Digby & Rose

Custom Design Letterpress Business Card (Case Study)

Something Vintage Rentals

We had the pleasure of meeting Dawn, the owner of Something Vintage Rentals, on the phone one day last month. She has started an antique china, tea cups and décor business on her own and asked if we could letterpress print her business cards. The original design consisted of 4 dots and with the last dot containing a negative space of a tea cup. After talking on the phone for 30 minutes and understanding what she was trying to do with her business and design, she agreed to have us alter the design in order to fit her and the image of her business.

Courtesy of Something Vintage Rentals

Custom Letterpress Business Card

As the inspiration from them comes in part from the background of her company’s website we used the needle point work design on her letterpress business card. This was done for a couple of reasons, but the main reason is that letterpress designs lend itself well to negative space. It is that space that creates the texture and the uniqueness of the cards, plus this card has such fine details, it is our experience to know that the cotton fibers would break down a bit, leaving a softer feel around the edges. Although the client still wanted the four dots to remain on her website, she did fill up that space with the doily pattern and changed out the color to teal.

For Dawn Crothers Cimino of Something Vintage Rentals, they say that she pays attention to detail, that she loves pretty things, that she has a collection of antique china, tea cups and décor for rent for you next engaging affair.

Letterpress Business Card Details

Standard size business card: 2 X 3.5 Inches
Paper: 100% Cotton, White
Ink: 1 Color, Teal
Design by: Digby & Rose

Business cards are like small ambassadors. The question is, “What does yours say about you?” To upgrade your image, get in touch and let’s see what we can do for you.

Posted in Business Cards, Sample Designs

10 Best Online Wedding Invitation Stores

Searching for the best wedding invitation store to design your luxury wedding invitations, wedding stationery, and even your save the date cards can be a challenge, especially if you’re not a graphic artist with an intimate knowledge of letterpress and foil stamp printing processes and limitations. Digby & Rose has put together a list of the top 10 luxury wedding invitation stores to help relieve some of the stress of searching the vast online space for that one perfect place that has all the design, communication, customer service and printing skills necessary to do the job. Whether it’s cotton, bamboo, silk or wood, the feel of the invitation is as important as the look. Bringing a custom wedding invitation to life takes not only design skills, but experience with new and antique printing and finishing methods. Invitations send an important message about the wedding, and that message changes based on the design of the typography, the size and shape, and the finishing details. For those going for elegant simplicity, it can easily be achieved by using a large formal size letterpress invitation with matching letterpress RSVP, reception card and envelopes, all designed around a clean balanced typography. For something more, there’s silk boxes, ribbons, ties, envelope liners, inner and outer envelopes, calligraphy, matching postage stamps, die cut shapes for the invitation and envelopes, pocketfolds, belly bands, faux jewelry clips and custom designed laser cut wraps.

10 Questions to Ask The Online Store Before You Buy

1. Can you customize any design to fit my style? If so, how much will it cost?
2. What is the turnaround from print approval to receiving my invitations?
3. Do you have an in house design staff? What’s the hourly rate?
4. Can you make the wedding day paper and thank you notes and can I order them after I receive my invites?
5. How long does it take to get my first proof?
6. If I need to make changes, how long does it take before I see them?
7. How many changes can I make to the text before I incur a fee?
8. Will you be able to help me with the wording on the invitation and reply card?
9. Can I assemble, tie and/or glue the pieces in order to save money?
10. What’s your favorite font?

1. Digby & Rose Wedding Invitations

Website: Click Here for Digby & Rose
3711 Macomb St NW
Suite #4
Washington, DC 20016
Phone: 202-652-1556

Digby & Rose is a Washington D.C. luxury wedding invitation company that prides itself in its personal service and a love for typography that is unmatched. Owner Heather Noss began Digby & Rose in 2008 after serving seven years as a U.S. diplomat overseas. She has been nurturing a secret love of paper and fonts since she was 8 years old which led her to invent the company’s own printing process called Letterpress Light. Unique only to Digby & Rose, this process creates deeper impressions in the paper than regular letterpress. Their wide selection of design options can be fitted to each client’s style. Their work has been recognized by the Washingtonian, Style Me Pretty and Brides magazines and was voted by the users of The Knot, The 2012 Best of Weddings Pick. A Digby & Rose invitation have announced some of the best events on the planet and has included Grammy winners, diplomats, and more. Each order is a custom price quote, but the most basic order (one color letterpress invitation and reply card with two flat printed envelopes) for 100 invitations starts at $650. Moving to something more formal in size, RSVP cards and inserts, more letterpress colors, foil stamps and a heavier paper the average cost for 100 luxury wedding invitations is $2800.

