The Stationers Guild

“You never have a second chance to make a first impression.”  I can’t remember who had this sage but practical piece of advice, but nothing could be more true in today’s electronic workplace.  With website page views clocking in at 1.8 seconds and a “twit” on Twitter limited to 140 characters, you’ve got to make a strong positive impression from the get-go.

With your social and business network persona on display 24/7, one might ask if the business card is still relevant?  Thank you, it is!  In fact, we are seeing a resurgence in consumer demand for tastefully designed calling cards and business cards.   Despite the down economy, customers at Therese Saint Clair are trading in their fast-print cards for more distinctive business cards.  Business professionals recognize that their non-descript business cards just may not make it to their recipient’s Rolodex.  Maybe it makes sense to invest in a little image-building.  One way of doing so is to have an elegant business card printed on fine paper stock.

While Crane & Co. has long been the company of choice for fine business stationery, many other companies are now introducing their own distinct lines of business stationery.  William Arthur has a good selection of business cards printed on 96# paper stock to go along with a growing selection of fine stationery.  Smock Paper has a stylish but somewhat pricey line of letterpress business cards printed on bamboo paper.  Lallie and Encore have some great designs for truly distinctive business cards.

If you feel your stationery is not making that right “first impression” then perhaps a visit to a Stationers Guild member store is in order.  There you can work with experienced stationers to custom design a business card of your choice.

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.

There is a huge difference between designing a custom wedding invitation with an experienced stationer and populating a website template supplied by an Internet dealer.  While you may have some initial ideas in terms of colors, time of the season or, perhaps, you have seen a sample invitation in a bridal magazine, most young couples will use a search engine.

“Custom wedding invitations” must be a very popular search term as evidenced by the fact that there were more than 2 million pages listed on Google when I entered that phrase into the search bar today.  While there are many websites competing for your eyes, the question is whether they are useful.  I guess it depends on what you are searching for and whether you wish to play a meaningful role in designing your wedding invitation.

Based on the sheer number of websites that appear in the top listings for organic search (not paid), it appears as if the vast majority of these websites represent online printers or online resellers.  Customization to an online printer or reseller means selecting from a number of sample images on their website and then filling-in an online template for the wording, font style, inks colors and quite possibly the printing process.  While some of these websites are very sophisticated, the process is similar to painting by the numbers.  I have written previously about the pitfalls of selecting wedding invitations online, but this approach may work for some people.

For those seeking a truly “custom” wedding invitation, I strongly recommend that you consult an experienced stationer in your neighborhood.  You may find one of these stationers by entering your zip code or city and state in the search bar on the StationersGuild website.  These stationers carry a number of samples provided by leading designers and fine paper companies in the industry.  Many of these companies such as Arabella, Smock, Page, Mr. Boddington, Oblation, Lallie, Prentiss Douthit, Encore and Julie Holcomb do not sell online and instead rely on their authorized dealers to act as an interface between the client and the printing company.  Seeing invitation samples from a variety of designers and paper companies is essential to help refine your customization options.  While at first it may seem a bit overwhelming, when your work with a leading stationer you will be able to narrow down your options and discuss ways to add your own customization ideas to create a truly personalized invitation.

While leading companies such as Crane & Co. and William Arthur have a large network of qualified dealers, they also allow you to create your wedding invitation online.  While some people may find this more convenient, all of their online customization options and many more can be obtained by working with one of their qualified dealers.  As Sheila May of Therese Saint Clair points out, “99% of my wedding invitations contain one or more customization features that are simply not available in the samples provided by my fine paper companies or online.  Most brides want to stamp their personality on the event with something meaningful or of special significance to the bridal couple and their families.”

In anticipation of a strong wedding season, William Arthur announced a new wedding stationery promotion.  Order 75 or more personalized pieces of wedding stationery and receive an additional 25 free.  This exceptional offer is a boon to budget-conscious bridal couples.  William Arthur is well known for its exceptional range of wedding papers and fine stationery.  If you are planning a wedding, we would heartily recommend taking a look at William Arthur’s Wedding Volumes I and II, Vera Wang Weddings and the attractively-priced Rita Renning.  I think we are all going to be in for a real treat, since Volume II has the latest William Arthur designs and will be shipped out to qualified dealers only on January 5th.

Elaine Barker of Paper Potpourri in Haverhill, MA is typical of many independent stationers who operate through brick and mortar stores throughout the United States and Canada. Elaine has been in business for 31 years and has been in the same store location for the last 15 years. Her reputation for designing custom invitations and personalized stationery attracts clients from all over the state of Massachusetts.

Elaine won this year’s coveted “Billy Award” for the best custom wedding invitation at the William Arthur conference in Kennebunk, Maine. The award is determined by a vote of her peers who vote on samples of custom wedding invitations that are submitted from leading stationers across the country. Elaine’s simple yet very personalized wedding invitation and supporting wedding papers stood out over the many outstanding designs submitted by her fellow stationers.

Elaine (left) and Evelyn Choie of Vera Wang

I had an opportunity to sit down with Elaine to discuss the creative process that went into the design of this stunning wedding invitation ensemble which reflected the very unique resort in Northern Michigan. The effervescent Elaine says that “I take great pride in providing personalized service and I love customization.  It is deeply satisfying to see the sparkle in a bride’s eyed as she sees her wedding invitation for the first time.  I see my role as helping couples and their families translate their vision of the “perfect” wedding into beautiful papers that reflect vision.”

This wedding was particularly memorable.  In February, Elaine sat down with the bride-to-be and her mother to sketch out the preliminaries of the wedding event such as timing, locations and likely color combinations.   Two months later, the bride’s mother provided Elaine with lovely hand-drawn motifs that would be used to tie all of the wedding papers together under a common theme.  Elaine notes that everything illustrated on the invitation packet was a significant part of the bride’s experience in growing up in the area of Northern Michigan. The bride was the 5^th generation of the family to summer on the shores of the area. The lighthouse on the invitation was the location of the reception; the sailboat on the Events and Activities Card was the family sailboat, the “Sophia Helen” named for the bride’s grandmother; the sailboats on the front of the navy pocket represented the local ”Northern Michigan” fleet, whose design dates back over 75 years, which races in the harbor; shown on the respond card was the motor launch called the “Pointer” which formerly served as transportation between the resort and a nearby town. The Pointer is now used to take people out for brief cruises and was used for the rehearsal dinner; a bicycle was used on the accommodation card as they are a favorite means of transportation in the area; a “carriage” was used on the direction card as no cars are allowed on the resort during July and August. Even the stamps on the envelopes were personalized with the mother’s hand-drawn motifs, the lighthouse on the invitation envelope and a seagull on the respond envelope and also the back flap of the invitation envelope as seagulls are her favorite bird. It’s fun when the whole family gets involved in the design process.”

Green and blue were the color combinations used for the wedding papers.  The bride decided that letterpress printing would bring out the subtle colors of the Northern Lake Michigan coast line and sky and opted for Vera Wang paper and the William Arthur paper pocket to assemble the wedding papers.  Needless to say, the groom, bride and her mother were thrilled with the outcome and so were their guests.

Elaine’s expertise and penchant for customer service is not uncommon among members of the Stationers Guild. Elaine notes that “my fellow stationers all love the beautiful papers we work with everyday. More importantly, we cherish the special relationships that are formed with our clients in helping them plan for significant events in their lives.”

Sheila P. May

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