The emergence of letterpress wedding stationery, letterpress save the date cards, baby announcements and letterpress stationery within the last decade is not surprising. Inexpensive second-hand letterpress printers have helped quite a few gifted designers and artisans to apply their imagination to create stunning invitations and stationery using this very old printing process.
Much like the process used in engraving, letterpress employs polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into soft card-stock, generally cotton. Every color is applied with a separate printing press run, which requires persistence and great skill to get the close registration needed to properly align colors and motif designs.
Each May during the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress firms take center stage to display their fresh styles. Though letterpress was regarded as somewhat of a novel idea some 5 to 10 years ago, most of the recent letterpress printers and designers simply do not have the flair, uniqueness and, more often than not, the skill and knowledge to produce eye-catching letterpress wedding invitations. In reality, most of the “new” designs offer little that’s unique. Quite frankly, the stationery marketplace is over loaded with letterpress.
Letterpress printers with deep traditions in the profession, such as Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation, Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio are able to innovate and their steady hand and love for the craft continues to raise the bar for letterpress printing.
While some letterpress printers now sell online, the majority of letterpress artisans offer their stationery by way of 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 well worth following. If you’ve got your heart set on letterpress for your wedding invitations, it is advisable to talk to an experienced stationer in your neighborhood.
Sheila P. May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. A native of Texas, she writes frequently NYC Wedding Invitations.
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