Using photographs of you and your fiancé is a great way to personalize your wedding stationery. In fact, many photographers include an engagement photo session as part of their wedding photography packages. Here are some ways to use your photos:
Engagement Party Invitation/Save the Date Card
Incorporating your photo on your engagement party invitation or save the date card is a great way to share your photos with family and friends
Wedding Invitation
Translucent overlays over your photo offer an elegant way to use your photo on your wedding invitation. You may want to use slots to hold a photo print so your guests can remove and frame your photo
Envelope Liner
Your guests will exclaim “OMG!” when they open your invitation with a photo envelope liner (let’s hope they don’t use a letter opener!)
Program
A lovely way to personalize your program
Table Markers
Use a collection of old photographs of the bride and groom to add a touch of whimsy to your guest’s tables (and no doubt start some conversation!)
A recently engaged friend asked me to explain how our letterpress wedding invitation printing press actually works. Trying to demonstrate the process using my hands, a couple pieces of paper and a whole lot of descriptive words, I quickly remembered what my high school English teacher used to always tell me: “Show, don’t tell.”
This trip down memory lane not only made me realize how silly I must have looked trying to play charades as a printing press, but it also got my cinematic juices flowing.
I decided to create a short but sweet video that shows the details behind the movements, exquisite German engineering and printing process of a Heidelberg windmill platen press.
For those of you who do not have access to sound currently, I will include the most important text below:
But trust me, coming from someone who has tried to ‘charade’ this whole process out, without sound the spectacular mechanical labor of this platen press will be slightly diminished.
The Heidelberg windmill letterpress is the culmination of over 100 years of refinement and development by Heidelberg.
Many other platen presses feed the paper with the same motion that it is delivered, the windmill had two arms so that one could be feeding paper and the other delivering paper, thus making the press nearly twice as fast as other platen presses.
The movement of these arms with the sheets of paper in the grippers lead to its name, windmill, as it resembles the arms of a windmill with their sails and fins.
Unlike foot-treadle letterpresses, this Heidelberg is powered by an electric motor. This not only gives a more consistent impression and improves printing quality, but is much faster and more precise too.
The motor spins the fly wheel which creates a large amount of force to provide the power needed to make a firm impression into the paper.
The platen is what comes in contact with the plate, which is held by the chaise. These two surfaces meet at the exact moment that one of the arms places a piece of paper into the proper position.
After the impression is created, the same arm then removes the printed piece and places it in the delivery area. The final product is complete.
If you still want to know more, please feel free to email us at ajalon@ajalon.com or visit our media library for additional instructional videos and information.
Have you ever wondered what letterpress printers do? How the printing process actually happens and how is it possible that a design on a computer ends up in your mailbox? As a customer you can be part of the design process, but once that is done the next thing you know your invitation is printed and ready to be delivered. This short video (a little over 2 minutes) details the entire letterpress wedding invitation printing process:
Starting with the design on the computer, watch as an invitation is made into film, created into a letterpress plate, printed on the letterpress and then cut for the final presentation.
If you had any questions before about the whole process, hopefully this will answer them.
If you still want to know more, please feel free to email us at ajalon@ajalon.com or visit our media library for additional instructional videos and information.
I am fascinated by history. How common products were invented, where cultural trends originated from, and why we act in certain ways, are all products of an intense historical interaction that has become the world we know today.
Because I think letterpress is so interesting, I decided I wanted to write a (very) brief historical account of its invention and usage.
Contrary to popular Western belief, the Chinese were the first to invent block printing characters. These were used as a method for printing throughout Eurasia starting around 750 C.E. Johannes Gutenberg standardized and mechanized the practice in a more efficient manner around 1450 C.E. He developed what we now understand as the printing press. Presses have been modified, improved, sped up and digitized continuing from the first years of their creation until now.
Starting in the early 1990’s there was a resurgence of artisan and high quality letterpress printing in the United States. Craftsman and customers alike appreciated the quality and appearance of imprinted letterpress text. Combining digital technologies with letterpresses made in the 1950’s or before, printers have generated a handful of innovative techniques and beautiful new designs.
One of the largest markets that are requesting this vintage style of craftsmanship are weddings. Handcrafted letterpress wedding invitations cannot be matched for their unique texture and style. Our use of the latest in technologies make it possible to letterpress images that would previously have been difficult, or even impossible.
Youtube is one of the amazing inventions of this era. For any of you that are not familiar with the power of this device, simply go to www.youtube.com and search for any video, clip, speech or song you want and most likely there will be 10 million results.
I was looking for videos on printing and I came across this one. While it is a funny advertisement, it illustrates an interesting point. The written word is a powerful thing.
If you have seen the video, you should know that I do not think you should try this. It is a funny idea but probably would not work for long.
In an era of digital files, electronic mail and wifi, hand crafted and unique printing methods become even more impressionable. Physical properties of a business card can never be replaced by the digitized world of computers. The same goes for wedding invitations. A custom designed, exquisite letterpress wedding invitation is sure to be received with more joy than just a standard invitation. Letterpress offers the premier quality and texture that no other printing methods can offer.
I love technology. Using the internet as a resource to find interesting things has limitless possibilities. Today I was searching for information on green printing ideas and I happened upon this website that calculates the amount of energy you can save just by using recycled paper for your printing needs. It measures the difference between the two types of papers (recycled and non) in terms of trees, wastewater disposal, solid waste and CO2 emissions saved from entering our environment.
Based on the item and percent of recycled paper you are using in your printing (25, 50, 75 and 100%), it gives you an estimate of how many gallons, trees and BTU’s* you will be saving by using recycle paper.
