The Perfect Usage of the Letterpress Wedding Invitation Cards

Letterpress was invented by Johannes Gutenberg more than five hundred years ago. It was first used in printing the Bible. Since then it has evolved a lot. Designing a wedding card can be a fun or a stressful process. Everyone wants a wedding card designed in such a way that all the guests remember it for years. Most of them are aware of the method letterpress printing.  In this method, a raised surface is first inked and then pressed into a piece of paper giving it a three-dimensional texture. It not only looks good but it also feels good too. Each letterpress wedding invitations cards are done individually. It allows for a slight change that makes each card a unique one. 

Anyone who has shopped for a wedding card knows that it is a hectic affair. Choosing from a variety of printing process which includes digital, embossed, offset and many more is a task altogether. Someone might want an elegant and classic style but cannot understand which process to opt for. This is when letterpress comes to help. Letterpress printing is an elegant and classic way to invite guests to a formal party. Almost every brides and groom consider this method for the invitation for their guests. It is a classy way to print a wedding card, programmes, menu cards, order services as well as reply cards and thank you notes. One of the main reasons is a couple opt for this printing because it gives a deep impression. Any other kind of printing techniques cannot really have such kind of deep impression.

Expensive- The letterpress printing is an artisan craft. It totally depends on the skill of a laborer. The plate which is used to press the text is also included in the cost price. Labor costs are also included in it. Each piece of the stationery requires the press to be torn and set up again. Even, the printer goes through the same breakdown and set up the process for each ink color. The printers hand feed the papers into the press. The press cannot be done from an ordinary shop that is the reason why letterpress wedding invitations are so costly. They are operated and owned by artists who do the design and printing work also. This means that the customer is not only paying for the printing cards but also for the layout and design.

Paper used- A variety of paper can be used to this print method. Many printers and couples want the idea of 100% cotton papers, as it will be soft in nature. The softness of the paper allows for a crisp printing to look and feel good. Besides this paper do not contain any wood fiber. So letterpress print method can be eco-friendly also. Recycled and organic papers are mainly used for a letterpress invitation.

Time needed- The time needed to print a letterpress totally depends on the company. A small mom and pop printers take up to 5 to 7 weeks to deliver the final product. A larger company can print the wedding cards and invitation within few days. Since an invite should be sent before a month of the big day, the order should be placed in advance. At least 3 months before the wedding date the order should be done with all correct information. Always take one of the prints to the post office to be weighed. This way the couples will know the amount of postage that will be needed.

However, the couple should be very careful while choosing the printer. First, they should try to order for a sample printing before going for the bulk printing. This will help them to understand the quality of the printing. If a couple wants to print photos in the cards they cannot do it in this process. In a letterpress printing, no photos can be printed. Still, if they want their photos to be printed they have to go for some other printing processes also.

Conclusion

The wedding invitation is the core foundation of the wedding ceremony. The invitation is the first glimpse the guests will get about the occasion. There is nothing more beautiful than letterpress wedding invitations, making it a perfect choice for the special affair.

Facts About Letterpress Printing

Letterpress has been replaced by offset printing for most purposes, but not all. When it comes to elegance, letterpress printing still commands a price. People love to print wedding and other invitations, business cards etc in letterpress. The gravity of those elegant impressions surpasses the levity of offset printing. Despite being expensive, people love to flaunt those impressions on cards that signify defining moments in their lives. It evokes a sense of nostalgia. The engravings convey a message and the events are etched in the memory of recipients. Letterpress printing can be the perfect solution to your printing needs whether it is wedding invitation, business car printing or something else. 

Types of Letterpress Print

The Letterpress printed material boasts of tangible prints. There are various ways in which such tangible prints can be imprinted on papers. Simply speaking there are various types of such prints. Letters can be embossed, debossed or blind. Your preference and significance of the occasion or purpose are the two things that determine the type of print. So the letters may have a stamping effect with a raised texture or a depressed texture. The raised letters are known as embossed ones and the depressed letters are known as debossed ones.

Embossed Printing

To print such letters the letters are pressed upwards from backside. It obviously leaves a debossing effect on the backside and an embossing effect on the upper side. 

