Weddingbee Blog

One day I texted Mr Pretzel: “We gotta get a Gocco.” He laughed, texted, “what the heck is that?” and I promised to show him that night after dinner. This was the beginning of my obsession with the Gocco. Weddingbee is 100% responsible for my Gocco obsession. Mr P and I had decided to design our invites and I was convinced that we would use a local printer to print them… until I stumbled upon the Gocco. I think that it was initially Mrs Gloss’ invites that caught my eye. I then searched on Gocco and hit the mother lode. (This list is by no means exhaustive but these are the projects that caught my eye.)

• Mrs Cookie
• Mrs Cream Puff
• Mrs Gloss
• Mrs Peppermint
• Mrs Lovebird
• Mrs Champagne
• Mrs Penguin
• Mrs Coconut
• Mrs Lime
• Mrs Lemon

All of these fabulous bees using this mysterious Japanese printing machine to make printed items? Count me in. That night I showed Mr P everything I had found on Gocco. I even showed him some Etsy vendors who were selling greeting cards made with Gocco. We agreed to purchase some greeting cards to get an up close look at what this Gocco thing was all about. A couple days later we got some Gocco goodness in the mail.

Domo Arigato by twoguitars & Bike card from papermichelle

Knitting Cards by Ouou

We loved the uneven ink on the Domo Arigato card

After inspecting the cards Mr P was sold! Then began my search for the perfect Gocco Machine. Mr Pretzel and I decided that it was important to us to have easy registration (ability to line up multiple layers of print) so the PG 10 Super or the PG 11 were the two models that I looked for.

If you are looking to purchase a Gocco- I would suggest eBay and Etsy. Personally, I purchased a used machine on an eBay auction from a seller who sells on both eBay and Etsy. Many of the sellers are located in Japan so it is important to factor in shipping into the cost. I scored my PG 10 Super for $170 at auction and paid an additional $50 for shipping – walking away $220 poorer but very satisfied. Lower models that don’t have the added registration feature are usually $50-100 less expensive. My favorite Gocco Etsy seller by far is printaddictjapan. Ingrid is very helpful and professional.

If you’re contemplating taking the Gocco plunge, here are some things to look for in an online listing:

• Shipping cost- if it is from overseas look for EMS shipping which provides tracking and is much faster than traditional shipping
• Does it come with extras like inks, bulbs, screens, inks, blue filter, card stand, etc.? These are all supplies that you will need to start printing, so it’s a bonus if you don’t have to purchase separately
• Does the seller also sell supplies? If so you can combine orders and save on shipping costs
• Is it new or used? I purchased used and saved a lot of money

In addition, check out Craigslist.org and the Weddingbee classifieds. From time to time a bride sells her Gocco when the wedding is over. These options would save you on shipping if the brides are local or even domestic.

After a minor heart attack inducing snafu with PayPal (they listed my shipping address as an old address I haven’t lived at in over a year) I rescued my Gocco from the post office and brought it home. Mr P and I are smitten and completely pleased with the $220 investment.

Do you Gocco? How did you purchase yours?