30 September, 2010

You're Invited Part 4: Letterpress Dreams

Letterpress
Oh, letterpress! Where to begin? Hands down, my all time favorite printing technique. Just unbelievably beautiful. Elum Designs, Hello, Lucky, Peculiar Pair Press and Spark are among my favorite design studios.

Letterpress involves raised lettering on metal plates. This is the opposite of engraving. Think, typewriter keys. Ink is applied to the plates and then the plates are pressed into the paper. This causes the ink to rest in the indentations on the paper's surface. The result is irresistible. Today's letterpress trends mix the sophisticated beauty of tradition with fresh design. Look for unusual color combinations and bold designs that make an unforgettable statement.

Sadly, all that beauty comes at a terrible (read terribly high) price (sad flute). Letterpress is just about as expensive as you can get. Again, the hand-made nature of the product contributes greatly to it's price tag. Turnaround is typically 4 to 8 weeks. It's totally worth the price. And the wait. Believe me.  The savvy bride can follow the same cost-saving tips as engraving and it should bring the price down a bit.


 This is the "Poster" invitation from letterpress giant, Elum Designs.  People, I have held this delicious invite in my hands and if I could eat it to gain its tremendous beauty, I would.  That.  Amazing.  I dare you: go to that website and NOT fall in love.  Style, design, pizazz-a perfect 10.  Meow!

 Well, that's it! A crash course in printing.  Whew!  I'm so proud of you for sticking with me.  Now, I've had a lot of requests for some info on pieces in an invitation suite.  Should we discuss?

Photo Credit:
Elum Designs

No comments:

Post a Comment