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Wedding Stationery
A wedding planners guide to once-in-a-lifetime stationery

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Wedding Stationery
All paper goods related to a wedding (invitations, place cards, thank you notes, etc.

Around 3% of budget Riley: $450 Douglas: $600 Johnson: $900

+ Wedding Stationery in the West

Until 1500 (before the printing press) :

Commoner: announced by word of mouth or in church Noble: commissioned calligraphy written by monks

1500-1800:

Commoner: announced by word of mouth or in church, or printed by letterpress in newspaper; if they had money, could be engraved Noble: commissioned calligraphy written by monks or engraved

1800-1945:

Variety of methods all hand-crafted in some way

If list was relatively small, invitations were handwritten by the bride

1945 to present:

a combination of democracy and rapid industrial growth gave the common man the ability to mimic the life-styles and materialism of society's elite Wedding invitations - either printed or engraved - became affordable for all

+ Pieces of Wedding Stationery

Save the dates Invite + RSVP + Enclosure cards Reception paperstuffs Thank you notes

+ Save the Date

Usually take the form of a card Alternatives: refrigerator magnet, balloon, photograph announcement They are generally sent out at least 6 to 12 months before the wedding date

Usually followed by a formal invitation

+ Invitation Ensemble

Send out 6-10 weeks before wedding Invitation RSVP

Various cards

Direction/accommodations Reception info Couples website Ceremony information Menu

Can all be loose in envelope Or (more expensive) collected in an enclosure

+ Outer Envelopes and accessories

Outer

envelope protects inner envelope.

Traditionally, mail would be

delivered to a servant who would remove the dirty outer envelope and present the letter to the recipient

Envelope

liners add a pop of color or texture to the inside of the envelope bands are a decorative band of paper or ribbon that wraps around the invite and other cards.

Belly

+ Considerations in Mailing

Envelopes

that are stiff, have to be hand cancelled (extra $.10 per envelope, sometimes) that are square cost extra to mail

Envelopes If a

dark envelope is desired, use a light colored outer envelope to protect it. Otherwise, they will end up with many ugly white stickers and barcodes

Ceremony & Reception paper stuffs

Wedding programs

Menus
Place cards Guestbook Favors

+ Thank You notes

Couples first stationery Can reflect the wedding theme or just be a design the couple likes Should be sent AT THE LATEST, 4 to 6 weeks after the wedding

+ Types of printing
Engraving Letterpress Foil-stamping Serigraphy Thermographic Offset Digital

Engraving: Process

The Beauty of Engraving

Surface of metal plate is covered in an acid resistant wax mixture called a ground. To make the design, this ground is removed by hand or with a computerized machine. The plate is submerged in an acid bath, and the acid eats into the exposed copper. The longer its in the acid, the deeper the etch. To print: ink is rolled across the plate and them wiped away so it sits in the areas eaten away by the acid. The paper is laid on top of the plate and 4000 psi is applied by the press, pressing the paper into the inked parts of the plate.

+ Engraving: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Very sharp detail Light ink on dark stock

Most expensive printing method ($700/100 invites) Warps thinner paper, must use very thick stock to prevent this Takes longer, need to order sooner

Printed on fine cotton paper

+ Letterpress: History and Process

The world's first known movable-type system for printing was created in China around 1040 A.D. by Bi Sheng during the Song Dynasty
The first metal movable-type system for printing was made in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty in 1234 In Germany, around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and independently developed a movable type system. His invention started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses. Two Crow Press printing process

Bella Figura: Syracuse, NY

Hammerpress: Kansas City, MO

Mospens Studio: Clinton, OH (combination of letterpress and digital)

Ladyfingers Letterpress

+ Letterpress: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons/Limitations

Sharp detail Gorgeous impression Soft and thick papers are used Luxurious and unique

Fairly expensive ($200-450/100 invites) Takes longer, need to order sooner Can only print metallic inks on dark stock, all other inks are transparent Each color is printed separate, 3 colors is the maximum usually

+ Foil-stamping

Metallic foil is applied with a modified letterpress machine

Pros and cons same as letterpress

Completely opaque, cannot layer colors Very limited color palette More expensive than letterpress ($550/100 invites)

Crane and Co.

