Letterpress Sale Ending This Week at Invitations by Ajalon

Hurry! Offer ends on July 31st.

National Stationery Show (NSS) Spotlight: Smock Letterpress

I was sick as a dog a few weeks ago and totally missed the National Stationery Show. I was so disappointed. But I have the booth list and I want to spotlight some of my favorites invitation companies this week. So if you are still looking for your invitations, check out who I think is hot - all this week!

First up is Smock Letterpress. Love them! This was the amazing NSS invitation that they sent to me.



I have been a big fan of Smock for quite some time. Probably because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE letterpress. If you can afford letterpress, do it! For me, it just raises the bar to send your guests an amazing invitation on the crispest of white card stock carefully printed on a fab letterpress machine. Here are some of my favs:

Letterpress Love: Bella Figura

I am a letterpress nut. I absolutely adore letterpress. It is just the most perfect introduction for any event. Bella Figura has been one of my favorite invitation design firms forever. They have the most beautiful and creative designs. If you want to announce your special day in high style, then choose letterpress. You can see their entire invitation gallery here.

Announcing the Day: Ajalon Printing & Design

I so love letterpress. I know it is expensive but I totally think that it is worth it. So feast your eyes on these gorgeous invitations by Ajalon Printing & Design. Your invitation is more than just paper. It really says a lot about you and your future husband not to mention it gives folks an idea about what kind of festivities you have in store. Go ahead and splurge.

Letterpress Goodness: Letterpress Light

Letterpress fans, it is our last day of Letterpress Goodness! Awwwwww....


Today's spotlight in on Letterpress Light, run by the ingenious Heather Noss. Here is her lovely interview and wonderful pictures of her fab work. Enjoy and you can contact Heather via the link above.

What is the name of your business? How long have you been in business?
My business is called Letterpress Light. I have been in business for 4 months selling on Etsy. I use a process that reproduces the wonderful recessed texture of letterpress printing, but I don't use a letterpress printing press (hence the name Letterpress "Light"). I do make my own photopolymer plates from my original designs, but press them un-inked over prints produced by regular flat printing. The greatest advantage of this method is that there is no difference for me time-wise as far as the number of colors that can be used in a design.



What is your name, title, and role in the business?
Heather Noss, Owner & Artist. I am a one-person business, so I do everything!

What made you want to start your own business, if applicable?
I was in the Foreign Service for seven years, which I loved for the years I did it, but came to realize that moving so much and working for a large bureaucracy was not for me anymore. I also couldn't deny my creative side! I love having my own business because I am building something new, while providing a creative product that I hope makes people happy. I am a self-taught designer, so it's also been a joy to expand those skills and see the positive reaction to what I am producing in my clients.




What paper products do you offer? What is your price range?
I produce cards, wedding invitations and other wedding stationery, party invitations, baby announcements, and thank you cards. Prices for wedding sets start at $4.50 per set, which includes invitation/envelope and RSVP card/envelope, both with return address printed.


What is your typical work day like?
I'm still working out my typical work day, but generally I get up around 9 am and start work right away. Since my business is all online, I check emails and respond to inquiries while I am eating breakfast (I know probably not a good habit!). I spend part of my morning taking care of any business housekeeping that I need to do, and then work on orders until mid-afternoon. At that point I've been trying to keep my new year's resolution of going to the gym! After I get back, I work for a few more hours, perhaps making plates or doing more online correspondence. I usually call it a night by 9 pm.



Do you do custom work? Tell me a little about your custom design process? How long do custom orders usually take to complete?
All of the designs on my website can be made done in any color and font combination. I also do custom designs, which involves getting an idea from the client about the look and feel they are going for, and if they already have specific ideas about what they would like the design to contain. For a truly new design, clients should allow at least three weeks for the design process, and after that my usual timeframe for printing an order (anywhere from 2-5 weeks depending on quantities needed and other factors).

What advice would you give to brides who want letterpressed invitations?
I am not a regular letterpress printer, but from what I have observed of other shops, I think it really pays to shop around. Like any business, letterpress printers will vary in terms of their business costs and their skill level, resulting in differences in price and quality. I would find a printer who is going to work with you on an individual basis to give you what you want. Speaking for myself, I am always ready to work with a client's budget, and can offer mixed sets, such as a set of pressed invitations but with just flat-printed (non-pressed) RSVP cards for a lower price.

