Silver thermography on the smoothest, softest purple paper around for the covers and lighter purple for the inside pages continued Kathleen’s color scheme.

If you’re planning to MAIL your invitations to your guests in  the end of November/mid-December 2011 or early 2012, reserve your spot on the Custom Paper Works design schedule now.

Design Start Dates are limited and fill up in advance.

-Kate

Which is very important. But there are those words and phrases which don’t get along with spell check.
Or things that might become the center of debate depending on who you ask.

This will be an ever-changing post that’s updated as I’m reminded of things that fall into the category, but let’s start with …

1. accommodations … two C’s, two M’s. In the U.S., we like the S at the end. Everyone else doesn’t. Both are technically correct.

2. website … only recently did this become “officially” correct according to the AP Stylebook. One word. No capital W. Thank goodness, because most designers I know preferred it this way anyway because it looks nicer : )

3. email … no capital E. No hyphen. JUST became correct according to the AP Stylebook folks, and I couldn’t be happier about it!

4. traveler … used on many Custom Paper Works rsvp cards. Traveller (with two L’s) is how the U.K. prefers it.

5. regrettably, regretfully … two T’s in one, one T in the other.

6. two thousand eleven (two thousand twelve), etc … big debate here! Word on the street is definitely that there is NO “and” in the mix.

7. honour/honor … either way is fine, but be consistent throughout all OU-vs-O words.

8. presence … never presents. That is a post for another day.

9. St., Ave., Blvd., … for formal invitations,  take the time to change address lists to spell each word out as Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Circle, etc. It reads nicer. It looks ten times prettier.

10. Double spaces between sentences. These do not exist in graphic design world. Period.

KEEP IT GOING …

11. dessert is food (the best kind!) … desert is a place you don’t want to be stuck without food.

12. hors d’oeuvres / hors d’oeuvre … is how you spell them. Spell check doesn’t like either version.

I’d love to hear any other words or phrases that you catch, debate, miss, or that sneak through spell-check.

Kathleen was looking for a very specific purple and loved the look and feel of thermography printing. With purple and silver as her wedding colors, there was no room for white paper in these save the dates!

Rarely do I ever do one exactly as one before. Everyone puts their own twist on the concept, sometimes subtle, sometimes pretty damatic.

Linda liked Helina’s invitations but wanted to keep the invitations more traditional and formal while still incorporating a travel theme.  I love how simple they are…they would look amazing in Letterpress too.

Linda had me create some really fun accessories for her reception, which I’ll save for “Extras Week” at some point!

Beautiful addressing to top them off! It’s not “just the envelope.” It’s the first impression OF the first impression of your wedding or event. Custom-printed digital calligraphy rounds out the design and ties into the invitation inside.

Here are a few examples pulled from the blog.New examples on more formal invitations will be posted soon as well…stay tuned!

(Hey look, you also got a peek at my logo evolution.)

Other options for addressing your envelopes include, of course, hiring a professional traditional calligrapher (also a great idea) or writing them yourself. Unless you have a serious desire to do this, and exceptional hand-writing, consider the time it will take to beautifully hand-write 50, 100, 150 addresses. I’m sure you’d rather be doing something more fun, right?

I tried my hand at addressing just for fun. Good thing I’m usually typing or using a tablet pen on the computer. Scary stuff!

Envelope wraps and pretty custom labels that coordinate with the invitation are fun too! They can also be professionally addressed.

Please. PLEASE PLEASE. Whatever you do, promise me you’ll never ever NEVER use those tiny return address labels as a mailing label on a wedding invitation.

-Kate

This month I’ve done more foil stamping than ever! It’s exciting for me because it looks AMAZING. I love it because it’s not as over-done as other specialty printing processes, making it a nice little extra something!

Foil-Stamping – A popular choice amongst my clients for the authenticity it adds to passports! (Actually looks better than real ones ;) Foil is pressed onto paper with a heated die, leaving the imprint. Gold & silver are popular, but many colors are available!

Letterpress – Inked printing plates are pressed against soft paper to create an indentation. It’s a labor-intensive process as a separate plate is created for each color used for each design being printed (a typical two-color invitation set could require six or more plates). One of the oldest printing methods, it’s made a HUGE comeback and is sought after for it’s luxurious look and feel.

(How cute is this? From Paper Schmaper on etsy.)

Engraving - Somewhat the opposite process as lettrepress, paper is pushed against a plate with a recessed design. Ink is forced from inside the recessed area onto paper. Pressure from the press pushes the ink into the recessed area, resulting in a subtly raised printed design. It’s so MONEY! {bad pun!} But really, money is engraved.

(Image from Piccolo Press).

Thermography – Almost like faux engraving (and less costly), the ink is slightly raised and glossy. A printed image is dusted with a powder before the ink dries. Heat is applied and fuses the ink and powder together to create the raised texture (similar to rubber stamp embossing).

Traditional Offset Printing – Ink sits flat on the paper. Ink applied to metal plates is transfered to a rubber cylinder, then onto paper. Plates are created for each color, but technological advances compared to letterpresses allow for more color combinations to be achieved with less manual effort.

Digital Printing -  The newest printing process, prints directly from a computer file and requires less set-up time than all other types of printing. High-quality laser, ink-jet and digital offset presses all achieve beautiful results with flat ink. Great cost-effective printing for smaller print runs. Browse the GALLERY for lots of examples.

Standard pricing for all Custom Paper Works’ invitations includes Flat Ink Digital Printing. Most designs can incorporate other print formats as well, just let me know what you are interested in!

-Kate

If however, you like to get as much as possible done in one shot or through one source, a Custom Stationery Designer can be one of your best allies in wedding or event planning.  A Custom Stationery Designer takes the vision of your celebration and enforces it with paper.

ESPECIALLY if you don’t have an event designer to worry about the details for you, using a custom stationer for all of your paper goods ties everything together and makes a bigger impact by creating a cohesive look.

You already know you need invitations, and perhaps programs, favor tags, table numbers or menus. When everything works together, the look is that much more elegant.

Sound corny? Maybe, but the paper goods are what your guests hold in their hands. It’s what many of them take home and keep as a momento. It’s also one of the few pieces of the day that YOU can hold on to for years to come.

The information is arranged a little differently on these and I love how it worked out. The first boarding pass has travel details with accommodation information on the back. The second served as the formal invitation with a tear-off rsvp postcard.

{ With any luck, one day I’ll be able to take better photos of my invitation designs. } Speaking of photos …

Green was the color of the day and you can certainly see it throughout the photos! Click through to B&M Photography for THREE BLOG POSTS full of photos that really show how much fun they had! Here is just a tiny preview: