A consultation is a great way for me to learn all about a couple and their wedding day vision. But, it’s a great time for them to ask me questions, too. Often times, brides and grooms are completely in the dark when it comes to wedding stationery and have no idea where to begin. When I ask them if they have printing preferences, they have no idea what the difference between digital printing and letterpress is. Other times, my brides will come to me with a very clear vision and already know that they want a two-color letterpress on a duplex stock with a wax seal. It’s part of my job to educate, so I come to all consultations with my paper swatches, color books and Pantone decks. You’d be surprised at how many options there are!

We’ve already talked about our custom design process, and how we go through the production stage, but I really want to talk in depth about your printing options.

 

 

What is digital printing?
The majority of our wedding invitations are digitally printed, thanks to it’s unlimited number of color choices.  Digital printing is what gives our watercolor invitations their textural details;  we can’t achieve this look with letterpress printing, for example.  On the technical side of things, digital printers transfer four colors of ink (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to paper all at the same time, making a full color print after only one pass through the printer — which means that each invitation takes less time to print, so it’s less expensive to make than any other print method.  Unlike letterpress, which leaves a relief impression, digital printing produces a flat image.

 

Digital Printing Wedding Invitations

 

What is letterpress printing?
Letterpress printing is a gorgeous, vintage process in which a copper plate is made and literally pressed into the paper to create resulting a wonderfully textured impression.  It’s a labor intensive process, so it’s more expensive, and is slightly prohibitive because a new plate is made for each color and image that you want to use.  A new plate and press run is required for each color in the design, so adding a second and third ink color can make already pricey letterpress printing even more expensive.  And, because the design must be created from line art, you won’t see any subtle color changes and design variations that you’d see with digital printing. Letterpress printing is ideal for typographical designs.

We most commonly see 1-color and 2-color letterpress invitations.  Below, we designed a 1-color letterpress invitation (black ink) with a digital print background design (the gold and pink hexagon design elements).

Pink Digital and Black Letterpress Wedding Invitations

 

What is foil stamping?
Foil-stamping adds a high shine factor and a super special touch – it can be used on its own to create a beautiful effect or combined with digital printing for an extra shine.  It’s the only way we can achieve an actual metallic effect to your paper goods, too!  In foil stamping, pigment or metallic foil (usually gold or silver) is applied to paper using a heated die. The foil is pressed into the surface,  capturing the design of the die on the paper in fine detail and perfect accuracy.

Silver Foil Wedding Invitations with Digital Printing Text

 

What are die cuts?  Edge painting?  What’s duplexing?
Want your invitations in the shape of a heart or round wedding menus to sit on chargers at your reception?? You’ll be needing a custom die cut.

We think our paper is already nice and thick, but if you want to go the ultra luxe route then consider duplexing it.  Duplexing is when 2 sheets of thick stock are glued together to give a double-thick result. This would take a 110# paper to 220#!  If you are printing on a double-thick stock, consider edge-painting — when we paint the edges of your paper! – to add a bright or metallic color to the edges of the card. It’s such a pretty way to add color to your invitation.  You can also use duplexing to combine a two different colors of card stock, like white and black, to create major impact on both the front and back of an invitation.

Watercolor Digital Print Invitation

 If you’re interested in being a #blushbride, we’d love to hear more about you and your wedding!

Please contact us and we’ll be in touch shortly. We want you to la-la-love your invites as much as we do!