We here at Outstanding Occasions love all things paper! So of course we wanted to share with all of you some of the most talented stationers here in Arizona. We asked each of them to tell us what makes each of their company’s or themselves different as designers and share some of the latest trends they are seeing in stationery for 2012. Be sure to check out each of the company’s websites so that you can SWOON over the paper deliciousness all around. ENJOY!
**Please note that the stationers are in alphabetical order by company name, so the order in no way ranks the stationers. We love them all!
The Event Essentials | Kimberly McDowell
Kelly Ashworth Designs |Kelly Ashworth
Your guests may not know exactly what letterpress is when they receive your invitation in the mail, but when they open that envelope they’ll know that it’s something hand-crafted and truly gorgeous. So what is letterpress and why is it so unique?
Think of a rubber stamp, only in reverse. A plate with a raised image or type (text) is inked, and then paper is pressed against it to form an impression. It’s very different than digital printing. With letterpress images and/or text is embedded into the paper, creating a 3-dimensional design, whereas digital printing produces a flat image. You can literally feel the difference! Johannes Gutenberg introduced this process in the 15th century and letterpress became the predominant printing method for over 500 years! Letterpress is extremely hands-on and a laborious printing technique. Each color is printed separately, therefore the more colors a design has, the longer it takes to set up and print. Letterpress stationery provides a textural experience. We print on cotton paper, so what you’ll feel is a wonderfully soft piece of paper. Think cashmere sweater!
LittleOwl Letterpress is a local small business. We’re sisters by marriage and we have a love affair with stationery design, paper and really all things wedding related! It’s a common joke in our studio that every time we print a new set of invitations, we wish we could get married all over again! Ironically, it’s our husbands we can thank for that since they purchased our first letterpress on the sly for us to use. All of our printing is done in our custom backyard studio. And because our overhead is low, we’re able to offer some of the most affordable letterpress invitations around. We get EXTRA excited about that! What also gets our fists pumping is that letterpress is an eco-friendly printing method. We print on 100% tree-free paper that’s made from reclaimed cotton. We use earth friendly solvents to clean our presses, and we also use recyclable supplies to create our invitations. Most importantly, you’ll get the personal attention you deserve. From consultation to proofing to printing to packaging and delivering your stationery with care you’ll get to work directly with both of us!
Our two favorite stationery trends right now:
First, what’s your favorite color?
Feeling sassy? For all those color lovers out there – think fun, unexpected combos, jewel tones or sweet soft hues like those in watercolors. We have 21 inks in house, but we can custom match to any Pantone color!
Second, bring on the pattern!
Look for exciting patterns beyond the popular damask. Florals, stripes, chevrons, quatrefoil (our fave!), and geometric line-art are just a few wonderful patterns to incorporate into your invitation and overall wedding look. Want a subtle use of pattern in your invitation? Try a blind impression! This is the use of no ink to create an impression of the pattern into the paper. It’s oh-so-lovely and simply something that can’t be achieved with a digital print. Also trending: use envelope liners to introduce bold colors and patterns to your wedding stationery if you prefer a simpler, classic invitation style.
