In the Victorian era, calling cards were considered as a sign of social standing, today the calling card has returned for the ease of giving out information to someone you’ve just met or as use as a gift enclosure. You can select an adorable baby calling card for your baby with designs ranging from modern and cute to abstract, or you can have the traditional engraved card for its timeless beauty. No matter how you use the personalized calling cards you will be sure to give the “write” impression every time.
John Freeman, the editor of Granta magazine, has recently published a book called The Tyranny of E-mail: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox. After reading an excerpt from The Tyranny of E-mail, I immediately ordered it. I suggest you do the same. Found below is a brief promo video from Simon & Schuster in which Mr. Freeman briefly describes our inability as humans to keep pace with electronic communications and how our daily struggle “to keep up” is threatening to endanger the relationships we hold most sacred: our spouse, our family, our relatives and our friends. Boy, is this a wakeup call.
Mr. Freeman comments that “In the past two decades, we have witnessed one of the greatest breakdowns of the barrier between our work and personal lives since the notion of leisure time emerged in Victorian Britain as a result of the Industrial Age. It has put us under great physical and mental strain, altering our brain chemistry and daily needs. It has isolated us from the people with whom we live, siphoning us away from real-world places where we gather. It has encouraged flotillas of unnecessary jabbering, making it difficult to tell signal from noise. It has made it more difficult to read slowly and enjoy it, hastening the already declining rates of literacy. It has made it harder to listen and mean it, to be idle and not fidget.” He goes on to state that “this is not a sustainable way to live. This lifestyle of being constantly on (online or on call) causes emotional and physical burnout, workplace meltdowns, and unhappiness.”
Mr. Freeman and others are now beginning to voice their reservations at what I have previously referred to as “fast-food” communication. Indeed, we all need to reflect on the effects that these mostly beneficial advances in technology have on our society. Mr. Freeman argues that “slow communications” will help “preserve our sanity, our families, our relationships and our ability to find happiness in a world where, in spite of the Internet, saying what we mean is as hard as it ever was. It starts with a simple instruction: Don’t send.”
As stationers, we are torch-bearers for the slow communications movement. It is time for leaders in the industry to seize the initiative and speak out to protect this vitally important yet fragile industry which threatens to succumb to the mindless and incessant stream of chatter signifying nothing. Organizers of the National Stationery Show, please reflect!
I was saddened to learn that the last bookstore in Laredo, Texas – a city with the population of 250,000 – closed its doors shortly before Christmas. Timothy Egan, from the New York Times Opinionator, reports that this sad event coincides with the fact that on Christmas day, Amazon.com sold more digital book downloads than physical books. Granted, most people don’t shop on Christmas day, but one can only speculate what this means for our society. Timothy Egan argues that it “raises two issues: what the loss of bookstores does to communities and what the brave new publishing world will mean to authors and readers.” I believe that Mr. Egan would concur with Thomas Jefferson who in 1815 wrote to John Adams that “I cannot live in a world without books.”
If this is the fate that lies ahead for bookstores, what does it foretell for independent stationers whose business is already under assault by dot.com companies masquerading as stationery companies; suppliers who now sell directly to consumers online; and event organizers for the National Stationery Show who now see social networking as their savior for declining attendance? I wish the “true” leaders of the stationery industry step up and say “In the best interests of the consumer, the craftspeople and designers we are proud to sponsor, and the many fine stationers who merchandize our products professionally, we do not intend to compromise our standards of excellence.” Unfortunately, I suspect this will not happen anytime too soon.
The sad reality is that the true craftsmanship that goes into making fine papers and the labor of love that goes into creating exquiste designs and new font styles has been usurped by digital mercenaries flogging vastly inferior products to an unsuspecting public that assume Google search results will point them in the direction of fine stationery. Indeed, there are many printing companies now selling their wares to the public who can’t even print in a straight line. In fact, I recently came across a vendor introducing a new line of letterpress stationery when she couldn’t even spell stationary correctly. She seemed angry when I suggested that it might help her sales if she could spell the product properly.
I know it may seem silly to suggest it, but wouldn’t it be nice if “quality” rather than “quantity” were the mantra of the National Stationery Show. Or perhaps, “correspondence” rather than “tweeting” or “communication” rather than “promotion.” It might be a far smaller show, but dealers and vendors would rejoice and, the consumer, would most certainly begin to realize that paper is not stationery.
