What is the difference between thermography and letterpress

Lithography is also known in the industry as offset printing. This flat style of printing is a familiar one and appropriate for informal invites. The only downside to this process is that quality can vary depending on the printer. Before moving forward with everything from your save-the-dates to your programs, learn about the options for making them come together.

It's not just the design of invitations that sets the tone for your wedding; how they are printed is just as impactful—and one of the first major decisions you make when selecting your suite. Here's everything you need to know about stationery production, from letterpress to engraving, thermography, and flat printing. Consider it all the news that's fit to print! With roots in the 15th century, letterpress is the oldest print form in use.

Blocks of metal or polymer plates with raised type are inked and pressed onto paper to indent letters onto the front and leave the back raised for a tactile, hand-crafted appearance. You like an artisanal look with slight variations in each piece, and you chose a design with thin lines and fine type, which work best with letterpress. Larger shapes can suffer from what printers call "salty color"—patchy ink placement that lets paper show through in spots.

A letterpress order can take from two to four weeks. The more ink colors you use, the higher the price, as each hue requires that a separate plate be made. Bella Figura for an extensive library of suites to suit all tastes; Ladyfingers Letterpress for fun and fresh artwork; Sesame Letterpress for printing any design you submit.

Engraving is made by etching a design in reverse onto a copper or steel plate, depositing ink into the impressions, then pushing paper onto the template with a 3,pound weight.

This creates raised lettering on the front of the card; you'll feel each character if you run your finger across the back. If you want to signal that yours is a formal affair. Unlike some other techniques, it also takes well to suites that pair light type and dark paper, which showcase the thick, matte ink that engravers use. One nice bonus: Some stationers give brides the plate used in their order as an elegant keepsake.

If it's just your type, plan ahead: Completing an order can take up to six weeks. John L. Rotary Engraving is used on certain metals including gold, sterling silver, copper, and aluminium. Laser Engraving. Laser Engraving is appropriate for various types of materials including metal, stone, leather, and wood.

How much do letterpress wedding invitations cost? Letterpress is the fine art of a historical printing process perfected over centuries. Today, letterpress wedding invitations begin as digital designs, which are sent to film as a negative and then exposed to a polymer plate the modern-day "metal" plate.

Individual sheets of paper are fed through the press. Molding, relief carving, vacuum forming, etc. Embossed refers to the technique for making raised things, namely, pushed through, hammered through, rubbed through. In general that's called relief carving or bas relief carving. Exactly as Josh mentions you really just call it " raised lettering. Pick Heavy Paper The thickness or weight of the paper is what will give your invitations that formal, professional feel.

Look for paper that is at least 80 lb. Linen and felt weave papers can also give the design more visual interest and texture. Engraving is very similar to letterpress printing in the fact that you use ink and two tons of pressure to create the image.

Instead of the imprint sinking into the paper as it does in letterpress, the imprint is raised, offering an equally elegant feel to the stationery. Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing using a printing press, a process by which many copies are produced by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheets or a continuous roll of paper. Engraving Before the days of digital presses, wedding invitations were printed using engraving. With this type of printing , your printer creates a metal plate which is then inked and pressed onto the paper.

This process uses a technique similar to engraving, where raised lettering is created by pressing text into a copper plate. However, unlike the other printing methods, there is no ink used in the process. The result is lettering and images that are the same color as the paper, but stand out on the page for a subtle, sophisticated effect.

Embossing would usually be reserved for details like monograms or other design elements, as opposed to large amounts of text, as the lack of color could render smaller text difficult to read. Foil Stamping. This is a printing process by which metallic colors are applied to the paper using heat and pressure, causing the foil to be permanently adhered to the paper.

Foil stamping is an excellent way to bring an element of sparkle and shine onto your invitation. It can be used for accents or even for the entirety of your text.