The increased popularity of letterpress invitations, letterpress save the date announcements, birth announcements and letterpress stationery during the last several years isn’t unexpected. Easily affordable second-hand letterpress printing presses have permitted quite a few skilled designers and artisans to indulge their creative thinking to make lovely announcements and stationery making use of this centuries-old printing process.
Like the printing process utilized in engraving, letterpress uses polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into soft papers, principally cotton. Each and every ink color is applied with a individual printing press run, which demands persistence and appreciable skill to obtain the close registration essential to perfectly align colors and image designs.
Every May at the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress vendors take center stage introducing their new styles. Even though letterpress was considered to be a bit of a novelty some five to ten years back, many of the new letterpress printers and designers simply lack the flair, creativity and, more often than not, the ability and experience to produce pleasing letterpress wedding invitations. The truth is, most of the “new” designs provide little that is unique. To be honest, the stationery market is over loaded with letterpress.
Letterpress printers with deep traditions within profession, such as Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation, Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio are able to innovate and their steady hand and passion for the craft continues to elevate the bar for letterpress printing.
Although some letterpress printers now sell online, nearly all letterpress artisans market their product by way of knowledgeable retailers across the United States. In the words of 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 worthwhile following. If you have your heart set on letterpress for your wedding invitations, it is advisable to consult a highly skilled stationer in your town.
Sheila P. May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair, a stationery store located in Greenwich, CT. A founder of the Stationers Guild, she writes frequently about national and regional Wedding Invitation trends.
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