Tying the Knot

Shana Wanco is no stranger to taking chances.

As an undergraduate at Francis Marion, she changed her major from nursing to visual communications without telling her parents. 

Wanco loved working with a variety of mediums and techniques while studying visual communications and design at FMU. But after she left school, she felt unsatisfied with her role at a design firm.

So, true to form, she decided to take another risk — trusting that her talent would help her succeed in the “nichy” business of letterpress printing. Wanco purchased a vintage 1920s letterpress off of Craigslist and started her own business printing high end wedding stationery.  

Her risk taking has paid off. Wanco’s six-year-old company, Iris + Marie, has become a major player in the small, but lucrative sector of the wedding industry. 

Letterpress printers are old school, machines not far from the one famously invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century. Letterpress machines use the traditional technique of relief printing to transfer art and text to paper. Raised forms and letters are inked and pressed into the paper, creating a tactile impression on the page. The machines were replaced by faster offset presses in the mid-20th century, but letterpress printing has enjoyed a revival in recent years as an artisanal craft.

Letterpress printing can be slightly crisper than offset printing. Modern letterpress printers apply pressure to the paper so that a slight indentation is not only tangible, but visible. The indentation was once considered sort of a flaw, hence the rise of offset printing. But the stamp of the press gives the work a certain handcrafted quality that marks the product as a genuine letterpress creation.

The Iris + Marie company name is a combination of Wanco’s own middle name, Marie, and the name she gave her beloved press, Iris. The company began as a local business serving clients in the Columbia area. It quickly exploded into a national name in the wedding industry, thanks to client references and Wanco’s carefully curated social media channels.

“It grew organically on Instagram, and a lot — especially at the beginning — was from word of mouth,” Wanco says. “Now wedding planners and designers seek me out from all over the country. Many have become repeat clients.”

Because of the painstaking nature of the letterpress process, Wanco serves a very small number of clientele. She typically only takes on six wedding clients per year. Wanco also offers branding services for local Columbia businesses. One of her most visible projects is Azalea Coffee Bar, a locally owned coffee shop on Devine Street that opened in 2021. 

Wanco’s handcrafted stationery has become exclusive and highly sought out. The time consuming process and the relative scarcity of letterpress operations contribute to the businesses’ value and its rapid rise. But Wanco’s unique trademark style has played a big role, too.

“I have a unique and distinct style, but it kind of flows between which client I’m working for,” Wanco says. “Overall, I would say my style is very whimsical, a little bit quirky and definitely very colorful. I take a lot of inspiration from vintage pieces, especially something groovy or a little kitschy.”

Wanco’s business idea can be traced back to her days at FMU. Her first encounter with letterpress was in Dr. Gregory Fry’s class, where the art professor introduced students to the traditional, laborious art form. 

“One of my graphic design professors, Gregory Fry, was really awesome,” Wanco says. “He is the one who introduced me to letterpress, which is the path that I took after college. I had not seen letterpress first hand until then. Now, that is a big part of my business.”

That experience planted the seed. Years later, feeling frustrated with her 9-to-5 job, Wanco happened upon “Iris,” which proved to be her ticket into entrepreneurship. 

She hasn’t looked back since.

“The best part of my job is when I get to connect with wedding clients to create something that captures their story and expresses who they are through artwork,” Wanco says. “People commission artwork all the time, but it’s different with wedding invitations because all your family and friends will see them. And having a wedding suite be a true reflection of yourself, that’s really exciting. It’s always very fun to see how creativity brings my clients’ stories to life on paper.”