doors opening in
Build a stationery business
that actually works.
Not just beautiful designs, but confident pricing, clients who value your work, and a studio built on solid foundations.
The Stationer’s Apprentice is our flagship 12-week professional training programme for creatives who want to turn their love of stationery into a sustainable, profitable studio.
Inside the programme, we share the systems, processes and industry knowledge that successful stationers rely on every day – the things most people only figure out after several years (and quite a lot of trial and error).
Because a stationery business shouldn’t feel like a beautiful accident.
At some point, almost every aspiring stationer has the same subtle realisation.
You might have:
designed your own wedding invitations
taken a calligraphy course
started sharing work on Instagram
taken on a few early enquiries
begun experimenting with selling stationery
From the outside, it might even look like your business has already begun.
But behind the scenes, a slightly unsettling thought starts to creep in.
“I might be completely winging this.”
You’re not quite sure:
what stationery should actually cost
how to structure a quote
how proposals are meant to work
what other stationers are charging
how everyone else seems to run their businesses so confidently
And because nobody really talks about this side of the industry, it’s very easy to assume everyone else has it all figured out.
They don’t.
Most people are simply figuring things out as they go.
The wedding stationery world is full of incredibly talented creatives.
Beautiful calligraphy.
Gorgeous illustration.
Stunning invitation designs.
But creative skill alone doesn’t build a business.
Behind every successful stationery studio sits a whole layer of things that rarely make it onto Instagram:
pricing structures
supplier relationships
client consultations
proposal writing
production planning
project management
The quiet infrastructure that allows creativity to become a real career.
And the truth is, most creatives are never taught any of it.
Instead, they learn the hard way – through underpricing, stressful projects, and a lot of late-night “how do other stationers do this?” searches.
Which is exactly why we created The Stationer’s Apprentice.
The Stationer’s Apprentice is a 12-week professional training programme designed specifically for stationery designers.
The Stationer’s Apprentice is a 12-week professional training programme designed specifically for stationery designers.
It focuses on the part of the industry that most creatives are left to figure out alone: how the business side of a stationery studio actually works.
Over twelve weeks, we guide you through the foundations that allow stationery businesses to operate professionally and profitably.
You’ll learn how to:
price your work with clarity and confidence
run consultations that convert enquiries into bookings
create proposals that clients actually say yes to
structure and manage stationery projects professionally
build a business structure that supports your creativity rather than constantly stressing you out
Alongside the training, you’ll also be supported by a community of fellow stationers through our private Slack group, live calls, and peer discussion throughout the programme.
By the end of the twelve weeks, you won’t just have more information.
You’ll have the professional foundations most stationers only develop after several years in the industry – and a clear roadmap for running your business properly from day one.
The SUITE Framework
The framework behind successful stationery studios
Inside The Stationer’s Apprentice, we teach what we call the SUITE Framework.
Over the years, through running our own stationery studios and mentoring hundreds of designers, we began to notice a pattern.
The stationers who build sustainable businesses aren’t necessarily the most talented.
They’re the ones who understand how the business itself is structured:
The foundations that allow a creative business to run smoothly and profitably.
The SUITE Framework brings these essential elements together into a clear structure, so instead of figuring everything out through trial and error, you have a roadmap to follow.
Because a successful stationery business isn’t built on guesswork.
It’s built on good foundations.
pricing
clients
processes
systems
S
Strategy
Finding Your Suite Spot
Before anything else, you need clarity about the kind of business you’re actually building.
Who you want to work with.
What you want to be known for.
Where your work sits within the wider stationery industry.
Without this clarity, it’s very easy to drift into projects that don’t suit you, undercharge for your work, or feel like you’re constantly competing on price.
Inside the programme, we help you define your Suite Spot – the intersection between your creative strengths, your ideal clients, and the type of work you genuinely want to be doing.
u
Understanding Your Client
Beautiful stationery begins long before the design stage.
It starts with understanding the people you’re creating it for.
In this part of the programme, you’ll learn how to:
identify and attract your ideal client
lead confident discovery conversations
guide consultations in a way that builds trust and clarity
Because when you truly understand your client, everything else becomes easier – from pricing to proposals to how projects are structured.
i
infrastructure
This is the part of the business most creatives never see coming.