What makes products created by letterpress so special?
For me, it's all about texture! That's what motivated me to create a process that reproduces the texture – there's just something about that depth that letterpress pieces have. For wedding pieces in particular, you know that the invitations people receive are not something they are just going to throw away.



If you could design wedding invitations for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Oprah! But unfortunately, it doesn't look like she's marriage-minded!

Where do you go for inspiration?
I get the best inspiration from my clients. I love how collaborative the process is, and I like having someone in mind when I'm designing. My most popular wedding design was the result of working on the design with a client, so I know that for me it's the best method to come up with new ideas!




What trends do you see emerging in letterpress/invitation design in 2009?
Letterpress "Light" of course!



What is your favorite typeface and pantone color?
I really like Windsong for people's names, and as far as pantone color, I am crazy for any shade of purple – lately I've had to force myself to produce samples for my site in something other than purple!

Letterpress Goodness: Smock

Letterpress fans, welcome to day 4 in our Letterpress Goodness series. Each day, we are spotlighting a letterpress studio that is creating amazing letterpress fabulousness.



Today's spotlight in on smock. Amy Stigler is the Creative Director @ smock and tells her story of life and letterpress. Here's her lovely interview and amazing pictures. Enjoy and you can contact Amy via the link above.

What is the name of your business? How long have you been in business?
Smock. Smock was launched in 2008. It is a sister company to Bella Figura which I have been designing for since its inception in 2003.




What is your name, title, and role in the business?
Amy Graham Stigler. Designer / Creative Director. I design & concept the Smock line of stationery, paper products and invitations.




What makes you do what you do?
I have always been a very visual person and fell in love with the beauty & texture of letterpress while in graduate school in the mid 90s. I have been designing letterpress stationery ever since (first with Snow & Graham, then with Bella Figura, now with Bella Figura & Smock).

What paper products do you offer? What is your price range?
Smock has both a stationery line and an invitation line. Our note cards, greeting cards & wrapping paper can be purchased in stores throughout the country or online (see smockpaper.com for list of retailers). Our wedding invitation line is semi-custom -- a client starts with one of our many designs and then customizes its with color, pattern, paper, to make it unique to the event. Our prices are competitive with other letterpress lines.

What is your typical work day like?
My ideal work day starts with running and yoga (after getting the kids fed, dressed and squared away). Then I hit the computer and really spend most of my day designing & concepting the Smock line. One thing I always do when I am concepting a design is to make a quick 'sketch' and sit with it for a day or so to see if it warrants further development. Many designs never make it past this stage. Other than that, I do the more banal business stuff -- pay bills, return emails, order supplies, tidy up my desk (endlessly!).



Do you do custom work? Tell me a little about your custom design process? How long do custom orders usually take to complete?
I don't do a lot of custom work at this point since designing for Smock really takes up so much of my time. One thing that I do offer to clients is the ability to work off of the Smock Wedding Book and customize from there. Because the book has so much depth the design possibilities are nearly limitless.

What advice would you give to brides who want letterpressed invitations?
Look, look, look. And touch. Start with the designer/designs you love and then educate yourself about the company -- quality of their printing, materials used, pricing, philosophy, customer service, and so on.

What makes products created by letterpress so special?
The texture and three dimensionality of letterpress is completely unique. And often letterpress companies are smaller and more conscientious -- environmentally and otherwise.




If you could design wedding invitations for anyone in the world, who would it be?
My daughter (when her time comes).

Where do you go for inspiration?
I glean inspiration from just about anything -- nature, art, antiques.




What trends do you see emerging in letterpress/invitation design in 2009?
Bold color combinations. I am also seeing an interest in more traditional understated designs.

What is your favorite typeface and pantone color?
My consistent favorite typeface is Bell MT. Favorite Pantone: 5523 (soft blue-green).

Letterpress Goodness: Golden Rectangle Press

Letterpress fans, welcome to day 3 in our Letterpress Goodness series. Each day, we are spotlighting a letterpress studio that is creating amazing letterpress fabulousness.