It is quite extraordinary that it is so easy now to calculate the resources we are using from the environment in a very specific manner. We have the power to make a very direct impact in open and understandable ways.
For instance, if you order 1,000 pieces of letterhead and 500 business cards and use 100% post-consumer recycled paper, you will be saving nearly a fifth of a tree. That may not seem like much, but for nearly no extra cost and with a couple printing orders per year, that can add up quickly.
Using recycled paper for your printing needs is a small step, but if we all begin to change the way we shop, think and act, we can collectively help our environment in a positive way.
Something to think about:
According to the group Environmental Defense, if all of the magazines in the United States were printed with only 10% recycled paper, we could build a fence 1.8 meters high seven times across the US with the wood from the saved trees. Though realistically, it would probably be better to keep those trees rooted to help out the air supply
* British Thermal Unit (some technical term for energy)
I love this time of the year. The bold summer heat has not yet started and the spring rains are dying down. Northern California is beautiful in May, especially in picturesque Sonoma County wine country. The vineyards are starting to grown again and the hillsides surrounding this area are handsomely covered in rows of grapevines. Birds are chirping and flowers are blooming. This really is an amazing place to live.
If I had to use one word to describe this season it would be green. So many rolling hills with forests and fields that are sprawling with new grass and leaves, I see green everywhere around me. Most home’s front lawns are looking lush from the March showers and all the seeds that were waiting patiently in the ground are now beginning to peak out their heads to see what the world has to offer.
Organic life is the most important part of our environment. We must remember the plants that feed our bodies, clean and help our air and make our flower beds look so colorful too. This is where the inspiration for “tree-free” paper comes from. Cutting down precious trees to make paper is no longer a necessary practice since it’s possible to use 100% recycled cotton paper instead. Now it is customary to create exquisite style letterpress wedding invitations exclusively with recycled cotton paper.
According to World Watch Institute, producing one ton of paper requires 2-3 times that weight in trees and more water per ton of product than any other industry.
Using recycled rather than virgin fibers on average generates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution. Quite a savings!
If you are like me and care about the impact that we have upon the environment you may consider requesting 100% recycled cotton paper the next time you order letterpress printing.
Ladies, think back to when you were a little girl. Did you dream about how you wanted your wedding to be when you “grew up?” Chances are that dream has changed a bit, especially in a time when many people are feeling the economic crunch. Maybe you feel like you have to throw away those dreams of a beautiful, elegant wedding because it is too costly. This is just not true.
Here are some ways to reduce the cost of your wedding invitations:
Send out RSVP postcards instead of an RSVP card with envelope. You’ll save on the cost of the envelope and it will mail for postcard rate.
Why pay to line your envelopes, or assemble belly bands? Assembling them yourself is easy and cost effective.
Instead of having addresses printed on the invitation envelopes, consider hand addressing them yourself, or enlisting the help of others to address them. Which leads to my next tip:
Have an “addressing party.” Get some girlfriends with good handwriting together and have an afternoon where you address and stamp envelopes. Give each person a list of names and a nice pen, or two. Have snacks and drinks available (just be sure not to spill!), and have a good time. This is a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with your girlfriends.
Print only your invitation in two colors and the rest of your set in one color. Printing just one piece in two colors makes it the feature of the set.
I hope that these are ideas that will save you some money, while still allowing you to have the wedding you always dreamed of. You don’t need to spend your (or your parent’s) life savings on your wedding to create a memorable event for your guests.
Letterpress wedding invitations are a must have. You can actually feel and see the impression made into the paper, and you can choose from a wide range of paper, including organic, homemade and tree free.
When your guests receive a letterpressed invitation in the mail, it will feel more like a gift than an invitation. While letterpress offers a unique style, feel, depth and beauty that cannot be matched by other printing styles, it comes at an increased cost.
For those of you who cannot afford to get an entire letterpress wedding invitation set, there are several different options that still offer a high quality, personalized design and presentation that fit your budget.
Many brides are choosing to print portions of their letterpress invitation sets using a digital print method. Because of the reasonable cost and very professional look, printing with a digital press is an ideal choice for an RSVP card or map. You can use the same styles, fonts, paper color and ink color. Remember, the RSVP card is not something that is going to be saved as a keepsake, but a beautifully crafted letterpress invitation just might.
Spend money where it counts. If you want to save on the extras that’s ok.
The last wedding ceremony I attended was out of town in a church I had never been to. I neglected to google for directions before I left, and since it was the day of the wedding, it seemed no one was answering their cell, so finding the place was quite a hassle. In this modern age of computers and GPS navigation built into our cars and phones, bad directions should be a thing of the past. Unfortunately though, they are not.
Have you ever missed, or arrived late, to a wedding because of inaccurate or insufficient directions? Do you have difficulties understanding the short instructions included in most invitations on how to find the venue? When planning your wedding, be sure to avoid these problems by following a few simple rules:
It is important to include a directions card along with the invitation set. Out of town guests or those unfamiliar with the area will be thankful for the assistance. These inserts should not be photocopies, but should be printed on similar paper (if not the same) and in the same style as the rest of your invitations. Budget-conscious brides often opt to digitally print their direction cards.
Make the instructions as clear and understandable as possible. If it is a location that people are likely to miss or mix up, then include a small map of the specific area.
Include a complete address (including zip code) of the venue so those ”technologically inclined” guests can input the info into Google Maps or their favorite GPS gadget.
Don’t forget to print the name of the venue and the phone number on the directions card. Guests need to know both what to look for and how to call for directions if needed.
SUBSCRIBE VIA RSS