Behind every successful stationery studio sits a network of systems and processes that keep projects running smoothly:
project workflows
supplier relationships
production planning
file preparation
timelines and organisation
Without these structures, even the most talented designers can find themselves constantly firefighting.
Inside the programme, we help you build the professional infrastructure that allows your studio to run calmly and confidently.
t
the numbers
Pricing is where many stationers feel the most uncertainty.
What should you charge?
How do you quote properly?
How do you make sure you’re actually making money once production costs are covered?
In this part of the programme, we break down the financial side of running a stationery studio in a way that’s clear, practical, and grounded in real industry experience.
By the end, you’ll understand how to cost your work confidently and price your services in a way that supports both your creativity and your livelihood.
e
execution
Once the foundations are in place, everything comes together here.
This is where strategy, client understanding, systems, and pricing translate into a professional client experience.
You’ll learn how to:
structure compelling proposals
guide clients from enquiry to booking
• manage projects smoothly from initial brief through to production
So instead of improvising every step of the process, you’ll have a clear structure for how your stationery business operates.
Does this sound like you?
You love creating beautiful invitations but don’t know how to find clients
You want to create stationery full time and leave the 9-5 behind
You don’t know where to start when it comes to costing your work
Sourcing the right suppliers feels like a minefield to you
IF THE ANSWER IS YES TO ANY OF THE ABOVE THEN YOU WILL WANT TO READ ON…
How would you feel if…
You had a crystal clear idea of who you were selling to and how to talk to them
You knew how to confidently cost your stationery and source those perfect suppliers for both digital and traditional printing methods
You felt confident guiding your clients through every step of their wedding stationery journey
And you had the support of someone who knows the industry, and will help you avoid making some of the big mistakes that everyone makes when starting their stationery business
Here is why The Stationer’s Apprentice is special
We know how hard it is to get started and the challenges that comes with setting up a stationery business, and have helped people like you find their path to confidence and success
This is a course designed by stationers, for stationers: we have run successful wedding stationery and calligraphy businesses for 20+ years between us
While no two stationery businesses are the same, we will walk you through our proven approach to help you build a strong business using tried and tested tools and resources
You will also meet a readymade support network of like-minded people and start to build that all-important little black book of people in the same industry as you
What YOU’LL GET
SIX WORKBOOKS
TEN WEEKLY MODULES
TWO IMPLEMENTATION WEEKS
FOUR AMAZING GUEST EXPERTS
WEEKLY LIVE Q&A IN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP
LIFETIME ACCESS TO COURSE CONTENT
SUPPORTIVE PRIVATE FACEBOOK COMMUNITY
MEMBER’S LOUNGE
Over the duration of this 12 week course you will work through 10 modules, building a strong business strategy. We will be sharing in-depth knowledge, tips, tricks and the EXACT PROVEN PROCESSES that we use day in, day out. Between us, these systems have helped us grow over 4 successful award-winning creative businesses.
what awaits you…
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Lifetime access to workbooks & video training
Every week, a new workbook and video module will land in your inbox, ready and waiting for you to get stuck in. While this course will run over an 12-week period with a new module every week, we know that everyone works at their own pace, so there are 2 break weeks built in to catchup, and each module will remain online for you to view and revisit whenever you wish
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A Facebook group full of people like you
Finding your community is invaluable when starting out. In our Facebook group you’ll get to know a group of fellow stationery addicts and support each other as you kick off your wedding stationery business journey. We will also be popping up on a regular basis to offer help, support and advice
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Weekly live Q&As in our Facebook group
Accountability is super-important, so a week after each new module is launched, we will go live over Zoom to answer any questions you have. This is your opportunity to pick our brains over each of the modules and really push yourself to the next level
What people are saying
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Lora
“My main struggle with stationery was learning how to price my work. They always say “charge your worth” but I wasn’t sure how to do that, what if I was asking too much or too little?! The course gave me so much information about pricing, it was constructed in digestible sized bites and so easy to understand - I real plus for anyone who shies away from financial aspects.
Grania shared so much with the group and gave real insider knowledge into the world of stationery, complete with guests speakers for different modules. Grania went above and beyond to answer our questions and has become friends with us all through the course, to have that lasting relationship is so wonderful.”
