The emergence of letterpress invitations, letterpress save-the-date cards, birth announcements and letterpress stationery over the last decade isn’t surprising. Inexpensive second-hand letterpress printers have helped quite a few accomplished designers and artisans to indulge their imagination to create stunning invitations and stationery using this centuries-old printing process.
Similar to the printing process used for engraving, letterpress makes use of polymer or metal dies to “press” ink into malleable card-stock, principally cotton. Each and every color is applied using a separate printing press run, which requires patience and appreciable skill to obtain the close registration needed to properly align colors and image designs.
Each May at the National Stationery Show in New York City, new letterpress firms take center stage introducing their fresh styles. Though letterpress was considered to be somewhat of a novel idea some a few years in the past, the vast majority of new letterpress printers and designers simply do not have the flair, uniqueness and, more often than not, the talent and expertise to create eye-catching letterpress invitations. The truth is, many of the “new” designs provide little that is new. Truth be told, the stationery marketplace is saturated with letterpress.
Letterpress printers with deep traditions in the craft, such as Julie Holcomb, Elum, Oblation, Press New York, Page and Real Card Studio continue to innovate and their sturdy hand and passion for the craft continues to set the standard for letterpress printing.
While a few letterpress printers now sell on the internet, most letterpress artisans offer their product through skilled retailers throughout 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’ve got your heart set on letterpress for your wedding invitations, it is wise to see a highly skilled stationer in your area.
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 trends.
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