Debossed Printing

In such prints the letters are pressed from the upper side. Like in embossing effect this also produces a debossing on the uppeside and an embossing effect on the backside.

Blind Printing

In this type of printing, ink is used to produce the effect. So what you get is just an impression of letters in ink. There is no effect on the opposite side. This is the type of letterpress print that most people look for. 

The letterpress print evokes a sense of proximity to the recipient be it a business card, an invitation or anything else. You can create a number of different effects with the help of letterpress print. Each of them has a different appeal. Most people prefer the debossed or embossed prints for printing items like visiting cards. On the other hand, the blind effect is popular in wedding cards and other invitation cards. 

Contemporary Letterpress

Though the print has kept its nostalgic flavor intact, the method of printing has undergone a sea change. Printers no longer use the wooden or metal blocks for letterpress printing. Instead they use polymer plates which can be carved out in different forms and colors. The polymer plates are prepared separately for different sets of letters. This is done photographically. In the first stage the letters and the embellishments are designed in computer. Yes, this is now done in computer. This obviously widens the scope for designs and embellishments. After the design is finalized, a printout of the same is taken on a film. This is then used a negative photographic plate for developing the polymer plate. Next a polymer plate is taken and it is dipped in a water-soluble and light-sensitive synthetic material. It is then kept against a clear support and the negative film is kept in front of it. Next, UV light is made to pass through the film and onto the polymer plate. As a result, the portion of the plate that is exposed to the UV light gets hardened up, and the rest of the material is washed away. The hardened portions of the plate become raised surfaces and give shape to the letters, ornaments and designs. The polymer plate is now ready to print embossed, debossed or blind letterpress printed material on invitation cards, greetings cards, business cards etc. If you need the same material in different colors, you need to prepare different plates for different colors.

Owing to the use of computer in designing, you can have rich designs, patterns and ornaments on the cards. This enhances the beauty of the card. You can also get exquisitely designed letters through computer.

Requirements of Good Letterpress Printing

You need good quality tactile paper with rich texture for Letterpress Printing. This is all the more required for the embossing and debossing effects rather than for the blind printing effect. You also need to design the photographic plate in good resolution. Otherwise, the debossing or embossing effect won't be clear.

Think About Finishing Processes of Blind Embossing

Decorating is a particular sort of printing where the printed words are raised over the surface of the paper. This is a sort of three dimensional printing much like debossing. The contrast amongst debossing and emblazoning is inconspicuous. While debossing makes the words depressed from the level of the paper, embellishing makes the words raised over the level of the paper.

Daze Embossing

Emblazoning should be possible with ink and in addition without ink. On the off chance that blind embossing is managed without ink it is known as visually impaired decorating. Such embellishing interests to unpretentious tactile observations. Individuals fall back on such printing when they would prefer not to feature the words, however need individuals to have an unpretentious reference to it.

The Finishing Process

The way toward decorating is done with the assistance of two kicks the bucket. The paper to be embellished is kept between the two kicks the bucket and weight is connected on it. The two passes on are so planned and engraved that one fits into the notches of the other flawlessly. Here weight is connected on the raised kick the bucket so it gradually presses the paper into the furrows of the recessed bite the dust. Warmth is additionally connected on the load of paper to make it more agreeable to weight. Warmth likewise helps in giving it a changeless shape.

The Effect

Dazzle embellishing makes an optical dream. The raised 'letterpress australia' regularly appear to be littler than they truly are. To adjust for this decreased size the extent of the letters in the pass on or the profundity of the kick the bucket should be more than that coveted on the paper. Another strategy that printers now and again fall back on is the utilization of an uneven bite the dust. This will offer ascent to an unevenly raised surface which will pull in more consideration from the beneficiary of the decorated card.

Line dividing is a critical parameter of decorating. On the off chance that line separating isn't measured painstakingly at that point letters may not shape particularly. The style of decorating and also work of art must be particularly set around the client. The plan same must be painstakingly engraved on the bite the dust with due thought for loss of room because of decorating.