The Aesthetic Union is a letterpress print shop specializing in custom, original editions, and community. Our passion for artistry and craft brings dependability, authenticity, and the human touch to every project we work on. Founded by James Lewis Tucker in 2013, The Aesthetic Union is a celebration of the craft of letterpress printing.
Keeping the human element front and center, we imbue soul into everything we make, revealing the human element in each hand-crafted and unique print. Borne of collaboration we provide a place to come together and create. Small business is about community. I was drawn to letterpress because respect for and preservation of past traditions always rang true to me.
Keeping the human element front and center, we imbue soul into everything we make, revealing the human element in each hand-crafted and unique print. Borne of collaboration we provide a place to come together and create. Small business is about community. I was drawn to letterpress because respect for and preservation of past traditions always rang true to me.
Services
It's not just about making beautiful prints using a time-tested tradition, at The Aesthetic Union we take pride in providing a space for community. Every day we see a necessity of a physical space uniting people in an increasingly digital world. We've made it our responsibility at the print shop to provide a hub for like-minded souls to congregate and create, and we strive every day to encourage and advance a diverse community through our craft.
We print for clients and partners we provide design for, for offset printers in need of a letterpress partner, for designers, agencies, print brokers, small business clients. We focus on letterpress printing because of its tangible nature and do so in spite of waning physical versus digital consumption.
Note that if no plate material is specified, we will process a standard relief (KF95) plate, which is our default plate material. Our preferred file types are native Illustrator (.ai) or Indesign (.indd) files with all fonts outlined (or font files included). If you have images, please include the individual image files as well.
At The Aesthetic Union, each project is a custom project. Various specifications are all taken into consideration when we create an estimate for your project. We know all the printing options we offer can be overwhelming. Have questions? You can reach us by phone at (415) 779-5216 during our business hours or email us at info@theaestheticunion.com.
Reviews (9)
Paige Bellante
Dec 05, 2019
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I had a very positive experience working with Aesthetic Union. They have really great samples to choose from which made that process of what we were going to use very smooth. Daniel was very easy to work with and provided us with three quotes for our project, which was very helpful. We wanted the edges of our business cards to have the same color as the writing on our cards, and the folks at Aesthetic Union were willing to try out something new and painted the edges of our business cards which was very exciting! We love our end result and will work with the Aesthetic Union again!
Taylor Le
Oct 18, 2019
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I was hired to do a soft brand audit for KQED this Spring. Nearing towards the finish line, the client expressed interest in celebrating the refresh with its 500+ staffers in a memorable and fun way. I came up with an interactive wheel chart design and immediately thought of The Aesthetic Union to execute the job. As a matter of fact, I designed it around them—taking full advantage of their capabilities. The result included: letterpress, hot foil stamps, 4 spot colors, die cut, and custom rivets—all assembled by hand.
There is nothing these guys can’t do and their service and attention to
There is nothing these guys can’t do and their service and attention to
Lynn Chamorro
Aug 30, 2019
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The best! They letterpress printed and die cut some coasters for my husband’s 50th birthday party, and they turned out absolutely perfect! They were super helpful through the entire project, checking my artwork, helping select colors and even gave my daughter a tour of the letterpress. I highly recommend Aesthetic Union. Such a special place!
Daniel Wu
Jul 09, 2019
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Really unique art experience!
James is super friendly, relaxed and knows what he's doing.
The experience was great too. It's not just an audience watching the artist. We got to be involved in the process and make the pieces ourselves, with a bit of help of course.
100% rec if you're looking for something interesting and relaxing
James is super friendly, relaxed and knows what he's doing.
The experience was great too. It's not just an audience watching the artist. We got to be involved in the process and make the pieces ourselves, with a bit of help of course.
100% rec if you're looking for something interesting and relaxing
Peter Ng
Dec 01, 2018
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Patricia
Nov 14, 2018
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It is actually challenging to write a review on The Aesthetic Union because words aren't enough. The process, team, and space collectively make for an incredible blend that one must really experience for themselves to fully appreciate. Writing this review as a client, workshop participant, and someone who literally just walked off the street and asked questions.
My first introduction to the AU was about 6-8 months ago. I happened to park my car near the shop and was curious. It initially looked like a store for studio supplies. After a little strolling it became easy to make the connection that
My first introduction to the AU was about 6-8 months ago. I happened to park my car near the shop and was curious. It initially looked like a store for studio supplies. After a little strolling it became easy to make the connection that
Kristen Rieke
Jul 16, 2018
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Ron
Nov 07, 2016
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Jr Curley
Oct 28, 2016
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This fantastic letterpress shop is well worth stopping by. The front of the shop is dedicated to beautiful pens, paper, and other good stuff for you hand letterers! The owner also has postcars and artwork for sale, and print samples, ranging from posters to business cards. The back part of the shop is where the magic happens, filled with gorgeous hardware, each piece is lovingly and painstakingly hand crafted by James, the owner. Interested in getting some unique business cards made at top quality? Looking for some amazing postcards or pens? Check out The Aesthetic Union, you won't be disappointed
