Posts Tagged ‘letterpress printing’

Go Behind the Scenes With a
Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Watch a Video of Your Wedding Invitation Being Printed

After printing one our most popular letterpress wedding invitation designs we decided it was time to start filming a little more of what goes on behind the scenes here at Invitations by Ajalon.

So we brought out the camera, set up the lights and action: Printing the Fleur letterpress wedding invitation design video!

For those of you without sound, I will include the commentary below.

“We recently printed one of our Fleur invitation sets and we wanted to make a video to show our letterpress printing in action.

Once we are done printing the invitation and the RSVP both go into the cutter.

After a few quick cuts your invitation is ready to be sent to your guest.”

I hope you enjoyed the short show!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us or leave a comment below. Click here to request free samples.

If you liked what you saw and want to see more, visit our media library or youtube channel for additional videos relating to printing letterpress wedding invitation designs and DIY bride techniques.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Weddings | No Comments »

Hand Engraved Custom Wedding Invitations
Why Letterpress Invitations are a Better Choice

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

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
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery. Click here to request samples

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Weddings | No Comments »

Cranes Lettra Paper for Both
Letterpress and Offset Wedding Invitations

Friday, January 8th, 2010

I love letterpress printing. Everything from wedding invitations to holiday cards, baby shower announcements to Bar Mitzvahs, letterpress add an extra special texture and emotion that everyone can see and feel.

Part of the amazing qualities of printing with letterpress is the paper. Cranes Lettra 110# tree-free (100% cotton) paper feels amazing. It has a life and character of its own. The instant you touch a letterpress printed invitation you know that you are holding something special. The thick paper harkens back to an age of parchment and old documents that hold an extra special value in today’s world.

A lot of brides -to-be hold the misconception that this terrific paper can only be used for letterpress printing. But this is just not the case. Traditional offset presses can be used to print on Cranes Lettra paper, offering the same quality paper as letterpress printing. It is a great way to make sure all of your invitation set pieces feel the same even if you mix and match offset or letterpress printing.

So if you want to use letterpress to print your invitation but your RSVP or Map is printed on an offset press, know that you can still use the same quality of 110# Cranes Lettra cotton paper for those parts of the invitation set.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Weddings | No Comments »

5 Different Ways to Print your Wedding Invitation
Letterpress, Offset, Thermography, Foil or Digital
How to Decide on Cost, Style, Texture and Color

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

When it comes to your wedding invitations there are a lot of designs, styles and printing methods to choose from. Depending on what you want your invitation set to look like, it is important to understand the differences that each method provides. While there are some price differences, the advantages, appearance and overall quality of your invitation can also vary greatly depending on how you choose to have them printed.

To help you make the right choice when it comes to your wedding invitation set, I am going to give you a brief overview of the different methods of printing:

Letterpress

Letterpress printing is a timeless art that harkens back to an age of craftsmanship, elegance and uniquely creative designs. It creates a distinct impression into the paper that no other printing method can provide. Also, advances in the industry allow most letterpress printers to create just about anything that other more ‘modern’ technologies allow.

Hosted by imgur.com

Rana 1 Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design

Click here for free samples

Offset Printing

Standard offset printing can also be used to make your wedding invitations. The color range is limitless and the end result is a conventional, yet beautiful, invitation. Also, printing other elements of the invitation set such as the RSVP, Map or Thank You card  with offset is a great way to decrease the cost of printing an extraordinary invitation with one of the other, more dynamic techniques.

Hosted by imgur.com

Sakura Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design

Click here for free samples

Thermography

Thermography printing was created to emulate engraving. Thermography is a method that employs offset printing, and while the ink on the invitation is still wet, powder is sprinkled on and melted to produce the raised effect. This creates a noticeably textured surface.

Hosted by imgur.com

Foil Stamping

While most brides do not typically create their entire invitation set with foil stamping, I would be lying if I said that has never been done. However, usually foil is used to highlight names, monograms or invitation themes. There are countless colors to choose from (no, you do not have to choose just gold or silver) and the shimmering difference that foil stamping provides is instantly noticeable.

Hosted by imgur.com

Avani Letterpress Wedding Invitation

Click here for free samples

Digital Printing

The technological advances in the digital printing industry are shocking. The least expensive and fastest way to make your wedding invitations, high speed digital printers produce great results. They are especially useful if you wish to have a photo included in your invitation set. Likewise they work well to bring down the costs of wedding invitation sets by creating amazing RSVP and maps where letterpress, foil or thermography is not necessarily needed.

