Frequently Asked Questions

That's a fair question. If you've come to our looking for a simple price and turnaround time, you might have been surprised to find there's quite a lot to read first.

We do our best to keep things simple but vinyl is a genuinely complex manufacturing process - more so than most people expect.

A finished record is the result of a long chain of decisions and steps, and what happens at each stage affects what you end up holding in your hands. A small choice made in mastering can affect how the record sounds. The colour of the vinyl can affect how fans feel about the pressing. The weight of the paper in your inner sleeve affects how easily it slides out. None of it is complicated once you understand it, but there's more to understand than most other formats.

We think that's actually part of what makes vinyl worth doing. It rewards care and attention, and the records that come out of a thoughtful process tend to show it.

To help artists navigate all of it, we've built a Knowledge Base for pressing vinyl records that covers the main areas in plain language. Here's what you'll find there:

The record itself

Understanding the different format options, speeds, weights, and colours available to you.

Mastering and cutting

How your audio files become a lacquer, what to send your mastering engineer, and why this step matters more than most people realise.

Print and packaging

Centre labels, inner sleeves, outer jackets, inserts, and how all of it fits together physically.

Colour and variants

Coloured vinyl, split runs, handpours, splatter, and colour-in-colour — what's possible and what affects the outcome.

Test pressings

What they are, why we recommend them, and how the approval process works.

Scribe and catalogue numbers

The identifier that lives in your dead wax and why it's worth having a system before you press your first record.

Ordering and timeline

What we need from you to get started, how long each stage takes, and what to expect from us along the way.

If you've still got questions after reading through, the best thing to do is get in touch. We talk to artists at every stage of the process, from people who have never pressed before to labels with dozens of releases under their belt. There are no dumb questions here.

Suitcase Records is a privately owned small business that focuses on providing the highest possible quality of vinyl records combined with proactive social and environmental practices.

Sustainability isn't a marketing position for us — it's something we think about in the day-to-day running of the factory. We run on 100% renewable electricity, we reuse our PVC offcuts and reject pressings back into production, and we don't offer shrinkwrap because it's single-use plastic.

Standard PVC compound has a significant carbon footprint, and for a long time there wasn't a commercially viable alternative that could match it on sound quality. We kept looking. When we found a low carbon compound that reduced CO2 output by 92.5% compared to standard compounds without any impact on audio quality, we were very interested.

In 2023 we won the Xero Beautiful Business Fund in the 'Innovating for Environmental Sustainability' category, and that gave us the capital to import our first two tonnes and get it into production properly.

Lime Cordiale were one of the first artists to press with the low carbon compound. As a touring band actively working to reduce their footprint, they sought us out specifically because of what we were doing. You can read about that here.

Neil, one of our co-directors, also holds a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship for research into non-fossil-fuel-based vinyl compounds. We believe the vinyl industry needs to solve this problem at a material level, not just around the edges. We're committed to being part of that work for the long term.

If you want the full detail on our sustainability practices, our sustainability statement covers everything.

The following details our commitment to sustainability.

Read More Here

Our turnaround time is approximately 8 weeks. This timing time starts once we have : payment of deposit invoice, collection of all assets, and sign off on all required assets (digital proofs, etc). If complete submission of assets is not possible, a partial submission of assets may help to reduce the overall turnaround time, however the completion date may remain ambiguous until all assets are received and signed off on.

The eight weeks is the pressing and production time once everything is locked in and approved. But you don't have to have everything ready before we can get started. If your audio is mastered and ready to go, we're happy to kick that part of the process off while your artwork is still being finished. Getting the audio moving early can make a real difference to your overall timeline.

What we do need before we can lock in a completion date is all three components in place: mastered audio, completed artwork, and your deposit paid. Until everything is approved, the end date stays a bit open. So the earlier you can get things to us, even partially, the better.

Artwork is the most common place projects slow down. Designers sometimes underestimate the specific requirements for print-ready vinyl artwork, and revisions take time. Our Knowledge Base has guides and templates for exactly this, and if your designer has questions about our printing requirements we're genuinely happy to talk to them directly. Just point them our way.

If you're working to a specific date, a tour, a launch, a record store appearance, tell us upfront. We'll be straight with you about whether the timing is achievable and what needs to happen to make it work.

*(Christmas/New Year break excluded)

Our minimum order quantity is 100 units (records).

The 100 unit minimum applies per project, and per colour if you're doing a split run. So if you want 50 black and 50 red, it would need to be 100 of each minimum, for a total run of 200.

For most independent artists pressing a debut or second record, 100 to 300 units is the most common starting point. It's enough to test the market, sell at shows, and send to press without overcommitting on stock. If you're unsure what quantity makes sense for your project, give us a call and we can talk through it — we'd rather you press the right number than too many.

Right now, we press 12-inch only, at 140g and 180g. That covers the vast majority of what independent artists need — full-length albums, EPs, and single releases all work on 12-inch.

