Printing Terms - Volume 1

I'm not planning on listing an all existing printing terms, but I thought a few would be useful, because they pertain to wedding invitations. The following terms are processes that you can use to make your wedding invitations more exciting (from a printing standpoint). They're also useful to know when shopping for any kind of stationery or paper product.

Foil Stamp: In this process, a metallic or pigmented coating is literally stamped onto paper with a heated die. The stamping creates a slight impression, similar to what you will find with letterpress printing. Foils come in a rainbow of colors, some are metallic, some are pearly, some are matte. I'm a big fan of the foil stamp. Below are images of some of my products that use foil stamps (Collected Keepsake book and Daily Fortune Matchbook).


Emboss/Deboss: In this process, an image is pressed into the paper so that it creates a raised (emboss) or recessed (deboss) relief. You can use embossing & debossing in conjuction with inks or foil stamps, or you can use it without - which would be called a blind emboss. (Image below from about.com)


Die Cut: This terms refers to the cutting of shapes out of paper. For example, you could cut a flower shape out of paper, OR you could punch it out, and leave its negative image behind. Below are some examples from my line (Letterpressed Cupcake Cards and Die Cut Flowers).

What is Offset Printing, Anyway?

The above thank you card and dinner invitation set were offset printed. Many of you already know what offset printing is, but I thought I would do a post about it since I get enough questions, asking me what it is. In offset printing, film is created from the designs you create, and paper is rolled through the printer, where ink is directly applied. There are no raised surfaces, as in engraving, and there are no impressions created, like in letterpress printing. The ink sits flat on the paper. You can check Wikipedia's description of offset printing here.

Despite the "flat" nature of the printing, offset printing produces some beautiful results. You can customize colors, as in other printing processes. Additionally, offset printing can be a less expensive route.

If you are considering getting invitations printed (or anything printed, for that matter) you should consider what's important to you in terms of printing processes. You can have your designer or printer price different options for you so that you can see how it all breaks down.

ReForm School RULES!

I'm so excited that ReForm School placed an order! They ordered some Circus Baby Announcements, Valentine Hearts, Vintage Valentine Postcards, and a bunch of Daily Fortunes of various editions. This is one of my favorite stores in Los Angeles, so I am thrilled and flattered.

In February, ReForm School will be having a Lisa Congdon show, which I can't wait for. You can sign up for their email list to get all the latest news on the ReForm School website.
(image from reformschoolrules.com)

What's in a Wedding Invitation?

This may seem pretty obvious to some, but I thought I would include a primer here for those that are preparing for their weddings and don't know where to start for invitations.
So, what does an invitation package include?

• The main invitation
• The reply card
• Envelopes for the above

That's it. I know, it doesn't seem like much. What about Save the Date cards, direction cards, and all that? All that other stuff is extra. So, if you're thinking about getting invitations done, you might do well to spend some time itemizing all the printed pieces you would like to have. It's always best to go to a stationer or a custom wedding invitation designer with a detailed list of what you want.

Here are some points to think on (some of these only apply if you are building your invitations from the ground up with a custom designer):
• Colors: which ones and how many? The more colors you use, the more it will cost)
• Size: 5 x 7, sqaure, accordian fold. Keep in mind that if you want inner and outer envelopes for your invitations, you are limited in size to 5x7 and 6" square.
• Theme: do you have a theme for your wedding, a Roman Holiday, garden party, Hawaiian Luau? You might want to get invitations that will reflect this theme.
• Printing Process: letterpress, offset or engraving?

It always helps to look around. Collect magazine clippings, or images from the web of invitations you like. Keep color swatches from fabrics or paint. The more thinking you do on your end, the more likely you will be to get exactly what you want.
See more wedding invitations here.

Artocracy

I found Artocracy.org through a subscription to Good Magazine (that my friend Kaz got me for Christmas). The artists are organized by "conceptual" art, "representational" art, and "photography". You have the option to buy a framed print, an unframed print, or you can download a PDF - how's that for accessible art? I really liked the above, by artist Glauce Cerveira

Tinlark Gallery

This weekend is the grand opening of Tinlark Gallery. I'm really excited to be going. It's in an awesome location (Crossroads of the World) in Los Angeles. I designed their website (although not their logo - which is really great). The website isn't up and running yet, but there is a splash page that will give you all the info about the show this weekend.

Artist Andrew Saftel

This is an artist I found while walking my dog past the Lowe Gallery in Santa Monica. Andrew Saftel makes these huge mixed media paintings. I love the colors he uses, and I love all the stuff that's going on in these paintings.

Stationery Show 2007

Since it's officially 2007, I'm now allowing myself to start planning for the National Stationery Show, coming up in May. Some of you might think it's a bit early to plan, but it takes me quite a while to figure everything out. I'm hoping to have lots of new stuff this year. Above is a sneak peak at some cards I am working on, based on fruit and vegetable labels.

Cooper Hewitt - Design Life Now

While in NYC over the holidays, we went to the Cooper Hewitt to see the Design Life Now exhibit. There was everything from NASA to Blik, and it was fabulous. The show runs until July 29th, and I highly recommend checking it out. The above photos are of the outside of the museum.

Added Links

I've added some resources in the right hand link list. There are wedding resources, blog lists, and a list of places to find Rosebud products. I'm hoping to expand the lists in the future, especially the wedding resources. If you have any suggestions, please send them along.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone! Today is my first official day of working on my own - yippee! Above is a photo of Toby, playing in the Buffalo, NY snow. I made a Toby calendar for my parents for Christmas, and this is the January image. I'm planning some changes for this blog, so stay tuned. I want to organize the links a bit better for all you brides out there looking for resources. I figured since I am an invitation designer, this would be a good place to list helpful links for brides-to-be. Hopefully I will have those up, along with some interesting new posts, in the next week or so.