I can appreciate a fine handcrafted wedding invitation that someone has taken the time to engrave. They are beautiful, elegant and one of a kind, but they do not come without a certain level of problems and pitfalls when compared to letterpress.

Recently I was discussing the finer points of the engraving to letterpress wedding invitation comparison with a friend of mine that is getting married soon. These are the reasons that I suggested to her that letterpress printing is a better choice:

It is Less Expensive

Beyond anything else, letterpress printing provides nearly the same quality of product and unique character that engraving does for a fraction of the cost. Unless you really have the money, have a burning desire for engraving, or know someone that is going to give you an amazing deal, the added texture is not worth the increased costs.

Letterpress Has More Flexibility with Art

Engraved images are constrained by size and design limitations. Letterpress printing can provide a larger, more complex or image on an invitation set that gives brides more options for how they want their invitation to look.

Engraving Requires More Time

I do not know of a single engraving press that does not require the paper to be handfed. There are very few engraving printers around the country that are offering high quality wedding invitation designs making the choice, selection and turnaround time that much slower. Engravers simply cannot match the speed of letterpress printing.

As I said to my friend, I do not mean to speak poorly of the quality or say that I am not a fan of an amazingly engraved invitation. Rather, that for brides that are comparing letterpress printing to engraving, I would almost always suggest that letterpress printing is an overall better choice.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
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