats.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model via a Shopify e-commerce store serving global customers and a single physical retail location — "The Bungalow" on Austin's South Congress Avenue — supplemented by workshops and community events. Production emphasizes sustainability: recycled paper, organic cotton, natural dyes, and biodegradable packaging are central to sourcing decisions. A "For a Cause" program directs 100% of poster sales and 10% of broadside and card sales to children's charities, blending philanthropy with the core product line. A wholesale inquiry channel has been opened alongside DTC and retail.

Customer segments include gift-givers, families with children seeking screen-free creative play, stationery enthusiasts, and eco-conscious consumers. Strategic partnerships include an FX "Alien: Earth" IP collaboration with SDCC 2026 activation and a fine-art exhibition with Flatbed Press. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, and bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding; a second retail location is planned for Fall 2026.

Name

Letterpress PLAY

Legal name

Letterpress PLAY

Website

https://letterpressplay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Letterpress PLAY is a woman-owned Austin-based letterpress printing company that handcrafts sustainable paper toys, greeting cards, garments, and home decor using vintage equipment, sold direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and a single retail storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Paper Goods & Stationery

NAICS

Stationery Product Manufacturing (322230), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930), Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (45941)

SIC

Greeting Cards (2771), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts Retail (CRALACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Crafts & Activity Supply Organization (HSAFAIAG), Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Letterpress printing
• Paper craft toys
• Handcrafted greeting cards
• Artisan stationery goods
• Sustainable paper products

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of letterpress printed products including greeting cards, paper toys, notebooks, garments, accessories, and home decor through their Shopify online store. Products are sold individually and in bundles/packs.
2. Retail Storefront Sales: In-person sales at The Bungalow retail location in Austin, Texas, including same-day pickup for online orders and workshop participation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Letterpress PLAY handcrafts zero-waste paper toys, greeting cards, notebooks, garments, accessories, and home decor using traditional letterpress printing with vintage wooden type and machines. All products are made in-house at their Austin, Texas studio and sold direct-to-consumer through a Shopify online store and a physical retail storefront called The Bungalow on South Congress Avenue. The company emphasizes sustainable materials (recycled paper, organic cotton, natural dyes, biodegradable packaging) and operates a 'For a Cause' charitable program.

Product overview

Letterpress PLAY is a woman-owned letterpress printing company and retail shop based in Austin, Texas. The company operates as a single unified product offering centered on letterpress printing with three main product lines: Paper Toys (8 craft kits including Thaumaframe, Polywish, Garlagreet, Constructanote, Wishbloom, Create-A-Crown, Make-A-Mask, and Coloring Sheets), Letterpress Printed Greeting Cards (145+ cards including holiday, birthday, Thaumacards, sympathy, get well, and note cards), and Garments, Accessories & Home Decor (kaftans, hats, courier clutches, earrings, home decor). Additional offerings include Notebooks & Notepads, Artwork including Children's Broadsides and Alien: Earth collaboration, Correspondence Kits, and For a Cause charitable products. The company handcrafts products using vintage letterpress machines and wooden type with sustainable materials including recycled papers, organic cotton, and biodegradable packaging. They have 8 letterpress machines named after famous female printers and a retail storefront called The Bungalow on South Congress Avenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thaumaframe: Paper toy box that creates photo frames and Thaumatropes - vintage-inspired craft toys
• Polywish
• Garlagreet
• Constructanote
• Wishbloom
• Create-a-Crown
• Make-a-Mask
• Thaumacard
• Noah & Kyle for Letterpress PLAY
• Kyle's Fine Art

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of poster sales and 10% of broadside/card sales donated to children's charities

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Flatbed PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Kyle Hawley, Founder and Creative Director of Letterpress PLAY, on the exhibition 'Unfolding the Rainbow of Motherhood.' The exhibition uses mono-printing technique to transform cloth utility accessories and garments designed for mothering into seven life-sized prints embedded with colors recalling Kodachrome photography, exploring complex emotions of motherhood.
• FX / Alien: EarthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLetterpress PLAY has grown the FX's 'Alien: Earth' collection, which includes letterpress prints, cards, and artwork featuring characters from the series. The collection includes products like 'Xenomorph & MU/TH/UR' prints, 'T.Ocellus Meets The Cat' prints, 'The Crates' prints, and 'Miniatures of Horror' card sets. Daily giveaways were held at San Diego Comic Con 2026.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rifle Paper Co. Rifle Paper Co. is a leading direct-to-consumer stationery and greeting card brand with broad product lines (cards, journals, apparel, home decor) sold globally online and through major wholesale partners such as Target and Anthropologie. Letterpress PLAY competes in the same premium, design-led greeting card and paper goods space but at a much smaller scale.
• Crane & Co. Crane & Co. is an established, broad-incumbent American stationery brand with deep heritage in fine paper, engraving, and letterpress products including greeting cards, invitations, and personalized stationery. Letterpress PLAY competes in the same premium paper goods category but at a smaller, design-forward artisan scale.

Direct peers

• Sugar Paper: Sugar Paper is a Los Angeles-based stationery and greeting card company known for letterpress and fine paper goods with a focus on weddings, celebrations, and everyday correspondence. It is a direct peer to Letterpress PLAY in design-led, letterpress-influenced greeting cards and paper products sold through DTC and specialty retail.
• Bella Figura: Bella Figura is a Brooklyn-based boutique letterpress printer specializing in custom wedding invitations, stationery, and greeting cards with a high-end artisan positioning. It is a direct peer to Letterpress PLAY in letterpress-printed paper goods targeting gift-givers and stationery enthusiasts.
• Oblation Papers & Press: Oblation Papers & Press is a Portland-based letterpress stationery and paper goods brand selling greeting cards, fine art paper, and custom letterpress printing through its own retail store and online. It is a direct peer to Letterpress PLAY in letterpress greeting cards and stationery with physical retail and wholesale presence, and is even referenced as a wholesale partner in Letterpress PLAY's online store.
• Smudge Ink: Smudge Ink is a small, letterpress-focused greeting card and stationery company producing hand-printed cards with a strong design aesthetic. It is a direct peer to Letterpress PLAY in artisan, letterpress-printed greeting cards sold online and through specialty wholesale channels.
• Papier: Papier is a digitally native, design-led personalized stationery and greeting card brand sold primarily DTC with global shipping. It competes with Letterpress PLAY in the premium greeting card and personalized stationery category but at significantly larger scale and with a more digital, on-demand production model.

Emerging players

• Karst Stone Paper: Karst Stone Paper is a sustainable stationery brand making notebooks, planners, and paper goods from calcium carbonate-based stone paper with a strong eco positioning. It overlaps with Letterpress PLAY in the sustainable paper goods and notebooks category and is featured in Letterpress PLAY's online store as a carried brand.
• Blackwing: Blackwing is a premium pencil and writing instrument brand with strong design identity, sold through specialty stationery retailers and online. It is an emerging player in the curated design-led writing and stationery market where Letterpress PLAY also operates, and is carried within Letterpress PLAY's retail store.
• Lettuce Grow: Lettuce Talk (and adjacent small letterpress studios) is a small emerging player in the hand-printed greeting card and paper craft space with an indie/wholesale distribution model. It is an emerging peer to Letterpress PLAY in boutique letterpress greeting cards and paper goods targeting gift-giving and stationery enthusiasts.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/letterpressplay
• Xx.com/letterpressplay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Letterpress PLAY