Hosted by imgur.com

Jacqueline Wedding Invitation Design

Click here for free samples

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Wedding Planning, Weddings | No Comments »

To DIY or not to DIY
How Gocco and Table Top Letterpress Printing
Might be More Trouble Than it’s Worth

Monday, December 21st, 2009

I was recently surfing around some online letterpress printing forums when I stumbled upon a really interesting thread that was started by a bride to be. While I typically really do like a lot of DIY projects and typically support brides, grooms or anyone that wants to take things into their own hands, I was surprised and actually humbled by this discussion.

A bride was asking for advice about gocco and table top letterpress at home printing. While the responses were directed towards different aspects of in home printing process, there was a general warning that everyone voiced.

They said that buying a home letterpress kit with supplies, paper and inks combined with the time and energy that it takes to effectively operate a hand held machine can be costly. One person lamented that after several days of working with an in home printing press, they eventually gave up entirely and went to a professional printer. Another mentioned that there are online letterpress wedding invitation specials from professional printers that are nearly the same cost as the supplies and equipment needed to do it yourself.

Some of the respondents did mention that designing your own invitation and sending it to a printer can be a safe alternative, a process that I whole heartedly agree with. However, before you set your heart on a specific design or idea, check with your printer first. Depending on the printing process you choose for your invitations, there may be specific guidelines you may need to follow to produce printable art.

But just in case you still have any reservations about the difficulties of DIY printing, feel free to see what those that have toiled with the process have to say.

Making portions of your wedding invitations yourself can be fun, creative and self esteem building project, but just make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you start.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Wedding Planning, Weddings | No Comments »

Sherlock Holmes Loves Letterpress:
Vintage Printing Arts in Feature Films

Monday, December 14th, 2009

I was recently avoiding my work projects and watching some TV when a preview came on for the new Sherlock Holmes movie. While I had no idea before this that a Holmes movie was in production, what surprised me the most happened toward the ending of the clip.

During the most explosive portion of the preview, lead typeface letters like the ones traditionally used for letterpress printing flashed onto the screen. They appeared in succession, eventually spelling out the title of the movie, “Sherlock Holmes”. Not only was I excited that I knew exactly what they producers were using as their medium, but also seeing any component of letterpress printing in pop culture always makes me happy.

It is amazing how this traditional printing method is making a resurgence in modern printing companies around the world. People are fascinated by letterpress printing’s unique vintage feel and the quality of product that it produces. For many items from holiday cards to wedding invitations there is no match for letterpresses amazing printing style.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Weddings | 1 Comment »

Top Five Spring Wedding Trends
Brides Need to Plan For

Monday, November 30th, 2009

As I was surfing the bride-o-sphere looking for hot new trends in wedding and invitation designs, I came across an article about David Tutera, an expert wedding planner. He was named on of the Top 25 Trendsetters of the year by Modern Bride Magazine, and is known as being “THE name in event planning.”

He made a list of the top five wedding and bridal trends and the easy ways to integrate them into your marriage celebration. Because everyone can use some free expert advice, I decided to give you just the important details below:

Detailing

Brides are getting more involved in the selections of their bridal party fashion. Either by selecting non-traditional wedding gown styles and colors (you do not have to settle on plain white), or choosing ornate lace and beading designs, attention to detail in every aspect of the wedding ceremony is a growing trend.

Letterpress Printing

You guessed it! Bridal parties are now more than ever requesting the classic texture and unique impression that only letterpress wedding invitations can provide. A growing trend that seems to be motivated by society’s overflow of junk mail and mundane printed materials, letterpress invitations set the tone for the wedding and separate you from the pack (of other brides-to-be that is). As an added piece of flare, think about carrying the invitation motif onto the envelopes. As always, consider tying the wedding party colors together with the invitation set.

Multiple Course Meals vs. Hors d’oeuvers

In and attempt to curb the growing cost of servers and the age old routine of multi-course seated meals, many brides are turning to an enjoyable, yet unconventional, new dinner arrangement. This wedding season more couples are planning to have hors d’oeuvers and self-serve buffets. An extra twist that is always met with enthusiasm is skipping the expensive cake and adding a desert bar with a variety of different delicious delights.

Less Opulence and More Streamlined

Maybe because the economy is strained or 21st century brides are becoming more DIY savvy, modern weddings are looking a little less decadent and more simple, elegant and practical.

Matching Bridal Colors

A simple idea that many brides neglect is matching their bridal party colors with the season or venue. It is very easy to request flower arrangements that match the bridal party dresses, invitation sets that compliment the ceremony color scheme and wedding favors that flatter your table arrangements.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Letterpress Invitations, Wedding Planning, Weddings | No Comments »