Benign Objects: Huntsville, AL

Serigraphy: History

Screen printing is a form of stenciling that first appeared in a recognizable form in China during the Song Dynasty (9601279 AD)
Screen printing was largely introduced to Western Europe from Asia sometime in the late 18th century, but did not gain large acceptance or use in Europe until silk mesh was more available Serigraphy" is a combination word from the Latin word "Seri" (silk) and the Greek word "graphein" (to write or draw) Andy Warhol popularized screen printing in the 1960s as an art form

Serigraphy: Process

http://youtu.be/wmqxWLiZxNc?t=2m29s
Silk is stretched onto a frame and coated with a photo sensitive polymer The image is exposed on the screen using film and UV light

Screen is washed out, what is exposed hardens and acts as a stencil

To print: ink is poured onto the screen, and squeegeed across the surface Each color requires a separate screen

Curious Doodles: Portland, WA

Curious Doodles: Portland, WA

Ladyfingers Letterpress

Serigraphy: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons/Limitations

Large solid areas of color Light ink on dark stock Easy to layer for interesting effects

Each color requires a separate screen Cost (around $300/100 invites)

Thermographic Printing: History and Process

Developed as an alternative to engraving (mimics raised ink effect)

Paper is printed with ink While wet, another machine applies embossing powder (made from plastic resin) to paper The paper is shaken, and excess powder is removed Paper is fed through a radiant oven at 900-1300 F for a few seconds, melting the powder

Via wikipedia Note the unevenness of the ink surface. This is the main way to tell thermography from engraving

Curious Doodles: Portland, WA

Thermography: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons/Limitations

If you want engraved-looking invites at a lower cost Light ink on dark stock

Doesnt look as nice Feels plastic Need to use papers that can withstand the heat Still relatively expensive Cost (around $330/100 invites)

Offset Printing: History and Process

Offset printing was discovered after a production error in 1903 by an American named Ira Washington Rubel.

Via wikipedia Note the unevenness of the ink surface. This is the main way to tell thermography from engraving

Curious Doodles: Portland, WA

Offset Printing: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons/Limitations

High-quality image and text Cost isnt much more than digital ($190/100 invites) Metallic inks Quick turn around Can use nicer cotton papers

No texture Only larger runs of 100 invites or more

Digital Printing: Process

Digital printers use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) process.

All files prepared for digital printing need to be CMYK and not RGB Inkjet or gicle printers spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper

Laser printers use lasers, electrical particles, heat, and a plastic particle called toner
produces a full-color print after only one pass

Digital Printing: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons/Limitations

Inexpensive Cost ($130-250/100 invites) Some places as cheap as $60/100 Able to print full-color (photographs, etc.) with inkjet Laser prints crisp text Quick turn around Anybody can do it

Usually paper isnt as nice as other methods Inkjet: not very sharp, especially text No texture, ink is flat on page Designing and getting files ready for quality printing is more complicated than most people think

Calligraphy

http://vimeo.com/17814817 Time-consuming, but beautiful

Pricing can range anywhere from $2 to $5 per envelope -- or higher for special requests.
Calligraphers price their work with a few factors in mind: the style, turnaround time, special materials like custom or metallic ink colors, and the type of paper or materials that they're writing on. Most calligraphers schedule two-week turnarounds, but it really depends on the size and type of the project.

If custom calligraphy is desired, but budget is limited, have calligrapher compose something and then have it printed another way

Fabulous Fancy Pants Rock Hill, SC via Etsy

Curious Doodles: Portland, WA

Fabulous Fancy Pants Rock Hill, SC via Etsy

Curious Doodles: Portland, WA