Frequently Asked Questions

Bookbinders Design is Melbourne’s home of stylish yet functional stationery from around the world, chosen by our team of specialists.

You can visit us at our store, which is located at 348 Little Collins Street and is open Monday to Friday from 11am to 6pm and on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Debossing is a hand crafted technique that uses heat and pressure to create an impression in the surface of the product. A foil deboss involves adding a layer of foil so that the deboss takes on the colour of the foil. Digital printing is a cost effective alternative to debossing. Using a digital printer, we print directly onto the product. Unlike a deboss that creates an impression, digital printing sits on the surface. The main advantage of digital printing is that is allows multiple colours and an exact colour match, unlike a foil deboss, which is limited to the available foil colours.

Debossing is very versatile in that it works on a variety of materials including leather, bonded leather, cloth, card and paper, as well as different surfaces such as hardcover and softcover. That means that the majority of our products can be personalised.

A blind deboss is when the metal stamping plate presses directly onto the surface of the product without any coloured foil. Or in other words, it is just an impression. Blind embossing works especially well for logos and on leather products, where the heat slightly darkens the leather.

Colour debossing is similar to blind debossing in that the metal stamping plate creates the impression but then a foil is used to transfer the colour onto the surface of the product. Some foils are metallic (gold, rose gold, copper and silver), while others are matte (black and white).

The optical centre (otherwise known as the visual centre) is the point slightly above the geometric centre. Usually this is about 10-20mm above the true centre but will vary depending on the size of the item being personalised.

The available positions have been selected as they work best with the majority of our products. But we are more than happy to take requests, just let us know the alternate location in the notes section at checkout.

All of our personalisation is done in our Melbourne studio. The turnaround time varies between 2 and 7 business day depending on the personalisation option selected. For example, a core font will be quicker than a pro font, while initials will be ready faster than multiple lines of text. You’ll be able to see the turnaround time (and cost) once you have finalised your choices and before adding to cart.

If the product is suitable for personalisation (material and construction) then yes we can personalise but for products not purchased at Bookbinders Design, it’s all care but no responsibility.

At times, highly anticipated products will be made available via pre-order, which will allow you to purchase the item ahead of the release date.

Given the nature of pre-order items, we are unable to provide a refund on such orders. If you would like to make a change (e.g. colour, nib size), please get in touch and we will try our best to accommodate the change depending on stock availability.

Any other items in the order will be shipped once the pre-order item is available. If you place an order for multiple pre-order items, we will ship the order when all your items are ready.

Special orders are products that are available for online purchase but not currently in stock. This means that the item will need to arrive from the supplier prior to being dispatched.

Estimated dispatch time for special orders will be denoted by the “ships in X business days” in the stock status on the product page.

Any other items in the order will be shipped once the special order item is available.

We currently accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard and AMEX), Paypal, Bookbinders Design gift cards or credit notes. We also offer instalment payments via AfterPay (Australia and New Zealand).

Please enter your code into the ‘gift card’ field on the payment page during checkout.

Please enter your code into the ‘discount code’ field on the payment page during checkout.

If you want to cancel or amend your order, please email our support team (info@bookbindersdesign.com.au) and we’ll do what we can to adjust things.

Please note, cancelled orders will incur a 3% processing fee.

Bookbinders Designs ships to Australia and internationally!

Orders over $69 receive complimentary shipping anywhere in Australia or over $189 for New Zealand. For all other orders, the shipping cost will be calculated at checkout once the the preferred shipping option is selected. You will be able to select from store pickup (Melbourne only), regular shipping, express shipping or premium courier.

Standard orders are shipped within 3-4 business days, while express and courier orders are typically dispatched within 1-2 business days. If you have selected any type of customisation (e.g. initiials, short text, long text), please allow the additional time specified once the personalisation details have been selected and before the item is added to the cart. Please also allow additional time for delivery to regional areas, as well as during busy sales periods.

Once your order has been prepared, you will receive an email notification with the tracking details. If you have not yet received a shipment confirmation, please be assured our production team is most likely still working hard to get the order to you. 

We use Australia Post for our deliveries so for up to date delivery estimates, please check their website:

- Domestic delivery times
- International delivery times

The best way to track your order is through the Australia Post app, which allows you to track and manage your deliveries from your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch. 

Please note, Australia Post has suspended the Express Post next day delivery guarantee. Express Post service will continue to be the fastest option as Australia Post will continue to prioritise these deliveries. They just may not be delivered next business day every time.

We offer click and collect from our Melbourne store – simply select ‘pick up’ when checking out. You’ll receive an email notification once your order is ready for collection. 

If you would like someone else to pick up your order for you, please let us know in advance.

We are happy to offer you a return or exchange for change of mind on full price products. Item(s) must be returned:

- Within 14 days of purchase
- In brand new condition with original packaging, tags and labels intact
- With proof of purchase

Unfortunately, refunds or exchanges are not accepted for the following items:

- Customised products that have been personalised
- Bulk orders where large quantities have been ordered
- Sale or discounted items
- Pre-order items
- Fountain pens
- Fountain pen inks

Change of mind items can be returned or exchanged at the Bookbinders Design store (348 Little Collins Street, Melbourne) or via post. If you are returning an item via post, please email us first (info@bookbindersdesign.com.au) with your order number and we will provide you with details of where to send the item. A couple of things to keep in mind when returning or exchanging items via post:

- The original cost of shipping the item to you is non-refundable
- Bookbinders Design is not responsible for the cost of shipping the item back
- If the order value falls below the free shipping threshold once items are returned, the cost of shipping will be deducted from the refund amount

Please consider registering the parcel so that you can track the progress of the delivery, as well as insurance for more expensive items as Bookbinders Design does not accept responsibility for lost or damaged returns

We have stringent quality controls in place, but every now and then something might slip through the cracks. If your product is faulty, or we sent you an incorrect order by mistake, please email our customer support team (info@bookbindersdesign.com.au) so that we can find the best solution as soon as possible.

Damage due to misuse is not covered under manufacturer warranty. This may include but is not limited to falls, misuse and repairs or modifications not performed by the manufacturer.

For enquiries regarding your online order, email the support team (info@bookbindersdesign.com.au) or reach out via the online chat and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Unfortunately, the staff at our Melbourne store are not able to assist with online orders.

348 Little Collins Street, Melbourne 3000

Monday to Friday: 10:00 - 18:00
Saturday: 10:00 - 16:00
Sunday: Closed
Public hoidays: Closed

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If you’re interested in products as corporate gifts, get in touch with our support team (info@bookbindersdesign.com.au) to find out about pricing and personalisation options.