About
Gus & Ruby is a custom design and print studio and trio of brick & mortar retail stores located in historic, coastal New England. The studio was founded in 2009 by best friends and business partners, Samantha Finigan and Whitney Swaffield and named after their respective dogs, Gus & Ruby. We specialize in creating one-of-a-kind pieces of art in the form of wedding & special event invitations, birth announcements and classic correspondence. Our retail stores offer the discerning shopper a curated selection of beautiful goods for the home and office.
We're glad you found us.
Meet The Founders
Co-Owner, Director of Client Services
Co-Owner, Director of Client Services
Samantha Finigan
Samantha grew up in the beautiful seaside town of Marblehead, MA and graduated from Boston University with a degree in design & communication. She currently resides in Portsmouth with her husband, daughter and son and spends her (small amount of) free time jumping horses in the hunter ring.
Co-Owner, Creative Director, Letterpress Printer
Co-Owner, Creative Director, Letterpress Printer
Whitney Swaffield
Whitney grew up in the beautiful summer resort town of Wolfeboro, NH and graduated from Plymouth State University, where she earned a BFA degree in graphic design and is a member of the athletic hall of fame for field hockey and ski racing. She is a 3rd generation letterpress printer, a fan of hot yoga and enjoys spending time with her two daughters and husband at their home in Durham.
Our
Letterpress Studio
All of our work is designed and printed by hand on antique presses housed in our spacious, light-filled studio located in a former mill building abutting the Cocheco River in New Hampshire. We pride ourselves on the exceptional, tactile experience of our printing and our enduring commitment to a joyful design process.
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Letterpress printing is in our genes.
As a third-generation printer, co-owner Whitney Swaffield has ink in her veins. Whitney was taught to print by her father and learned on a press from the late 1800s that had been owned by her grandfather. Her commitment to the meticulous craft of printing is truly a family passion.
Letterpress printing is a centuries old printing technique in which inked metal or, more often than not nowadays, photopolymer plates are depressed into a fibrous paper leaving a deep, rich impression that you can feel. It's a printing technique that combines craftmanship and delicate detail whilst using antique industrial iron machines weighing thousands of pounds each. It's braun and beauty come to life.
Print Shop
Letterpress Studio
Are you a designer looking for a small, artisan print studio to collaborate with? That's us! We love printing for other creatives. Please contact us for quotes on letterpress and foil stamped print jobs.
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Our brick & mortar retail stores
Gus & Ruby Letterpress has 3 brick and mortar retail locations in coastal New England.
Our flagship store is located in historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Just an hour north of Boston, Portsmouth is a small town with big charm and so much to offer. Our storefront is located right in the heart of downtown on bustling Congress Street.
Our second location is located on a cobblestone street right in the middle of the Old Port district of Portland, Maine. With a rich history and growing culinary scene, Portland is the perfect destination for a getaway or a cozy city to call home.
In 2020, we opened our third location in the charming neighborhood of Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. Nestled between the scenic Charles River and lush Boston Common, bustling Charles Street is lined with gorgeous boutiques, delicious restaurants and jaw dropping brownstone homes.
Letterpress
Gifts
As Seen In
