The Stationers Guild

This is the last week for Crane’s summer stationery sale where you can receive 25 FREE personalized stationery notes or sheets if you order 75 or more.  This great summer promotion makes you want to get off the beach and visit a Crane dealer in your neighborhood.   This great promotional offer is available at Crane dealers across the United States or at Crane online.

We’ve always had a love for cotton paper and striking designs and styles. I still think of how delighted I was by the engraved seal of a European royal family that appeared to float just above their menu card. My enthusiasm hasn’t diminished over these many years and I am fortunate enough to have a stationery store and can indulge my obsession.

There is certainly something special and personal about finding the time to send a hand-written note to a relative or good friend. I prefer to use a half-note with my engraved monogram while my spouse prefers the correspondence card with his name engraved near the top edge. We each enjoy the advantage of switching our stationery every few years whenever we get tired with the colors or a particular envelope lining. As such, we were fired up to receive a new Personal Stationery Album from Crane.

For over two hundred years Crane & Co. has set the standard for custom-made stationery and personalized announcements. In June, Crane released its brand new Personal Stationery album that contains everything a consumer needs to have for communicating in style: half-notes, correspondence cards, calling cards, pocket jotter cards and note pads. Crane has rejuvenated many of its vintage stationery choices along with including a number of completely new contemporary designs that are without doubt very likely to appeal to stationery lovers.

Crane’s Personal Stationery album contains a new page layout featuring a comprehensive stationery wardrobe for both business and social stationery. Its easy product presentation shows quite a few color and paper-size alternatives as well as attributes call-outs highlighting premium capabilities, artistry, etiquette and design suggestions.

The latest stationery album also is designed with a useful summary of Crane’s premium papers, double hand-bordered cards, engraving and monograms. There are some 80 envelope liner alternatives to pick from in addition to Crane’s proprietary fonts and motifs. Simply speaking, it is a virtuoso showcase of Crane’s rich traditions for making sophisticated stationery.

Sheila P. May
Therese Saint Clair

I don’t like to quote myself since it appears – and is – self-serving, but I recently published an article called “It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on – The lost art of fine stationery.”   The tongue-in-cheek article seeks to apply a monetary value to correspondence using engraved stationery to determine if it is any more relevant than the new forms of social correspondence such as Twitter and text-messaging.

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.

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair

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.

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

This may seem like a silly question, since sending a Thank You note is a gracious way to express your appreciation for an act of kindness or hospitality. Sheila May, owner of Therérè Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT, goes further and says “it is not only the ‘gracious’ thing to do, but simply proper etiquette and common sense.”

While Thérèse Saint Clair carries several lines of engraved Thank You notes from many fine paper companies, Ms. May explains “that boxed Thank You notes are simply an inferior substitute for personalized stationery.” She goes on to explain that “a fold-over note with the words ‘Thank You’ engraved on the card strikes me as a bit impersonal and somewhat last-minute. Where possible, I try and steer our clients toward designing their own personalized stationery. Don’t you think it is more refined to say ‘thank you’ inside your card than have it as a bold pre-printed headline?”

“The hand-written note is one of the most intimate and personal forms of communication,” says Sheila. “Your selection of the paper, font style, monogram, motif, ink color and envelope lining all working in harmony is often as much an expression of your personality as the words you write.”

One of the great advantages of personalized stationery is its versatility. It works equally well for “Thank You” notes as it does for congratulatory messages or sympathy notes. While most boxed “Thank You” notes tend to be fold-over cards, other options are available if you design your own personal stationery. Ms. May notes that “bordered cards tend to be very popular for both men and women and, after somewhat of a lull, we have seen a resurgence of half-sheets, particularly among business executives.”

Ms. May suggests that you work with an experienced stationer, preferably a Guild member, to design your stationery. “Paper is tactile,” explains Ms. May, “and it is absolutely essential to sort through many paper samples to choose the paper that feels right to you. Once you have selected your paper, concentrate on a font style or monogram style. Monograms are great for social stationery, but your printed name or initials are best suited for business correspondence. The printing process is an important final step in crafting your stationery. Engraving and letterpress are the most traditional forms of printing. Nevertheless, they are more expensive than thermography or lithography. If you select colored paper stock, I strongly recommend that you consider engraving since the opaque nature of this printing process will not distort ink colors.

Personalized stationery need not be expensive. There are many design and printing options for you to consider. “The most important consideration is the paper stock,” notes Ms. May. “Crane, William Arthur and several other fine paper companies have beautifully-designed and affordable boxed correspondence that can be personalized by your local stationer. I strongly recommend that you base your selection on how the paper feels rather than any promotional hype.”