The Stationers Guild

The growth of letterpress invitations, letterpress save the date cards, baby announcements and letterpress stationery over the past ten years is not unexpected. Affordable second-hand letterpress printing presses have made way for a lot of skilled designers and artisans to indulge their imagination to produce beautiful wedding invitations and stationery using this centuries-old printing process.

Much like the process used for engraving, letterpress uses polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into malleable card-stock, principally cotton. Every color is applied using a individual press run, which calls for persistence and appreciable skill to get the close registration needed to correctly align colors and design images.

Each May during the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress vendors take center stage to introduce their new styles. Even though letterpress was regarded as somewhat of a novelty some a few years back, many of the new letterpress printers simply don’t have the flair, originality and, oftentimes, the ability and expertise to produce pleasing letterpress stationery. The truth is, most “new” designs offer little that’s unique. Truth be told, the stationery marketplace is over loaded with letterpress.

Letterpress printers with deep roots in the craft, such as Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation (letterpress images shown here), Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio still build on their craft and their sturdy hand and passion for the craft continues to elevate the bar for letterpress printing.

Although some letterpress printers now sell online, most letterpress artisans sell their invitations by using seasoned retailers throughout the United States. Quoting pioneer Julie Holcomb, “If you are like most people, you have never ordered any kind of custom printing prior to ordering your wedding invitations. You can benefit a great deal from the experience of your local stationer, who orders all kinds of custom printing, from many vendors, all the time. They’ll help you make sure you’re covering all the bases and making decisions you’ll be happy with for a long time.”

Julie’s advice is worthwhile following. If you have your heart set on letterpress for the wedding invitations, it is wise to talk to an experienced stationer in your area.

Sheila P. May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. A founding member of the Stationers Guild, she writes frequently about NYC Wedding Invitations.

The growth of letterpress invitations, letterpress save the date cards, baby announcements and letterpress stationery over the last decade isn’t unexpected. Easily affordable second-hand letterpress printers have allowed quite a few skilled artisans and designers to indulge their creative thinking to make lovely wedding invitations and stationery using this centuries-old printing process.

Like the printing process used for engraving, letterpress makes use of polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into pliable papers, primarily cotton. Each color is applied using a individual printing press run, which demands persistence and great skill to get the close registration required to accurately align colors and design images.

Every May for the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress vendors take center stage to display their fresh designs. Though letterpress was regarded as a bit of a novel idea some a few years in the past, many of the new letterpress printers simply lack the good taste, originality and, oftentimes, the skill and practical experience to produce pleasing letterpress invitations. The truth is, many of the “new” designs provide little that is new. To be honest, the stationery market is saturated with letterpress.

Letterpress printers with deep roots within profession, such as Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation (letterpress images shown here), Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio continue to innovate and their steady hand and passion for the craft continues to elevate the bar for letterpress printing.

While a few letterpress printers now sell on the internet, nearly all letterpress artisans offer their stationery through seasoned retailers throughout the United States. In the words of pioneer Julie Holcomb, “If you are like most people, you have never ordered any kind of custom printing prior to ordering your wedding invitations. You can benefit a great deal from the experience of your local stationer, who orders all kinds of custom printing, from many vendors, all the time. They’ll help you make sure you’re covering all the bases and making decisions you’ll be happy with for a long time.”

Julie’s advice is worthwhile following. If you have your heart set on letterpress for your wedding invitations, it is advisable to see a professional stationer in your area.

Sheila P. May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. A founding member of the Stationers Guild, she writes frequently about national and Chicago Wedding Invitation trends.

The emergence of letterpress wedding invitations, letterpress save the date announcements, baby announcements and letterpress stationery within the last decade isn’t unexpected. Easily affordable second-hand letterpress printers have made way for a lot of gifted artisans and designers to apply their creativeness to produce beautiful invitations and stationery using this very old printing process.

Similar to the process used in engraving, letterpress employs polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into pliable card-stock, generally cotton. Every color is applied using a separate printing press run, which demands patience and considerable skill to have the close registration needed to properly align colors and motif designs.

Each May during the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress vendors take center stage to introduce their fresh styles. Though letterpress was regarded as being a bit of a novelty some 5 to 10 years back, most of the recent letterpress printers simply do not have the flair, creativity and, in many cases, the ability and expertise to make attractive letterpress wedding invitations. In fact, many of the “new” designs provide little that’s new. Quite frankly, the stationery marketplace is saturated with letterpress.

Letterpress printers with deep traditions within profession, such as Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation (letterpress samples shown here), Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio are able to innovate and their firm hand and love for the craft continues to set the standard for letterpress printing.

While a few letterpress printers now sell online, nearly all letterpress artisans market their stationery by way of experienced retailers across the United States. In the words of pioneer Julie Holcomb, “If you are like most people, you have never ordered any kind of custom printing prior to ordering your wedding invitations. You can benefit a great deal from the experience of your local stationer, who orders all kinds of custom printing, from many vendors, all the time. They’ll help you make sure you’re covering all the bases and making decisions you’ll be happy with for a long time.”

Julie’s advice is definitely worth following. If you’ve got your heart set on letterpress for your wedding invitations, it is wise to talk to a professional stationer in your area.

Sheila P. May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. A Found Member of the Stationers Guild, she writes frequently about national and  NYC Wedding Invitations trends.

