The Stationers Guild

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.

Sheila P. May
Therese Saint Clair

As stationers, we are often asked what type of stationery is appropriate for college students and graduating seniors.  In an era of online applications, networked college communities and the largely “in-your-face” but impersonal world of social networks,  stationery may seem to be a relic of times past.  I am pleased to report that the handwritten note is back in fashion and, according to some college recruiters, often a deciding factor in selecting among college applicants.

The handwritten note is a sign of civility, good etiquette and maturity that often distinguishes one talented graduate from another.  In selecting one’s stationery, one must consider the type of stationery to be used in each situation.  For instance, the fold-over note or correspondence card are often used for less formal occasions.  Specifically, a fold-over note might be used say “thank you” to a fellow student, college counselor or the parents of friends who have bestowed a favor.   A half-sheet or monarch sheet might be used in more formal situations such as job interviews or a follow-up letter after meeting a college admissions counselor.  While these forms of correspondence are often  inter-changeable, I have always preferred using  correspondence sheets for more formal situations.  Nevertheless, any form of handwritten note is preferable to none or the insipid email.

When selecting your stationery, there are many cost-saving options available.  While engraved stationery or letterpress stationery is certainly beautiful, it is often beyond the budget of most students.  Guild stationery stores generally carry several lines of boxed stationery from Crane, William Arthur, Vera Wang and other fine paper companies.  Personalizing this boxed stationery with your name or monogram can generally be done within 48 hours.  Avoid pre-printed thank you notes, since they are so impersonal and appear to be ”last minute”  or commercial.   Personlalized stationery can be used in many situations and remains a relevant if not vital form of communication in today’s society.

Smythson of Bond Street is one of the oldest and most venerated stationer’s in the world.   Established in 1887 by Frank Smythson, this London landmark is known for its fine leather goods, beautiful engraved stationery and its distinctive robin’s egg blue packaging.  Stationer to the Queen since 1965, Smythson has undergone several ownership changes in recent years, most lately in 2005 when it was acquired by a  private equity firm.

The UK Press Association reports that Smythson has attracted a number of potential suitors and initial reports suggest a large premium to the reported GBP 16 million  (US$24 million) that were paid in 2005.  While the Smythson name certainly commands a premium, it does seem to be a bit of a stretch given today’s economic conditions to assume that the sale will generate a substantial premium over the 2005 price.   Nevertheless, the weakness of the pound may play into the hands of a foreign investor.

While Smythson no longer sells its lovely stationery through independent stationery stores in the US, Smythson is an exceptional line of stationery with much history and beautiful craftmanship. 

Richard May
Founding Member

Arzberger is sponsoring a Spring Special for engraved stationery.  Receive free engraving plates with any engraved stationery order from Arzberger’s stunning Stationery Album.  This offer includes a standard monogram or one-line name plate, plus a return address plate (up to a $110 value).  This promotion runs from March 1 through May 31st.  Contact a Guild Member store in your neighborhood that carries Arzberger’s exceptional line of engraved social stationery and business stationery.

Arzberger, formerly Arzberger Buening, is one of the oldest printing firms in the United States.  They are known for their outstanding craftmanship and beautiful engraving dies.

Blogger and Crane & Co. historian Peter Hopkins posted an interesting article on his “discovery” of several thousand old engraving dies at Crane’s printing facility in North Adams, MA.  Accompanied by Gayle Driggers, Crane & Co.’s Product Manager for Personalized Stationery, Peter uncovered some stunning steel dies from times past.  Samples of some these beautiful designs may be found on his blog.

While most dies are now etched on copper, engraving continues to be a popular and elegant form of printing.  Skilled artisans at Crane & Co. have years of experience in creating dies from their own proprietary designs or entirely new dies from artwork supplied by their clients.  Sheila May of Therese Saint Clair remarks “that Crane has produced some stunning dies based on ink drawings of stately homes, the recreation of family crests from old papers and even four-color plates for golf stationery.  Since each color requires a separate die and press run, it is quite remarkable to see these skilled craftsmen operate the presses to achieve the close-registration required in most multiple color print jobs.” 

The opaque color of the ink, raised printing and the slight bruising on the back of the paper is a sign that your stationery or invitation has been engraved.

Sheila May
Therese Saint Clair

One of the most eagerly awaited events of the year is Crane & Co.’s signature die sale for personalized stationery.  Receive free custom engraving dies (a $96 value) or free thermography (a $58 value) on your envelopes when you purchase one hundred of Crane’s 100% cotton notes, cards or sheets plus envelopes.  This sale runs from January 3rd through February 17th.  Contact a Guild member store in your neighborhood to learn more about this exceptional sale.

As a stationer, I am frequently asked whether engraved stationery is worth the extra money.  Certainly, there are less expensive alternatives and Guild stationers are sensitive to the budget constraints of their clients.   The politically correct answer is that one should evaluate the cost/benefit relationship to reach the proper decision for each person’s circumstances.  With the elections thankfully over, I think we can dispense with “political correctness” and, perhaps, ruffle a few feathers.

There is no question engraved stationery is significantly more distinguished than comparable stationery printed in thermographic inks or flat-printed (lithography).  One needs only to glance at a color palette at your local stationer to see the significant differences in the end result of using the same color ink on the same paper but employing a different printing process.  Engraved ink colors are opaque and the color  “true” when compared to alternative printing processes.

