Mice, this guest post is going directly to the awesome resources section. I now actually understand all the different decisions involved in ordering invitations, and in a minute, so will you. Please welcome Christine from the .cevd. shop and the pretty pretty paper blog, both longtime favorites of mine. She's holding forth today on all things paper.

Paper goods, yay! I am so happy that Mouse has invited me over to discuss my great obsessions, paper and ink. It was just so nice of her. So where do we start? Hmm, I guess at the beginning? My name is Christine and I design wedding invitations. It's a pretty good gig, if I do say so myself, but now on to you ... and your invitations.

There is a giant world of paper products out there and in the beginning it can be overwhelming. First there's printing methods--good God, they are seemingly never-ending. There is digital, flat, screen, letterpress, engraved and (though I hate to even bring it up) thermography. I'm
quite partial to digital, letterpress, and engraved invitations. Digital is super cost-effective, letterpress is just so pretty, and you can get no more elegant than engraved. But for reference, I'll go over a each method and give you a quick run-down of each.

Digital

It is UHmazing what one can do with an everyday ink-jet printer these days. I mean, it's ridiculous, actually, which is one of the reasons I like digital for invitations so much, especially if you are on a budget. You see, with every other printing method you are charged per color. This is because with every other printing method, each color takes its own run through the press, taking more time and costing more dollars. But with digital, it all prints at the same time and no one has to do any mixing of ink. Now, one thing that comes up a lot with my digital clients is printing white on to black or color paper. Printers don't print white. They assume the white in your files is just blank space, so if you are trying to print white on ANY color paper, it just isn't going to work. If you were desperate for some white text, you could throw down a background color and a lot of ink, and change your text to white--and then it will all work out pretty well.

Screen Printing

There are several different ways to screen print your invitations at home, or you can hire people to do it for you. Back when gocco supplies were, well, in existence, I was quite fond of screen-printed invitations. Now that the poor gocco has seemingly fallen off the planet, I've been struggling to find a replacement. So unless you are set up with super fine screens--and know what you're doing--I would say take your invites to your local screen printer and get them to do the heavy lifting (trust me, you will be MUCH happier with the results.)

Flat or Off-set Printing

Before quality digital came along, I was strictly an off-set type of girl (unless we were talking letterpress or engraving, but we weren't, so you know what I mean). You get the bonus of actual ink being laid down on paper (not toner, but INK, the kind that smells like art class) without a ton of cost. But to be honest with you, with the ink-jet printers producing as well as they do these days, I hardly ever find myself going with off-set. AND, I've found that my ink-jet is capable of taking thicker card stock than your average off-set machine, which is of great importance to me. However, with off-set printing, you can lay down white and metallic ink on color paper. So there is that.

Letterpress

This is by far the most popular way to go when wedding invitations are concerned. There is just something about the texture and the nature of letterpress papers that seems to bring out a guttural reaction in most people. Oohs and ahhs always accompany touching any letterpressed goodness and I gotta say, they are all well-earned. It's true that letterpress is pricey, but it is also true that letterpress is a ton of work. There are plates to be made, inks to be mixed, presses to be set, paper to be cut and precision to be obtained. But in the end i find almost nothing more satisfying than a thick cotton paper with the deep(ish) impressions of letterpress.

Engraving

This means the letters pop up from the paper, as opposed to letterpress, where they sink in. Engraving lends itself to finer lines and more delicate scripts, making it the perfect contender for the most traditional of weddings. In fact (at least here in the South) grey engraved ink on white paper is the ONLY way to go, traditionally speaking. Engraving is the most expensive of the options, but as with letterpress there is a ton of work that goes in to each and every piece.

Oh, and I almost forgot: thermography. Basically it's fake engraving, and as a purist I cannot accept it. To me it is like carrying around a fake designer bag, so.not.right. But I'm pretty sure that I am in the minority here and you should take that however you see fit.

P.S. From Mouse: my spellchecker doesn't even believe that thermography is a real word. So there's two strikes! Ha ha.