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Emma
“Grania has been the most wonderful mentor in the setting up of my business. She is so kind and generous with her knowledge and can't help you enough, she even came with me when I purchased my first treadle press to check it over with me.
Grania has 'been there and done that' when it comes to setting up and running a successful stationery business so her advice is invaluable, not only has it saved me time and money but I feel lucky to have also found such a lovely industry friend. Sharing her tips on anything from how to work out what to charge for your services to her favourite papers to print on, I couldn't recommend working with Grania enough!”
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MARIANNE
“Grania is such an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to building a successful stationery business. The Stationer's Apprentice course was full of so much incredible information and insight, plus Grania's own little black book of suppliers - totally invaluable!
I felt so much more prepared to build my own stationery brand, and I keep going back to the modules again and again as there is so much amazing information to unpack. The direct access to Grania on the live calls and through the Facebook group is brilliant, she is so open to answering every question and sharing what she knows. Definitely a 'must' course for any budding stationer!”
What we’ll cover during our time together
Module 1:
why - Finding your Suite spot
Getting you into the right mindset for chasing your dream and making it a reality this week deep dives into the REASONS you are choosing this path and WHY those are the most important things to remember.
MODULE 2:
who - IDEAL CLIENT
You can sell to anybody but not everybody. Accepting every job that comes your way is an easy trap to fall into. In this module we’ll interrogate who you should be selling to, and the tips and tricks we have learned to make all this information useful & useable.
MODULE 3:
what - PLANNING A STATIONERY SUITE
There are so many different parts to a stationery suite and it can be confusing to know what you do - and don’t - need to include. This module will go through all the different elements needed and how to advise your clients on what they may require.
MODULE 4:
where - SOURCING SUPPLIERS
Sourcing the right suppliers is one of the biggest headaches with running a stationery biz. It is also right at the heart of it. We’ll be opening our little black book of suppliers wide open and walking you through each of them, from paper to packaging and everything in between.
MODULE 5:
how - PRINT FINISHES
Do you know your hot foil from your digital foil and your emboss from your deboss? There’s a huge range of different print finishes available to choose from this week we will walk you through each of them plus the pros and cons.
MODULE 6:
COSTING YOUR STATIONERY
Let’s crunch some numbers. At the heart of every profitable business is getting REALLY friendly with your numbers. Understanding your overheads, your supplier costs and how long everything takes. We’ll also be sharing a costing sheet for you to tweak for your business.
MODULE 7:
Business plans, legals, gdpr, insurance
Your secret weapon if things get spicy. Make sure you are covered back to front and sideways so you don’t ever find yourself in a tricky situation legally. With these tips, tools and templates you will cover everything you need to know.
MODULE 8:
THE CLIENT PROCESS
In this module we’ll tackle how to make the most out of those consultation calls and ask questions that really convert. We’ll also walk you through the different stages of the client journey so that you can deliver a great experience every step of the way.
MODULE 9:
Organisation & management tools
As your business grows you’ll need to get more and more organised, and the sooner you can put these systems in place, the better. We will show you how to harness the power of various CRMs.
MODULE 10:
MINI MARKETING
So, you have your business strategy in place but now for the tricky part - getting it in front of the right people. We walk you through the various ways you can market yourself and get your new fledgling business OUT THERE.
FAQs
Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone looking to launch their own stationery or calligraphy business and wants to further their knowledge and skills. You don’t have to have launched your business yet to get involved and get value from the course content.
How much will the course cost?
Official registration will be £449.
The value of the course is at least £3500 but the information you will receive could be the make or break of your business being a success.
Do you offer Payment Plans?
Yes, we offer payment in full at £449 or in 3x instalments of £155. Payment plans work out slightly more due to admin fees.
Will you be running this course again?
The next round of registration will happen in early 2025. Please check back for information on future launches: we usually only open the doors to The Stationer’s Apprentice once a year.
When will the content go live?
Modules are released week by week, with accompanying weekly live Q&As for each of the modules. All content will all be housed directly on this site. You’ll have lifetime access to the content, so you can watch all the videos at your own pace.
Can I get a refund?
As this course and its content is a digital product, you can’t receive a refund for your purchase. For more information, please email us at hello@suitepress.co.uk