Wedding Invitation Tips

Let’s have a conversation about wedding invitations. When selecting invitations, there are a variety of printing options to choose from. Here’s a little overview to help you figure it all out.

DIGITAL PRINTING

Digital printing offers the most versatility for colorful designs. For small quantities (up to a few hundred) it is generally the most economical printing method and is also usually the fastest in terms of production time. The result of this printing method is crisp, high quality, flat text and images. Digital printing can be used for everything from save-the-dates to invitations to day-of items, like programs, menu cards and signage.

THERMOGRAPHY

Thermography printing features raised ink and provides a beautiful tactile experience similar to engraving, but at a much lower price point. First, the ink is applied to the paper and then a resin that adheres to the ink is added followed by a heating process that creates the raised form.

FOIL STAMPING

Foil stamping is a great way to add elegance and glitz to any invitation. It can be paired with other printing methods, such as digital, for a stunning accent. Foil can be a metallic color, such as gold or silver, which are colors that cannot be easily achieved with digital printing. But foil stamping is not limited to metallics – there are shiny and matte foils in a huge variety of colors. In order to apply the foil, a metal plate of the design is created and then is used with heat and pressure to transfer the foil design to the paper. There are normally slight indentations around the foil pressed elements. The foil stamping process is more complex than digital printing and therefore costs more.

LETTERPRESS

What’s old is new. Letterpress printing was used by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1400s and has once again surged in popularity. As with foil stamping, a metal plate of the design is created. A nice, thick, soft cotton paper is ideal for pressing the pre-inked image into it, leaving a deep, pillowy impression on the paper. The result of this process is stunning and beautiful. Each color used in a design must be pressed separately, so commonly no more than three colors are used in a design. Due to the labor-intensive nature of this technique, the prices can run a bit higher than digital or thermography printing methods.

ENGRAVING

Engraving is similar to Letterpress and involves applying ink to paper by pressing an inked metal plate into the paper. While letter pressing involves pressing the paper into the top of the paper, creating an indent, engraving results in a raised impression. Engraving requires more skill and more time and is therefore more expensive. Typically, people opt for the much less expensive thermography to achieve that raised ink look and feel.

Ready to order your wedding invitations or simply have questions about where to start? Contact Debbie Cohn at Letter Art debbie@letterartonline.com