2. Lela New York Luxury Invitation and Stationery Design

Website: Click Here for Lela
192 Lexington Avenue, Second Floor
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-802-1438

Lela New York is an award winning design studio that focuses on luxury wedding invitations. They sell boxed invitations that are covered in fabric with unique decorations specifically designed for each client. Their classic stationery invitations are printed on high quality paper and are designed to the client’s specifications. Although every order is custom, prices are based on 100 sets. The classic envelopes range from $13.50 – $28.00 and the fabric and box sets range from $28 – $90. Lela New York is based in New York, but they work with clients worldwide including celebrities and royalty. They have been featured in Brides Magazine, The Knot and the New York Post.

3. Elum Designs

Website: Click Here for Elum Designs
4650 Overland Avenue
San Diego, CA 92123-1259
Phone: 858-650-3586

With high-style modern designs and sumptuous materials, they have revitalized the centuries old art form of letterpress printing. Their collection of letterpress wedding invitations, letterpress invitations, letterpress stationery and designer paper products features custom artwork that reflects the most current trends in the world of design and fashion. They offer the bride to be the ability to order directly from their site or visit one of their resellers to find the perfect wedding invitation. In addition to wedding invitations they also offer special occasion invitations such as bar mitzvah invitations, bat mitzvah invitations, custom party invitations, save the date cards and baby announcements.

4. Hannah Handmade

Website: Click Here for Hannah Handmade
1330 Sherman Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 847-864-8292

Andrea Liss founded Hannah Handmade in 1991, and has grown the company from a small one-woman operation to a trend-setting leader in the stationery industry. They have taken on many types of custom projects ranging from stationery ensembles for weddings and social events to corporate and non-profit invitations. Andrea draws upon her 20-plus years as a professional designer to bring her clients the very best in both style and substance to make that special day something you will remember for a lifetime. Andrea has designed some beautiful invitations for companies such as The Art Institute of Chicago, Auburn University, BP, BizBash Media, Blue Plate Catering, Campbell Soup Company, Catalyst Exhibits, Merrill Lynch, and McDonald’s.

5. Beyond Inviting Couture

Website: Click Here for Beyond Inviting Couture
La Costa, California
Phone: 760-436-5722

Since 2003, Beyond Inviting Couture has been creating custom invitations that epitomize luxury. Created by Karyn Dunn and based in San Diego, Beyond Inviting Couture offers an almost unlimited number of design options from simple to extravagant. Their wedding invitations are made with the highest quality cardstock and textured paper. They can be further decorated with extras such as brooches and ribbons. These special touches are what clients can expect of a Beyond Inviting Couture wedding invitation. They also offer a variety of printing options, such as letterpress, engraving and embossing, which further individualizes the finished product. Prices are based on each order because of their uniqueness, but the minimum order is $2000.

6. Chin Chin Papers

Website: Click Here for Chin Chin Papers
Phone: 1-800-573-0906

Chin Chin Papers will create invitations to match each client’s vision of their event. Started by Renee Rodriguez, this couture invitation company designs romantic cards inspired by fashion, the social life in Paris, historic art and modern design. Chin Chin Papers offers a variety of printing options including letterpress, thermography, calligraphy and digital printing to match the theme of each order. Invitations can be presented in an invitation box and can be decorated with paper flowers, brooches, jewels, and satin ribbons. They have a couture collection for those wanting the extravagant and a signature collection for those with simple and elegant taste.

7. Smock Paper

Website: Click Here for Smock Paper
509 W Fayette St,
Syracuse, NY 13204
Phone: 800-5949845

Their print shop includes 20 antique presses, 50 tons of equipment, and 17 employees. Their print shop resides west of downtown in the Delavan Center which also houses some of Syracuse’s best painters, photographers, sculptors, and ceramists, as well as Syracuse’s largest art gallery.