Something worth knowing: if you are thinking about a 7-inch single because you want that louder, punchier sound, a 12-inch at 45 RPM gets you there. Running at 45 RPM gives the cutting lathe more groove real estate per minute of audio, which means better high-frequency response and a wider dynamic range. A lot of artists who come to us thinking they want a 7-inch end up going 12-inch at 45 RPM once they understand what it can do. It is worth a conversation with your mastering engineer before you lock anything in, and we are happy to help if you need a pointer in the right direction.

RPM stands for revolutions per minute — it's the speed at which a record spins on a turntable. The speed affects how much audio information fits on each side of the record, and how that audio sounds.

The two most common speeds for vinyl are 33⅓ RPM and 45 RPM.

A standard 12-inch album runs at 33⅓ RPM. At that speed, you can fit roughly 18 to 22 minutes per side, sometimes more if the record is cut quietly or the tracks are short. It's the format most people picture when they think of a vinyl record.

A 7-inch single typically runs at 45 RPM. The faster speed means better high-frequency detail and a louder, punchier sound — which is why 45s often sound particularly crisp. The trade-off is shorter playing time, usually around 4 to 6 minutes per side.

You can also press a 12-inch at 45 RPM. This is popular for EPs, DJ records, and releases where audio quality is the priority over playing time. The wider groove spacing that comes with 45 RPM on a 12-inch allows for a hotter cut and better dynamic range.

We press all three formats at Suitcase Records. If you're not sure which speed is right for your project, it's worth having a conversation with your mastering engineer before you finalise anything — they'll factor it into how they prepare your files.

What is a scribe or catalogue number?

A scribe number (sometimes called a catalogue number, or cat number) is the unique identifier assigned to your release. It usually appears in the dead wax — the silent area between the last track and the label — either stamped into the vinyl during pressing or hand-etched by the cutting engineer.

The catalogue number is yours to choose. Most labels follow a simple house format: an abbreviation of the label name followed by a number. So if your label is called Half Moon Records, you might start at HMR001 and work upward from there. Some artists use the year, or a word, or something more personal. There's no wrong answer as long as it's consistent and unique to each release.

The scribe in the dead wax often includes additional information beyond the catalogue number — side indicators (A/B), the mastering engineer's initials, and sometimes handwritten notes from the cutting room. These details become part of the physical record's identity and are part of what makes vinyl interesting to collectors.

If you're releasing music for the first time and haven't set up a catalogue numbering system yet, now's a good time to think about it. Even if you're only pressing one record, starting with a system means you're ready for the next one. We've written more about this on the Suitcase Records blog — You can see more about Scribe or Catalogue numbers here

The centre label is the circular paper label at the middle of a record, covering the area around the spindle hole. It's the bit that faces up when a record is sitting on the turntable, showing your artwork, track listing, side designation, and any other information you want printed there.

Labels are printed on a specialist paper stock by an external printer, then go through a baking process before pressing, which bonds them to the vinyl during the press cycle. It's a more involved process than it might look from the outside.

You'll need to supply artwork for both Side A and Side B. Labels are generally 100mm in diameter, and we have a template in our Knowledge Base (https://suitcaserecords.com.au/pages/knowledge-base) that shows the safe zones, bleed, and where the spindle hole sits.

The label is often an afterthought in the design process, but it's worth giving it real attention. When someone pulls a record out of its sleeve, the label is the first thing they see.

The inner sleeve is what holds the record inside the outer jacket. It does a more important job than people often give it credit for: protecting the vinyl from dust, static, and the micro-scratches that plain paper can cause over time if the record is sleeved and unsleeved repeatedly.

On the protective side, there are a few options. A basic white or black paper inner sleeve is the standard and keeps costs down. A poly-lined inner sleeve has a thin plastic lining on the inside surface that's much gentler on the vinyl, reducing static and surface wear. If someone is buying your record to listen to regularly over years, a poly-lined inner is a meaningful upgrade. It's the kind of detail that collectors notice.

The inner sleeve is also a genuine creative surface, and one that a lot of artists underuse. A printed inner gives you space for lyrics, credits, liner notes, thank-yous, photography, or artwork that doesn't fit anywhere else in the package. Some of the most memorable record packaging puts as much thought into the inner as the cover. When someone is sitting down to listen to a record, they're holding it, reading it, spending time with it in a way they don't with a digital release. That's an opportunity worth taking seriously.

You can print on one side or both. Some artists go for full bleed artwork on one side and text on the other. Others keep it simple with a single colour and well-set type. There's no single right answer, but it's worth having the conversation with your designer before you lock in the package.

If you're not sure what combination makes sense for your project and budget, give us a call and we can talk it through.

No. We made a deliberate decision not to offer shrinkwrap.

Shrinkwrap is a single-use plastic film that gets torn off and thrown away the moment someone opens their record. It adds no functional value to the product after that point. Given that we're already working to reduce the environmental footprint of vinyl pressing, adding unnecessary plastic to the process didn't sit right with us.

What we do offer instead are two alternatives that actually do a job worth doing. The first is a reusable polybag, which protects the record in transit and on the shelf and can be taken off and kept rather than binned. The second is a recycled plastic outer sleeve, similar to the protective sleeves collectors use at home to keep their records in good condition. If someone buys your record and already looks after their collection that way, they'll know exactly what to do with it.