I came across an interesting article in today’s New York Times by Sam Roberts with the intriguing title that “More Men Marrying Better Educated, Wealthier Wives.” The gist of the article suggests that men who have sought marriage “from the standpoint of physical and mental well being” now realize that a better-educated partner can also contribute to their “economic well-being.” While this might be seen as a major evolutionary break-through in male maturity and self-realization, the “alpha female” (The Knot’s characterization of the upwardly mobile female) is unlikely to compromise her rigorous approval standards. One anonymous textile executive quoted in the article reportedly queries bar slugs and first dates with “Do you have a passport and a library card?” Gosh, that will certainly weed out the field of eligible males rather quickly and so much for “Love at first sight!”
As I have no skin in the game (married to a far smarter woman and breadwinner -a fact which she reminds me of each day), I am free to offer this advice to men whose emotional IQ is higher than their testosterone level: Buy engraved stationery and seek out a woman with an expensive pen. I might add that Crane & Co. and William Arthur have sensational personalized stationerypromotions going on right now, so you can buy in cheap and score big with a personalized note to the woman of your dreams who is currently involved in an unhealthy relationship with her Blackberry. Can you imagine her reaction when she receives your hand-written note on engraved stationery? Her Facebook “friends” and “Twits” on Twitter will simply fade into oblivion proving decisively that the pen is mightier than texting.
If you need help selecting your stationery, please enter your Zip code or City and State in the Search Bar in the right hand corner to locate a qualified stationery store in your neighborhood. If, however, you are looking for a woman with the “right” fountain pen, might I suggest a limited edition Omas Château Lafite Rothschild fountain pen with a sterling silver nib which retails for $1,750. I ordered the Chateau Lafitite pen for a woman as a birthday gift to the man of her dream’s whose passions were limited edition pens and French wine. Apparently, his passions didn’t extend to the woman in question and I still have the Omas pen. If your bride-to-be is looking for a pen to ink the relationship, tell her I have a great deal for her at Thérèse Saint Clair.
Clearly, the conscious act of visiting a stationery store to design your own personal stationery demonstrates a level of commitment to a meaningful form of communication. I think it is fair to say that words exchanged in writing tend to leave more of a lasting impression than a phone conversation. While both may accomplish the same objective, the simple act of taking the time to write a brief note resonates on a more personal level.
I recently learned that an industry research study (I did not actually read the report) had concluded that 86% of people interviewed still considered “paper” correspondence to be a more effective form of communication. More than that, the trend is holding steady suggesting that text messaging and social media sites may not be making as much headway as once suspected.
Certainly, today’s New York Times article “Buying, Selling and Twittering All the Way“ suggests that the Twitter model has been seriously compromised by Big Business. Twitter’s tag line of “What are you doing?” now seems to have been overtaken by paid mercenaries building “brand awareness” for their employer. According to the article, Greg Ahearn of Toys “R” Us stated that Twitter is “a way people can stay connected with the brand in a way they’ve never been able to before.” Now, I can’t really understand why people would want to stay connected to a brand (even Toys “R” Us), but I am absolutely convinced that the Big Business footprint in Twitter will drive their audience to greener pastures. Big Business simply doesn’t get it: Twitter is about people, Twitter is not a medium for aggressively selling or creating brand awareness!
I am reassured that people still value the exchange of social correspondence: It is a habit and art form well worth preserving.
This is my first blog about return address labels. I am so excited that thewriteimpressions.com has a wide selection of return address labels as well as book plates and the most fun of all, for all my cooking friends, cute personalized “from the kitchen of” labels. With the holidays fast approaching, return address labels would make great gifts for all those friends we don’t know what to give! I am hopeful that everyone will agree that thewriteimpressions.com return address labels are indeed different and stylish.
Sean Bradley, the passionate store manager of Tabula Rasa Social Stationers, has some very good advice on the proper way to respond to an “e-vite.” In an open letter which clearly articulates the differences between custom invitations and fast-food e-vites, Sean recommends that you “Click on delete and report as Spam.” I’m not sure Sean goes far enough.
In a quick impromptu survey of other Guild members, most concurred with Sean’s recommendation but some went a step further. Here is a just a short list of some of their comments:
How about a $25 gift certificate to attend an Emily Post webinar on etiquette?
How about an e-RSVP which is cc’d to all of your Twitter followers inviting them to crash the party?
Post the e-vite on eBay and see if you can get someone silly enough to bid for it. (P.S.,why didn’t I think of that one?)
Send an e-apology saying that you would gladly participate vicariously if the party was recorded and posted on YouTube.
Block the sender.
Forward the e-vite to David Letterman to see if makes his Top 10 List of Tacky e-vites.
Change the Google map place listing for the party.
