Press your records with us

We are here to get beautiful records into the hands of your fans. Simply and easily.

We listened to artists. We listened to fans. And without compromising our core values, we have re-imagined our pressing plant. Press with us - we make beautiful records. But now, if you like, you can also use our website to host your pre-sale (we’ll help) and we can also ship your records to your fans straight from our factory. You choose.

Things we are proud of

Australian Owned and run

We are an Australian owned and run small business.
Thoughtful Manufacturer

We love music, we love vinyl and we want to work and invest in an industry where both are sustainable and accessible. At Suitcase Records, we are committed to socially responsible manufacturing. We are thoughtful in our consumption of resources, who we work with and how we work. 
Creating a Diverse and supportive workplace

We’re not just here for for profit. We are committed to creating a positive impact on the world and creating a supporting and diverse workplace.

Our Services

We press anywhere between 100 records and 10,000 records. As optional extras, we also offer the ability to pre-sale on our site and the service of shipping directly from our factory to fans.

Host your presale on our site

Like to set up a presale page but don’t want the hassle of doing it on your own? Use our portal to do it and all your presales will come straight out of your pressing costs. If you are hoping to chart, we can also register your sales with ARIA.

Press Your Records

Pressing vinyl is equal parts craft and technology and that’s just the way we like it. Our systems are designed to step our clients through the production process keeping things simple and smooth and ensuring beautiful quality records

Ship direct to your fans

We think that artists should be out making music, not licking stamps. If you choose, we can ship your records straight to your fans directly from our factory.

get a quote

Our Process

Pressing Pre-sale Distribution

Step 01. Quote

Tell us what you're after and when you need your records by and we’ll send you a quote. Accept your quote and we’ll send you an invoice for your deposit.

Step 02. Kickoff

To get your project started we need 3 things –

Your audio files, mastered for vinyl. Download PDF Guide
Your artwork files in our templates. Download PDF Guide
Payment of your deposit.

Step 03. Approval

We’ll get the audio off to our lacquer cutter to get stampers made, and will send you proofs for your artwork to approve. Our turnaround time starts as soon as everything is approved.

Step 04. Manufacture

Your records are now in production! You can relax for this bit - we’re on it.

Step 05. Test Pressing

If you’ve ordered test pressings, we'll ship them to you for approval. We request you approve test pressings within 5 working days to keep your turnaround time.

Step 06. Pressing and Packing

We’ll press and QA your vinyl in-house, then sleeve it and pack it. If we're shipping directly to your fans, we’ll arrange that too. Once everything is perfect, we'll send your final invoice.

Step 07. Shipping/Pickup

Once your final invoice is paid, we’ll arrange shipping to you (and if we're shipping directly to your fans, we’ll manage that as well). Of course, if you're local, you're welcome to pick up your records from our factory!

Step 01. Confirm your order

During the quoting stage of your order, let us know you're interested in pre-sale on our site and we’ll add it your quote. Once you accept your quote and pay your deposit, we’ll also gather the extra info we need for pre-sales.

Step 02. Getting info from you

To set up your pre-sale page we’ll need to know

What’s your RRP?
What’s your launch date?
What do you want to say about the release?
Which image would you like us to use on your pre-sale page?
Do you want us to register your sales with ARIA?

Step 03. Approval

We’ll send you a proof of the pre-sale page for approval

Step 04. Go Live

We’ll send the page live, and provide you with a link so you can share it with your fans

Step 05. Sales Updates

We’ll provide you with regular updates on how your sales are performing

Step 06. Pressing and Packing

Once we've pressed your order, we’ll close the pre-sale.
We’ll calculate your sales and deduct that from your final payment, or transfer you the money if you've already paid off the remaining pressing cost.
If you’re looking after fulfillment yourself, we’ll deliver your records
If we’re shipping to your customers, we’ll fulfill the orders on your behalf

Step 01. Getting ready to ship

Once your records are ready to be sent to fans, we’ll get them moving. If you did your pre-sale with us we’ll use the collected data to prepare shipping. Or, we'll work with you to import data you've collected yourself.

Step 02. Packing Records

We’ll pack your records into individual mailers.