I realize that you can get 250 or more business cards printed at your local print shop or online for around $25.  While the paper stock may be a bit flimsy, the colors not as sharp, the font styles limited and the alignment questionable, the price seems right to many business people.  Most will argue that the objective is “to get my contact information out there:  It is what I do and who I represent that is important.  If the business card is cheap so much the better.”

While one can hardly argue with the need to keep business costs down, is this a false sense of economy?  I certainly think so.  Business cards, like good manners and proper dress say a lot about people.  If you a 30 second window to make an impression, you would like to so in style.   A well-designed business card on heavy stock paper will certainly give you a leg-up over 90% of your potential competition to make that positive first impression.  I find it surprising that small and medium size businesses spend thousands of dollars on attractive websites, logos and advertising yet skimp on business correspondence.

To stand out in today’s marketplace, we recommend selecting business stationery that is at least one step above that of your peers.  The objective is to call attention to yourself and your business.  For instance, real estate brokers seem to all have highly-colored business cards with a photograph.  If you want to stand out from the pack, I would suggest dropping the photograph and getting a business card with a distinctive motif, perhaps engraved in a metallic ink such as gold or copper. Sure, that engraved business card may set you back a $1.00 a card, but it could your ticket to an important business relationship.  With first class postage at $0.42, it seems like a steal.

Whether you need engraved letterhead is a question that is best analyzed with the help of your neighborhood stationer.  If you use more than one color in your logo or business correspondence, engraved stationery becomes prohibitively expensive.  Before commissioning a logo, meet with your stationer to consider how colors and designs will impact on your stationery costs.  By seeking wise counsel early and taking advantage of promotional offers, engraved stationery need not be a cost barrier to creating distinctive business stationery.

Richard May
Founding Member

Several years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to tour Crane & Co.’s impressive printing and paper manufacturing plants in western Massachusetts.  Crane’s facilities are spread throughout a number of plants and buildings in and around Dalton and North Adams in the Berkshires along the Appalachian Trail.  The rich traditions of this 200 year-old company are literally everywhere.  While most towns have a Main Street, Dalton has Crane Avenue.  For a delightful two hours of American history and fascinating insights into the art of making paper, we certainly recommend a visit to Crane’s Museum of Papermaking.

One of the more interesting aspects of our visit was seeing how engraving dies are made and watching Crane’s skilled craftsmen hand-feed paper through the printing press.  Together with letterpress, engraving is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of printing.  It is often used for wedding invitations, baby announcements and for both business and social stationery.  The raising printing, opaque colors and bruising on the back of the paper are signs that the paper has been engraved.

In this excellent video, Peter Hopkins, who writes the Crane Insider Blog, describes the process of engraving in exceptional detail.  Short of visiting the plant, Peter’s video illustrates the care, craftmanship and labor-intensive process of creating fine engraved papers.

To see the rich colors and beautiful samples of Crane’s engraved papers, contact a Guild member store in your neighborhood for more information.

Richard May
Founding Member

Earlier this summer, I attended the Concours d’Elégance classic automobile exhibition in Greenwich, Connecticut. I was invited by Kenro Industries who were introducing their Bentley Continental Limited Edition of fine writing instruments by Tibaldi. This remarkable Bentley Series of fountain pens, roller balls, ball point pens and mechanical pencils were available in the five Bentley colors: Silver Tempest, Silverlake, Dark Sapphire, Cumbrian Green and Beluga.

As the owner of Thérèse Saint Clair, I have long been fascinated by writing instruments and fine papers. Reflecting on this exceptional exhibit of vintage automobiles and pens, I was struck with the thought that our lives as stationers would be a lot simpler if we only had to deal with the five Bentley colors. Upon consideration, I realized that color is only part of the equation and that paper stock and the printing process will have a considerable bearing on one’s wedding invitation, social stationery or business card.

To illustrate this point in more detail, I decided to run a simple experiment by comparing the outcome of using the identical ink color on the same paper stock but using two different printing processes: engraving and thermography. Found below is a comparison of the “Thérèse Saint Clair” logo printed on identical custom paper stock (Saint Clair salmon) using the same “green” ink, but using a different printing method:

Engraved Logo

Thermography Logo

Please note that these images have been scanned at a resolution rate of 1200 dpi and then configured to internet resolution standards of 72 dpi. While monitor and printer resolutions vary from monitor to monitor and printer to printer, there is an unmistakable difference between the two images. You might ask yourself, “How is this possible?” The simple answer is that printing processes are so different that even using the same inks and paper stock, the printing process transforms the surrounding environment. In an online world, I would hate to be ordering an online wedding invitation where I was convinced that the color green was “Engraved Logo” and get an invitation where the color green was actually “Thermography Logo.”

The only constructive way to truly see how your color of choice will appear on an invitation or stationery is to consult a color palette with your local stationer. There are situations where thermography is often the printing process of choice, but it is next to impossible to determine this without “seeing” real color samples in person. Approximation using an online printer may appear to be more convenient, but unless you can actually feel the paper and “see” the color and printing differences in broad daylight, you could well be disappointed with the outcome of your social or business stationery or wedding invitation. We recommend that you consult a Guild Member store in your neighborhood for more information on what printing process works best for your circumstances.