By this point in my planning I was a full-on weddingbee addict, and had a new vocabulary word that I was quite intrigued by: Gocco. My DIY fears kept me from fully considering it as an option, but bee after bee kept turning out gorgeous custom stuff- and on the cheap! I decided it was worth a closer look. On a chance flickr search, I discovered HeatherJeany. This talented lady designs and Gocco prints wedding invites- and other custom goodies. I pored over her sample work, and LOVED what I saw. I contacted her right away and got a quote on wedding invites. Here are some that I was especially nuts over:
I also considered another custom Gocco’er: UglyKitty. This artist is right here in Annapolis, and said she could meet me in person to work on the designs. Another bonus- no shipping costs! Here’s some of her best stuff:
By this point I was sold on the Gocco. My only hesitation with going with one of these designers was that I was beginning to wonder if I could (gasp!) handle making these myself. The bonuses would be a cheaper price, the option to have coordinating menus, programs, placecards, etc, etc, and the chance to impress my guests. Inherent in this was also, of course, the chance to give them all a good laugh if I failed miserably.
In some late night moment of inspiration, I ordered myself a Gocco. There! It was done! I had forced myself into the world of DIY. No looking back now! Any other DIY-resisters out there? Giving in yet like me?
Oh you know I’ve had hesitation! Just ordered my gocco thanks to you! You’re giving me all these great ideas!!
oh and I looo-hooove the the 2nd and 3rd one by uglykitty
@linzerella: I got mine from ebay user printaddictjapan. There are a ton on ebay and etsy!
Ohmygosh, I was totally scared like you. I’ve sewn a little, but I’ve never tried to make something like this before. Honestly though, the Gocco is the best thing ever. I just made my save-the-dates and it was SO MUCH FUN! You can do it!
I am so glad you got one, I got mine from printaddict too and it is perfect and came super fast! I have only done one project but so far I love it!!
Same here, I was EXTREMELY hesitant to Gocco my own stationary items. BUT, now that I’ve completed my first project… (I chose to start with printing my design on OOT bags b/c I wouldn’t be heart-broken if they didn’t turn out “just-so”)… they DID turn out “just-so” and I am *thrilled.excited.super-pleased* to be using the Gocco for the rest of my projects.
what size gocco does everyone out there recommend purchasing? all of the beautiful creations out there make me want to buy one! i’m pretty crafty but confused about the different sizes (PG-11, B-5, B-6) etc. that are listed. any clarification and advice?
i too did a late night half delirious impulse purchase of the gocco! i realized i can handle making mine since i desired the “impossible” ecru colored ink of navy paper! i got the PG-5 which is B6 sized (4×6) paper.
i got mine from leslie of alittlegoodness on Esty:
she is fabulous! we thought the postal service lost my gocco, and she was very accommodating and helpful, also she offered to help with any questions i had on using the gocco! i give her and A+
UglyKitty is great! She was very helpful when I was learning to use my gocco. I would totally recommend her to anyone who doesn’t want to tackle the gocco themselves!
I just keep finding projects to do cause the gocco is so great! But it is very time intensive.
I feel the same way… I am still on the fence about buying a Gocco. I don’t know if its going to be cost effective, but you can make so many wonderful personalized goodies for your wedding- a the wedding bees!
UglyKitty and HeatherJenny are the two etsy sellers i’m planning to ask about designing our wedding invites! There’s also In-Vita Paper Studio, she’s great too!
Meg-
I just did my invitations on the PG-11 model and I highly recommend it.It’s registration plate makes it SO much easier to line everything up when doing a double run(printing with 2 screens). GOCCO seems intimdating at first but is AWESOME once you get the hang of it.
It sounds fantastic. All the projects look fantastic. Unfortunately we have so much to do before the wedding, including moving FI and two kids into my house, cleaning and painting and getting his house ready to sell, his son’s high school graduation… My mom and I are both pretty crafty, but we agreed that we just don’t have the time. I am eyeing the gocco and anticipating years of fabulous party invitations and Christmas cards, though. Maybe it will be my past-wedding present to myself.
Those of you who have used the gocco, how many invites can you make out of one thing of ink? How much do you think it costs per invite to make? I understand that may be an unanswerable question though haha
Jillian: The number of prints out of one tube of ink depends on the design and how much ink it will take. But, I was able to do 300 invites out of an ink heavy design (ie. design covered the entire screen and therefore used a lot of ink).
Cost per invite: Difficult to answer but:
gocco: $150-200
online subscription to images: $3.00-30.00 (Istockphoto you pay per image others have a weekly subscription cost) Design is DIFFICULT! You will probably throw away 3,4,5, 10…. designs before you’re happy.
Paper: this depends on your design but,
pocketfolds: $1.25 a piece
envelopes: $.30-.50 a piece (You will need RSVP and Outside envelopes)
Flat cards: * these prices come from papersource
2.75-5.00 per 25 pack of cards. You will need cards for your invites, rsvp card, and maybe directions, hotel information, etc.
you can cut your own paper and pay as cheap as .25 per sheet for a 12×12 sheet (when on sale at Micheal’s.) you will probably need a paper cutter too. Another expense
Gocco:
To make a master you needs 1 screen and 2 bulbs. Your invite design will probably need at least 2-3 masters!
screen: 5 pack for 12.50 *
bulbs: 10 bulbs 12.95* (enough for five masters)
Ink: $4-5 per tube.
*plus shipping. Buy in bulk!
I totally <3 the gocco. It may not be the most cost effective tool but the product is gorgeous! I have so far printed: invites, rsvp card, maps, recipe cards, information cards. I just cannot find enough projects to do with the thing! I do think the girls’ prices on etsy are completely reasonable for the price, design, time, and product you get.
Mrs. Tiramisu, Annapolis, MD/Maine
Age and Occupation: 26, Eye Doctor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Project Manager/Real Estate Management grad student
Engagement Date: May 15, 2007
Wedding Date: July, 2008
Blogging Since: March 4, 2008
Venue: Oceanfront lawn and tent
About Me: I was born and raised in Maine, now living in Annapolis, Maryland and planning a hometown wedding from afar. I’m nothing short of obsessed with wedding planning, and am loving the do-it-yourself madness that has now taken over my life! As for me, I’m a craft-loving, martini-drinking, girly-girl who loves traveling, photography, my schnauzer, and above all, spending time with Mr. Tiramisu.
Miss Tiramisu - where did you order your Gocco from???