Today's spotlight in on Golden Rectangle Press, run by the dynamic duo - Beth and Peter. So here is their lovely interview and fab pics. Enjoy and you can contact Beth and Peter via the link above.

What is the name of your business? How long have you been in business?
My husband Peter and I are Golden Rectangle Press and we have been designing and printing invitations and stationery together for 2 years. Before Peter came along, I had been creating wedding invitations since 2003.

What is your name, title, and role in the business?
Beth McGouran, co-owner, designer, letterpress printer. Peter is the screen printing extraordinaire, art editor, and the balancing influence in keeping a number of the designs male-friendly.



What made you want to start your own business, if applicable?
We've been creating together since we met so the transition to our own company seemed like a natural step and we wouldn't have it any other way. When you work for someone else, you start to lose bits of your soul. For some people, it may be small bits here and there, but I always feel that I get very far away from myself. My design career has given me a lot– most importantly– invaluable experience working with tons of clients and different personalities.

But for a long time, I have had a very strong desire to design pieces that I have more of a connection to; pieces with more meaning and emotion. I love the idea of creating something that marks an historical moment in someone's life. Something that they will keep forever. I still have my parents' wedding invitation and I consider it a priceless piece. Whether or not the couple remembers me personally is unimportant. The fact that they'll have a part of something that I made for them is very exciting. And it's all about love. How great is that?


What paper products do you offer?
We love the Neena line and use it a lot. We also favor Crane's Lettra, Mohawk and Strathmore. Our list is always expanding because we both love paper and the scope of products to choose from is enormous.

What is your price range?
Our suites start at $8.50 per set and vary according to designs, number of colors and extras like metallic inks and lined envelopes. We are in love with lined envelopes!

What is your typical work day like?
What is a typical work day?! When you work for yourself, you learn to expect the unexpected and go with the flow, not the undertow. Cliche but true!

Do you do custom work? Tell me a little about your custom design process? How long do custom orders usually take to complete?
After initial concepts and ideas are discussed, it takes about 3-5 days to flesh out design solutions. From there, the couple chooses between the designs and can mix and match elements from one piece to the next. The length of the design process depends a lot on the couple. Some are very hands on which is great because they get to be a part of their invitation design, but it also lengthens the process so it's important to allow enough time. After design sign off, we allot 3-4 weeks for printing.



What advice would you give to brides who want letterpressed invitations?
If you can afford it, do it! Letterpressed invitations are so magical, you can't help staring at them and running your fingers over the impressions. We fondle them constantly! You can't get that kind of timelessness and elegance from offset no matter how beautiful the design is.

What makes products created by letterpress so special?
Letterpress provides both a human connection and a connection to a piece of history before technology depersonalized everything. Our connections to one another through email, Facebook, text messaging and the Internet have boiled down to pixels. Our links to each other are most predominant in computerland which makes them seem less real, and when one device makes another obsolete those moments of connection are gone with them. Computers and printers can be wonderful creation tools but when it ends there, the human element is removed. When you hold a letterpress print in your hand, you are connected to the person who made that print using their hands, arms, legs, entire body, their love, their patience, and the oldest method of printing. There's a lot of soul in that.





If you could design wedding invitations for anyone in the world, who would it be?
If we could time warp into the past, we would create invites for any of the great artistic geniuses whose work could become part of the imagery or wording. daVinci, Picasso, Mucha, Klimt, Haring, cummings, Auden. Any of the classic type designers and patternmakers. John & Yoko!

Where do you go for inspiration?
Everywhere- architecture, photographs, music, posters, screen prints, and nature. Creative souls are inspiring.




What trends do you see emerging in letterpress/invitation design in 2009?
It depends on what the press says (no pun intended!). Someone will always publicize the latest trend and everyone quickly hops on that train. In work and in life, neither one of us typically follows trends but a good trend that is on the rise is the use of recycled and green products. Let's keep our earthly time capsule alive and breathing.

What is your favorite typeface and pantone color?
We mostly work with the classic typefaces or anything that looks very classic and refined. We try to stay away from type with a major swank factor. Colorwise, we favor a lot of the warmer Pantones in the red and brown families. We also love metallics.