Both options give your record the protection it needs without the single-use waste.

A test pressing is an early run of records pressed from your stampers before the full production run begins. We press a set of four, on plain labels with handwritten details.

The purpose is to listen and confirm everything sounds right before committing to the full run. You're checking that the audio transferred correctly from the lacquer, that the levels are what you expected, and that there are no pressing defects. If something needs fixing at this stage, it's far better to catch it now.

We recommend sending all four copies to the same place rather than splitting them up. The reason is practical - if you hear something on one copy that doesn't sound right, you want the other three nearby so you can check whether it's consistent across the set or isolated to a single pressing. That distinction matters when it comes to working out what to do next.

We strongly recommend having your mastering engineer or someone with a well-calibrated system do the listening. It's the last quality check before production, and it matters.

Once you've approved the test pressing, we move into the full run. If you have concerns, we work through them with you before proceeding.

For more information on test pressings and specifically how to check test pressings you can learn more and hear an interview with Neil here

Yes. A split colour run means pressing part of your order in one vinyl colour and the rest in another. The minimum per colour is 100 units, so the smallest split run we can do is 200 total, 100 in each colour.

Beyond standard colours, we can also press special variant records as part of a split run. Handpours, splatter, and colour-in-colour are all options. These are the kind of pressings that collectors actively seek out, and they work well as limited variants alongside a standard colour run, whether that's for a numbered edition, a direct-to-fan exclusive, or a different configuration for your own store versus a distributor.

Split runs are popular for creating variants, numbered editions, or different retail and direct-to-fan configurations. Some artists use them to offer a standard colour through distributors and a special colour through their own store or Bandcamp.

There are colour-change costs involved in switching between colours on press, and special variants have their own pricing, so those are factored into the quote. If you have something specific in mind, get in touch and we can talk through how to set it up.

Yes, though this is something to raise early so we can factor it into the logistics.

The most common version of this is a fulfilment split, where the majority of records go to a distributor or warehouse and a smaller portion goes to the artist directly, or to a specific venue or event. We can accommodate that.

Each delivery address is a separate shipment with its own freight cost, so the more splits you have, the more it adds up. It's also worth keeping in mind that transit times vary depending on where in the country the records are headed. Shipping to Western Australia or Tasmania takes longer than a delivery to the east coast, so if part of your order is going to either of those destinations, build that extra time into your release timeline. If you're working toward a hard street date, the last thing you want is records arriving late because the freight leg wasn't accounted for.

We can also arrange international shipping as part of a split, so if you need some records going overseas at the same time as your domestic deliveries, that's something we can organise.

If you're planning something with multiple destinations, let us know at the quoting stage and we'll give you a clear picture of what it looks like.

See also: International Shipping (Q13)

Yes. We ship internationally and have sent records to artists and labels across North America, Europe, the UK, and elsewhere.

Freight costs and transit times vary considerably depending on the destination and the size of the shipment. For smaller quantities, air freight is the usual option. For larger runs, sea freight is significantly cheaper but takes longer.

It's worth building international shipping into your timeline and budget from the start. If you're planning a release with a hard street date, the shipping leg needs to be accounted for well in advance. Get in touch and we can give you an honest estimate for your destination and quantity.

See also: Splitting Shipping (Q12)

To get a quote, we need three things: the format (12 inch, weight, colour), the quantity, and a rough idea of what packaging you're after (jacket type, labels, inner sleeve, any extras).

To lock in a start date and move into production, we need:

• Your audio files, delivered to our specification (details in the Knowledge Base at https://suitcaserecords.com.au/pages/knowledge-base)
• Your print-ready artwork files for labels, jacket, and any other components (templates and print specs at https://suitcaserecords.com.au/pages/pressing-records#:~:text=Artwork%20Printing%20Info%20%26%20Requirements)
• A deposit, which is confirmed at the quoting stage

You don't need everything at once to get started. Audio and artwork can come in at different times, and some artists begin with audio while the design is still being finalised. What we need all three for is setting a confirmed completion date.

If you're not sure what file formats or specs we need, the Knowledge Base covers all of it, or just give us a call.

Lacquer cutting and stamper making are the first steps in the physical production chain, and the suppliers we use for each have a direct impact on the quality of the final pressing.

For lacquer cutting, we work with a number of suppliers depending on the project.

We often work with Optimum Mastering in the UK (https://www.optimum-mastering.com/), one of the most respected cutting facilities in the world. For certain projects we've also had lacquers cut at Abbey Road Studios in London - for the Fanning Dempsey National Park record, the artists wanted Abbey Road lacquers and the extra weight that brings to a release.

For stampers, we work with Stamper Discs (https://www.stamperdiscs.com/), who produce the metal tooling we use on press to form the record. The stamper is made from the lacquer via a plating process, and its quality has a big impact.

Which suppliers we use on a given project comes down to a range of factors - the type of music, the artist's priorities, timeline, and budget all play a part. We take the time to understand what each project needs and work with suppliers accordingly. If you have specific requirements or preferences around where your lacquers are cut, raise it early and we'll find the right solution for your project.