The growth of letterpress wedding invitations, letterpress save-the-date announcements, birth announcements and letterpress stationery over the past decade isn’t unexpected. Easily affordable second-hand letterpress printers have allowed quite a few talented designers and artisans to apply their creativity to create stunning wedding invitations and stationery making use of this centuries-old printing method.

Like the process utilized in engraving, letterpress uses polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into soft papers, generally cotton. Every color is applied with a separate press run, which calls for persistence and appreciable skill to obtain the close registration essential to properly align colors and design images.

Every May during the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress vendors take center stage to market their fresh designs. Though letterpress was thought to be a bit of a novelty some a few years back, most of the new letterpress printers and designers simply don’t have the pizzazz, creativity and, more often than not, the talent and expertise to create pleasing letterpress stationery. The truth is, many of the “new” designs provide little that is new. Truth be told, the stationery marketplace is over loaded with letterpress.

Letterpress printers with deep traditions in the craft, like Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation, Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio still build on their craft and their firm hand and love for the craft continues to elevate the bar for letterpress printing.

While a few letterpress printers have migrated online, nearly all letterpress artisans market their stationery by using experienced retailers across the United States. Quoting pioneer Julie Holcomb, “If you are like most people, you have never ordered any kind of custom printing prior to ordering your wedding invitations. You can benefit a great deal from the experience of your local stationer, who orders all kinds of custom printing, from many vendors, all the time. They’ll help you make sure you’re covering all the bases and making decisions you’ll be happy with for a long time.”

Julie’s advice is well worth following. If you have your heart set on letterpress for your wedding invitations, it is prudent to see an experienced stationer in your town.

Sheila P. May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT.  A native of Texas, she writes frequently about Dallas Wedding Invitations.

This month Oblation Papers & Press will release its new line of wedding invitations called “&” or ampersand.  This trend-setting letterpress design and printing company based in Portland, Oregon has been creating cutting-edge stationery and invitations since 1989.    Oblation uses hand-made cotton paper from recycled fabric scraps to create its custom invitations.

Oblation Press

Late last year, we learned that Oblation would introduce a new line of invitations called “&” or ampersand.  Ron Rich, who together with his wife Jennifer, own Oblation informed me that they had originally intended to call the new designs “Black and White” but finally settled on ampersand.  Like most everything the Rich’s take on, this new line of invitations displays a comtemporary edge while still retaining the great elegance of traditional letterpress designs.

Letterpress Printing

For more information on Oblation’s wedding invitations, contact a guild member store in your neighborhood.   As with most fine stationery, appointments are recommended.

Sheila P. May
Thérèse Saint Clair

Smock Paper is offering free letterpress invitation envelope printing through December 31, 2009.  In a recent email message to their dealers, Smock felt that this would be a great opportunity for dealers to connect with their clients in today’s challenging economy.

Smock’s generous offer could save a customer up to $240 dollars for 100 invitation envelopes.  If you are looking for wedding invitations, Bar or Bat Mitzvah invitations or a baby announcement, we strongly suggest that you contact a Guild member store in your neighborhood to view Smock’s exceptional line of letterpress invitations printed on bamboo paper.

First seen at the National Stationery Show last May, Smock Paper is rapidly carving out a reputation for superior letterpress design on arguably one of the most interesting sustainable products for paper:  bamboo.  With this generous offer, Smock Paper may be impossible to resist.

There is no question that over the past five years there has been a resurgence in letterpress printing.  Within the industry many considered it to be a “West Coast thing,” but it is now widely embraced for its creative designs and beautiful papers.  In fact, the rush to letterpress is so strong that Crane & Co. has recently released a Wedding Album that features only letterpress designs.

While letterpress is often a favored printing option for wedding invitations and social stationery, it is not widely used for business stationery.  Certainly, letterpress business cards are increasingly popular among fashion, designer and artistic circles, but it is unusual to find businesses that use letterpress for letterhead stationery.  Certainly, there is no reason why one shouldn’t build their business stationery ensemble around letterpress printing.  It is beautiful, fashionable and most printers use 100% cotton paper to achieve a deep impression.

Companies that come to mind that regularly provide letterpress stationery for business are Crane & Co., William Arthur and Hitchcock Press.  Many other leading design firms would certainly be willing to work with you to design your letterpress ensemble.  To achieve a deep impression, we strongly recommend using 32# paper.  Contact a Guild member store in your neighborhood to learn more about letterpress business stationery.

Sheila May
Found Member

In anticipation of the peak period for wedding invitations, Crane & Co. has released a new album with samples of letterpress wedding invitations.  While perhaps better known for its engraved invitations, Crane’s new album reflects the increased interest by bridal couples in this most traditional form of printing.  With letterpress, ink colors are pressed into soft cotton paper using polymer dies. 

This printing process is extremely popular on the West Coast but Guild member stationers throughout the United States report strong interest in the subtle colors and pleasing designs of letterpress printing.  The new letterpress album is faithful to Crane’s traditions of superior craftmanship.

As with all printing, ink colors tend to change appearance based on the printing process.  Given the low resolution of internet images, it is impossible to faithfully recreate the colors of custom letterpress printing.  If you wish to see Crane’s new letterpress album, we strongly recommend that you consult a Guild member store in your neighborhood.

Richard May
Founding Member