Smock’s creative director and designer Amy Graham Stigler’s love for beautiful and beautifully made things, dates back to her childhood in Wisconsin, where she spent her time running from pillar to post, exploring and sketching the minutiae of nature. Her childhood love of art and books eventually turned into a profession: she studied art history while working at the Art Institute of Chicago and The Museum of Contemporary Art.

The team at Smock Paper describe themselves as “faithful lovers of historic craft with letterpress ink in our veins.” Their designers and printers believe in the creation of beautiful things.

8. Luxe Expressions

Website: Click Here for Luxe Expressions
Atlanta, Georgia
Phone: 770-424-6192

Debra Saba, the founder of Luxe Expressions, creates designs inspired by her world travels. With a background in graphic design and journalism, each couture invitation makes a statement about who the client is. They are printed on the best cotton paper with letterpress, engraving or lithography. Each invitation can be adorned with decorations, fabric and ribbons. All their materials are eco-friendly. Clients can design a completely unique invitation or they can choose from designs on the website. Each invitation set includes the invitation, mailing envelope, and response card and envelope. They are all made to feel like a gift for the recipient opening it. The minimum order is 50 pieces.

9. Clover Creek

Website: Click Here for Clover Creek
69 Sea Meadow Drive
South Dennis, Massachusetts 02660
Phone: 508-259-0696

Clover Creek can create invitations for all individual tastes. They are an eco-friendly company that uses paper from renewable plants rather than trees. Featured in magazines such as Town & Country, Clover Creek offers unique touches that set them apart. Not only are their invitations decorated with rhinestones, pearls and charms, but clients have the option of natural items such as dried flowers, leaves and seashells. The envelopes are sealed with monogrammed wax as a special finishing touch. With a wide variety of printing methods such as letterpress and copper engraving, clients are ensured a completely individualized wedding invitation.

10. Elegant Custom Invitations

Website: Click Here for ECI
2620 Fountainview Drive
Suite 201
Houston, Texas 77057
Phone: 713-408-9407

Located in Houston, Texas, Elegant Custom Invitations design wedding invitations that meet all the customer’s needs, including style and budget. They make sure that guests have a lasting first impression with their unique invitations. There are two lines of invitations to accommodate all budgets. The custom line includes pocketfold cards, flat cards and folded cards. Invitations in the couture line are presented in silk boxes, folios and box mailers. Clients have a wide assortment of decorations to choose from including satin and silk ribbons, Swarovski crystal and brooches. Lettering can be printed by engraving, flat printing, letterpress or thermography. The minimum order for the custom line is 50 invitations and 25 for the couture line.

Posted in Wedding Resources

Green Apple Martini Party Invitations

Letterpress Party Invitations

Is there another way to celebrate a double digit (33) birthday party other than with apple martinis announced on a custom letterpress invitation and printed pocket fold card? How many of us have been invited to a party with just an email? My grandmother would say that the whole world has gone to hell in a hand basket (I never understood that one). A few weeks ago a very sincere woman from the South called and asked about personal stationery. After a few minutes, she told me the story of how she received an email thank you note from her niece for a wedding gift and attending her wedding. She said, and I quote, “I almost threw up!”

Designing and printing these invites for intimate 50 person gathering really meant a lot to us. It meant that manners did not die with technology at the speed of the Evite. It meant that letterpress lives and will continue. We make many invitations for many people, but it’s rare to have a single guy walk into the studio and hear him say, “I’m celebrating my 33rd birthday and throwing a party, what can you do to help me make the invitation special?” We’re pleased to see a shift coming from the younger set (I think it’s Generation Y?) from taking no time and effort in sending an invitation to taking care and thought in sending out one, which reminds me, I have to send him a thank you note for giving me some inspiration today.

Invitation Details

5 X 7 Letterpress Invitation, letterpress printed on silver paper with an apple green ink in a portrait orientation. The typography and design is based on the poster grid system.

5 X 7 Letterpress Pocketfold, letterpress printed silver ink on green apple paper with silver button and string.

5 X 7 Matching silver envelopes.

Posted in Custom Letterpress Designs, Holiday Cards, Sample Designs