Know Your Paper Style
Hello to all of you out there in Cyberville! It’s Heidi here today. Brea & Dawn asked me to write more about the different styles of invitation lines that I carry at my store, Parchment Fine Papers located on Nantucket Island. As you delve into the land of invitations there are some terms you might start hearing. I thought I would break down the different types of printing methods for you, so you can better translate what your likes and dislikes are to your paper provider.
Engraved:
This is an old method of printing. The design of the invitation is etched into a copper plate. This plate is then filled with ink and wiped clean so the ink just remains in the etching. The card stock is then fed into a press where the paper is forced against the plate. The result is a raised ink impression on the front of the card and a faint indentation in the back of the card (called a “bruise”.) This is a sign of a high-quality engraving. The plates can be re-used.
Letterpress:
Also a very old method of printing. In this application, it is kind of the opposite of engraving. A plate is created where the design is raised off the plate, inked and then pressed into the paper. So the resulting image is debossed or depressed into the card stock. Letterpress papers tend to have a slight bit of texture, much like watercolor paper. It is a more tactile product.
- Letterpress design from Ceci New York. Available at Parchment Fine Papers
Thermography:
Thermography is a more recent creation, a print method that allows for a raised letter, like engraving, but at a more affordable price-point. This is achieved by adding a powdered resin to the wet ink and then heating it. The chemical process leaves behind a raised letter.
- Thermography design by William Arthur. Available at Parchment Fine Papers.
Flat or offset printing:
This is as it sounds: the letters and images are neither raised off the paper nor debossed into the paper. Flat printing does sometimes allow for more than one ink color printed in a single pass through the printer. (The other types of printing require the card stock to go though a separate pass for each color.)
- Flat print design by Luscious Verde. Available at Parchment Fine Papers.
In my store, I have seen an equal mix of the print methods used for wedding invitations. There is no “correct” way of printing, you should choose based on your own style and budgetary concerns. The most important thing is that your wedding invitation reflects your own personal taste and serves to set the tone for the type of wedding you are having.
Tags: invitations, nantucket wedding, paper products, style, tips
This entry was posted on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Featured Vendors, Helpful Tips, Home Page, Nantucket Style. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
