about
silverplate press
I pour my whole heart into your wedding invitations
Hi, I’m Amanda Keenan, maker of beautiful wedding invitations and owner of Silverplate Press. I’m the one who will obsess over your invitations just as much as you. I design wedding stationery to be personal, thoughtfully curated, and designed with only you in mind. I listen carefully to what you want, and I pour my whole heart into every invitation so that they feel authentically YOU, and your guests’ first glimpse of your wedding gets them so excited for your day.
Whether you choose a design from our collection or choose a fully custom design experience, I promise that you will be thrilled with your invitations, save-the-dates, wedding website, or any other items you need.
Most of the time I use my antique printing press to letterpress invitations. The quality is out of this world and leaves a beautiful deep impression in the paper. I’ve searched everywhere to find the highest quality papers, inks, envelopes, ribbon, wax seals, (etc.) so that you can send out invitations that you’re proud of, and a beautiful reflection of what your wedding day will be like. Making invitations by hand is how I make sure each and every one is perfect.
Serving Clients in Canada, the United States, and Worldwide.
How it started! Letterpress Studio #1 in the old factory in Toronto, that used to plate silver. This is the day we moved in. We had to bust through the wall just to get the Vandercook in. By "we", I mean my husband Justin and I. Luckily the floors held the weight.
Silverplate Press Studio #2 – This was our first home as a family of 4 and my studio had a beautiful store front entrance. I'm so grateful for the years we spent in this tiny home.
Our first wedding show, feeling like it's the start of something amazing. My husband Justin was an amazing partner at this show. Since then he's been my polymer maker, letterpress mechanic, and my biggest supporter and encourager.
The 3rd (and current) letterpress studio in Belleville, Ontario. A calmer life, and the first time when I could take on Silverplate Press full time! Here I am with my Vandercook letterpress.
3rd studio for Silverplate Press – Letterpress studio in Belleville Ontario
Views from the Silverplate Press Belleville studio, complete with typewriter, letterpress prints, antique type cabinet and custom bike.
Perfectly Imperfect is a motto we live by since letterpress is perfect in its imperfections. That deep impression for one thing was a flaw back in the day, and now it's how we distinguish it.
how it all started…
I have been a graphic designer for a loooong time but in my heart, I’ve always been an artist. I was drawn to working with my hands and learning about the roots of graphic design. Working on the computer all the time made me be drawn to working with my hands and learning how to letterpress print. I got a degree in graphic design from OCADU, where I learned how to letterpress print from the best — hiya George! At the time it was just something fun to learn, never imagining that a few short years later I’d have my own letterpress business.
Stumbling on a beautiful Vandercook 320G letterpress in 2010 changed everything! It was under 40 years of dust, neglect, and in need of a new home. I found it on kijiji of all places! It came from a 92-year-old man named John and when he saw I was interested, he said to me “Come quick, cause I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around”. I’m not kidding!
So we moved! My husband is the biggest support of my dreams and since the letterpress weighs as much as a baby elephant (2000 pounds!), we had to move out of our tiny apartment into an old loft (factory), to an area of the city that used to plate silver… Silverplate Press was born
I started slowly while still working my day job at the University of Toronto (which I loved!). Designing invitations for friends and learning all the in’s & out’s out of my letterpress. After years of practice, I’ve gotten to know my press really well, and quite confidently can say that I’ve perfected my skills and understanding of letterpress. I make the most beautiful invitations because I understand how to design specifically for my press while being creative and pushing the limits.
In 2017, I’ve taken Silverplate Press on full time (while also being a full-time mom to 2 rambunctious boys, Jack & August). Now, with more than 10 years of happy clients, and being featured on a bunch of top wedding blogs, I was named #1 wedding stationer in Canada by Wedding Bells Magazine in 2020!
So that’s the story for now, but I’m sure it’s really just the start…