Step 03. Shipping your records

We’ll ship directly to your customers, then ship the remaining records to you!

pressing with us : Resources

Artwork Printing Info & Requirements

Check out these guides for what we need to get your artwork printed and looking its very best

Download PDF
Audio Specs & Requirements

Head here to find audio recommendations and requirements

Download PDF
Price Lists

To get an idea of our pricing, click here (or for a custom quote, don't hesitate to get in touch)

Download PDF
Suitcase Records Artwork Templates

Templates for jackets, labels and other print work

Download PDF
Sustainability

See how we are bettering the environment with our sustainability practices

Download PDF
Terms and Conditions for working with Suitcase Records

Some things you need to know

Download PDF

Client Testimonials

”This pressing is a triumph. Its incredible. It supersedes my imagined experience. The imaging is impeccable and the final tone, well, let me say I’m so glad we laboured over it... The countless hours spent searching and finding these tones has been immortalised.”
Surahn

"Dealing with Suitcase Records was such a pleasure throughout every step of the process. They were so thorough, responsive and the album sounds and looks awesome. I’ll definitely be coming back to press more in the future! Thanks guys."
Drapht

"I can't imagine working with anyone else after our experience with suitcase records, they took such good care of our sophomore EP, really great turn around times and insane quality on all accounts. Also the opportunity to meet and build relationships with the beautiful team behind it all, made the process so much more enjoyable. #suitcaseforever"
Girl and Girl

Vinyl Colours

Standard Low Carbon Compound Marble Hand Pour Splatter Regrind

We have a wide range of colours available, from black through to fluro green, and lots in between. There are lots of opinions on whether different colours sound better or worse, but we think there's no real difference in audio quality between black and single-coloured vinyl these days. The exception for this is metallic colours (gold and silver) which can have an increased level of surface noise due to the small reflective particles within the compound.

We can also do custom colours, however this can have a minimum quantity requirement and additional cost.

We have sourced a new black low carbon compound, which has a 92% reduced carbon footprint compared to standard records. It achieves this by replacing a large portion of the fossil fuel based materials with bio based materials, and improved manufacturing processes in production.

If you combine this compound with our FSC certified packaging (printed with vegetable-based inks), you have the most sustainable records available anywhere.

We can blend colors to make marble records. It’s a bit like mixing paint! The effect is often subtle, and some colors work better together than others, but it's an interesting variation on color records. Talk to us about any color mixes you’re thinking of, and we’ll let you know what we think.

Because there is a mix of different compounds in marble records, each with their own specific melt points, there can be a slight increase in surface noise with marble records.

If you’re interested in marble, get in touch and we can talk over options with you. The images below are examples of Marble records we’ve pressed recently.

Hand pouring is a technique we use which is a bit like marbling on steroids. We manually pour small amounts of different colors individually to create records with distinct swirls. We find the best effects are achieved by using color regrind PVC.

Because there is a mix of different compounds in hand pour records, and the colors are fairly separate and each have their own specific melt points, there is an increase in surface noise with hand pour records. This is less noticeable with louder music.

If you’re interested in hand pour get in touch and we can talk you through the options available, and what colors work best. Below are some examples of Hand Pour records we’ve pressed.

Splatter records are unique in that they are made by hand, rather than run automatically by our press. To make a splatter we press a base color puck or biscuit into beads of different color pvc and then insert this into the press. Because of this process the different colored materials enter the press at different temperatures, and this can cause unavoidable issues such as increased surface noise, pops and clicks. Some people don’t like splatters because of this, but some people love them because of their distinct appearance and variations of color.

Like mixing paint, some combinations work better than others, and effects always differ between different projects. If you’d like to talk options, get in touch and we can help you out. Below are some images of recent splatters we’ve pressed.

We take all our waste pvc offcuts and records that don’t pass QA, remove the centre labels, and regrind it for reuse. This means we are close to zero waste on our pvc.

Because there are bits of different colors in the mix, it’s more of a color ‘vibe’ than a pure color, but it still sounds great. We can’t guarantee what color hues are available as it depends on what we have at the time, but we always have something cool on hand.

Because there is a mix of different compounds in color regrind records, each with their own specific melt points, there can be a slight increase in surface noise with color regrind records. This is less noticeable with louder music.

Here are some examples of mixes we’ve pressed recently.