Friday, October 9, 2009

does the type of printing matter to you?

one of the biggest subjects for my clients is the printing style for their pieces." letterpress or offset?" "how's digital offset?" "what does all of that cost?"

personally, i think that any type of printing -- in the hands of the RIGHT printer -- can be beautiful. of course, the design itself needs to be strong, and the paper selection needs to be correct for your style of stationery. still, i don't think that people need to be intimidated by the printing styles available or by the prices incurred from certain processes.

adrienne & andrew's invitation suite. offset printed on via felt stock.

megan and roy's wedding accessories. letterpress printed on 100% cotton stock.

the best of both worlds? betsy & jeb's invitation suite. offset printed on crane's lettra letterpress 100% cotton stock.

what do you think? did/do you have a preferred printing style for your stationery? could you afford the one you wanted? and do you regret your choice?

you can post your thoughts below, or on my facebook fan page discussion board!

2 comments:

jodi said...

Your offset here looks fantastic - like you said, if done on the right paper and with an already-strong design, it works. But I still go nutso for a letterpress! Something about that old-style "printing press" feel to it that gets me every time. I didn't have letterpress for my own invitations, couldn't afford it. Do I regret it? A little! But what I *really* regret is not knowing you well enough at that point to have you design my invitations!!! (I am totally serious about this) I'll have to wait till Sofia gets married...!

Stephy404 said...

Nic - your work is lovely!

More often that not, I get requests from brides on a strict budget - especially in this recession. I don't offer letter press - only digital offset. I use a printer with a great Indigo press, so the PMS colors are matched exactly. To cut down on too many choices + cost, I offer a Neenah Classic Crest, or a Linen stock - depending on the design. For RSVP postcards, a nice C1S 110# card stock.

This works for me. Maybe in the future - and depending on my customers - I can offer letterpress. I'm always struggling to help brides reason on what they want vs. what their budget will allow.