Take a deep breath and send your “friend” a polite note on personalized stationery declining the e-vite. (P.S. If you want to push the envelope, include a $25 gift certificate for personalized stationery).
Kindly decline the invitation but offer to pipe-in music from your iPod through a PodCast.
Offer to make a cameo appearance by video posted on YouTube.
I guess there is a time and a place for everything, but quite frankly I have never found the time for an e-vite nor do I expect to anytime soon. Once we strip the formality and personal touch from the way we communicate with each other the importance of the occasion begins to lose its relevance and interest. Thank you, Sean, for sharing your letter with us.
We just received an email from a friend of one of our European clients asking us how she can order stationery. Found below is a slightly editorialized (names removed) and abridged version of her email request:
“I have just been admiring the (pale blue) card and envelope sent me by Jane Doe of Oslo, Norway, and would like to know how I can order some similar cards and envelopes as well as sheets of letter paper. Until recently, I have used the stationery I bought through Merrimade, but after they went ’modern’ they only answer standardized, in robot-like-fashion to my questions, and there is no r e a l person I can write to or e-mail with. So I have given them up. But I urgently need new stationery!”
I suspect that this is not unusual in our increasingly digital world: personal service has been replaced robots. As stationers, we are finding that there is a clear negative correlation in the “quality of service” and “quality of stationery” as our suppliers increase the level of automation in their front and back office. As the email above suggests, the buyer is also finding it increasing difficult to interact with moronic robots that have replaced common sense with efficiency.
As the evidence of a disconnect between discerning clients and the skilled artisans that produce fine stationery continues to accumulate, I suspect that fine paper manufacturers must eventually decide whether they want to be all-things-to-all-people or concentrate on providing distinctive papers, quality designs and great customer service to a more restricted client base that appreciates personalized stationery and custom invitations. It is not an easy decision.
G. Lalo, the prestigious French stationer, has long been a favorite at Therese Saint Clair. The elegant paper used by G. Lalo for its stationery is produced by Papierfabrik Schut in the Netherlands. Papierfabrik is one of the most prestigious paper mills in Europe and is renown for his high quality writing papers, art papers and currency paper. G. Lalo’s “verge paper” with transluscent lines still retains its classic European elegance and is instantly recognizable by discerning clients.
G. Lalo Watermark in Verge Paper Style
G. Lalo is distributed by Exaclair, Inc. in the United States. For the first time, G. Lalo has introduced a Wedding and Invitation album for personaliztion. This is a great opportunity to expose G. Lalo papers to a wider range of users besides their loyal stationery clients. G. Lalo is known for its bold colors, the laid finish of its stationery and its contrasting colors for papers, borders and envelopes.
G. Lalo Stationery
The Wedding and Invitation Album is distributed to authorized dealers with a CD of proprietary font styles and templates that conform to the samples in the Album. Invitations may be flat printed at the store using G. Lalo’s designs. This is the first initiative by the company to extend its product reach into custom invitations. While this in-house customization is somewhat unusual for high-end stationery stores, their papers are beautiful and more than enough to “carry” flat printing without losing their distinction. For bridal couples looking for elegant invitations at an affordable cost, I strongly recommend that you contact a Guild Member store that now carries G. Lalo’s new Wedding and Invitation album.
Several years ago the wife of the US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia told me “you simply must carry Jan Petr Obr stationery in your store.” I have always kept my antenna up for fine European papers and was pleasantly surprised to find Jan Petr Obr at the National Stationery Show a few months later.
My husband was blown away by the engraved images which graced richly textured hand-made cotton paper. The cotton paper was supplied by Bohemia Papers, a small mill located just outside of Prague using the same paper-making technique that has been virtually unchanged for over 300 years. In their printing shop, Jan Petr Obr creates stunning engraving dies for virtually every occasion. The Royal Czech seal seems to float just above the surface of deckle-edge paper with a laid finish. The sample business cards, fold-overs and and remarkable designs are simply a tribute to European craftsmanship.
Jan Petr Obr Engraved Stationery
Therese Saint Clair carried Jan Petr’s boxed stationery and holiday cards for several years and they have proved extremely popular with our clients. We also carry their wedding invitation and stationery albums for those looking for quality papers and superior craftsmanship. While some of the designs may strike one as old-fashioned, we believe that Jan Petr’s Art Deco style retains its fascination and beauty for every occasion.
Jan Petr Obr Fine Paper
If you are looking for fine paper with a distinctive European edge, I strongly recommend that you contact a Stationers Guild member store in your neighborhood that carries this exceptional line.
After reading an 
