Hand Designed, UV Printed

Emma Reum, founder of Etchings by Emma in Chandler, Ariz., loved her Print and Design coursework in college, but found she always wanted to add hand lettering to her projects. In 2015, she launched Etchings by Emma and soon decided that wedding signage would be her niche. Quickly finding success, Emma brought in a Roland DG UV flatbed printer to produce her designs, giving her company the ability to serve more happy couples. 

We talked with Emma about how she started her company, which of her products are most sought after for weddings and events, and how she’s streamlined her workflow to accommodate her growing list of clients. 

Please tell us how you started Etchings by Emma. What led you to specialize in weddings and special events?

Emma Reum: I’ve always been an artsy person and at the end of high school, I taught myself how to “hand letter,” which is essentially another form of calligraphy. In college I specialized in Print and Digital Design. I loved my program and the things I was learning but I always wanted to throw my own hand lettering into my projects. I realized my designs didn’t have the most “corporate” look, so I thought about who my ideal client might be.  

“My favorite feature on my printer is the speed and quality of the prints, especially the way it lays down white ink.... My clients love it!”

At that time, demand for wedding signage was beginning to grow significantly. I started reaching out to a lot of local wedding businesses and was hired by one of them to create signage. It was a great fit for everyone involved –and I haven’t stopped since!  

 

What year did you launch your business?;

I came up with the name “Etchings by Emma” in 2015, when I was still in school. I jumped into the wedding industry in 2017 and went full time in 2020. 
 

Please tell me about how your business has grown.

The first couple of years the business grew slowly because I was still in college, but when I graduated in 2018, I could focus more on my business. I worked hard at networking with other wedding vendors and really getting my name out there.  

I started booking weddings, and each year my bookings have increased. While there was a lull from March-September of 2020, the wedding industry came back better than ever. I was doing 10-12 weddings a weekend from 2020 – 2021, but I couldn’t sustain that pace physically since I was creating everything by hand. Charlotte Mester joined me as creative administrative assistant in 2021. I was drowning in work and couldn’t keep up with my emails. She now runs the printer and helps with many other tasks as well. 

 

How did you decide to invest in a Roland DG UV printer?

In 2022, I cut back to five weddings a weekend, but I still longed to serve all the couples I was turning down. 

I thought UV printing might work for my business. As a test, I outsourced UV printing for six months and got great feedback from clients about the UV-printed products. Bringing UV print capability in-house was a big jump for me, but I knew it was the right choice because I’d be able to serve more clients with my hand-lettered designs. 

We purchased a Roland DG LEC2-330S F-200 flatbed UV printer. Roland has a great reputation for high-quality output, and that really matters in my business. My favorite feature on my printer is the speed and quality of the prints, especially the way it lays down white ink, which is a feature I use often. My clients love it! 

 

What products do you use your UV printer for? 

I typically print on flat acrylic signs ranging from three inches tall all the way to 48 inches. I custom design everything that’s printed, including welcome signs, seating charts, bar menus, place cards, and more. It’s really been a game changer for my business.  

I have also printed on canvas and wood – there’s a lot of versatility with a flatbed printer. 

 

How do your clients find you?  

Most of my projects come through Instagram or vendor referrals. I’ve worked hard on building relationships and being reliable, and now I’m on a lot of wedding companies’ and venues’ “preferred vendor” lists. When clients book with them, my company is a recommended provider for signage. And I pour a lot of energy into my Instagram posts because I truly enjoy it.  
 

Are your clients mainly local or do you send your products out?  

I’d say 90 percent of my clients are local to the Phoenix area. Some clients purchase my signage and take it with them to their destination wedding. I think that’s the easiest way to transport the signs because shipping can get expensive and risky!  

 

Do you have corporate clients also?

We’ve done a few corporate things, but I feel like my style really works well in the wedding industry.  

We’ve also been able to provide printing services for other wedding vendors. If they need signage or other things printed, they send over the file for us to print. It’s been a great way to connect with other local creatives and help them out too. 

How do your clients place their orders, and what happens from there?  

To ensure we provide great service, I have interested clients fill out a contact form on my website. Then we send them a welcome email and pricing guide. We typically book 12 months out and most clients inquire anywhere from 5-12 months before their wedding.  

From there, Charlotte puts together a custom proposal for the couple and answers any questions they have. Once they’re ready to move forward, the couple puts down a retainer to secure their date in our books.  

I reach out a month before their wedding to gather any remaining details, start designing, and send them proofs. They pick up their signage two or three days before their wedding. We work close to their dates because most couples don’t have all the information necessary (like RSVPs for the seating chart) to start sooner. 

Are there wedding signage products that are trending now?

Welcome signs, seating charts, and bar menus are our most popular products. At the moment, my clients are loving bar menus with their signature drinks hand-drawn by me or with their dogs’ faces hand-drawn on the sign. I can digitally design these personalized touches and print them out in color.  

What do you see ahead for Etchings by Emma? 

I’m excited to see how my printer helps provide an even more automated workflow for my business. We currently sell pre-designed, semi-custom, or one-of-a-kind holiday ornaments seasonally through an online shop on our website. I want to work on selling more types of products this way. 

In fact, I’d love to sell all of my signage directly on my website. That way, clients wouldn’t need to book months in advance, but could shop whenever they’d like – similar to how they purchase on Etsy. With the quick turnaround from our UV production, I see this becoming a huge hit.