Wedding Wednesday: Invitation Printing Types

One of the biggest decisions and probably the most confusing things when you start looking at and pricing wedding invitations is the PRINTING. There are many different types of printing with a wide range of prices, aesthetics, and benefits, so I thought I would throw together a little guide for you!

{Letterpressed invitation, digitally printed inserts – hard to see in the picture, but you can definitely feel tactile quality of the letterpress on Crane 220}

• Digital Printing.  This is the most affordable type of printing and the one we do the most of at Dodeline.  It’s flat print, but the plus side is that there is no cost-per-color to be calculated (it’s either color or black and white), you can still print on really nice papers, and the turnaround time can be very very quick.  You can also do very very small quantities without being penalized on the cost.
• Offset Printing: Most modern printing is offset printing, also known as lithography. From magazines to postcards, this flat style of printing is a familiar one, and appropriate for an informal wedding invitation. Traditionally, an inked image is transferred from an inked plate to a rubber “blanket”, which is then passed over the paper. The quality of offset printing can vary greatly, so be sure to look for a printer who can deliver crisp quality and true colors.  It is slightly more expensive than digital printing, depending on your quantity.  You probably only want to consider it if you have around 100 invitations or so.
• Thermography : Thermography gives you the look of engraving without the cost.  The letters or design will be raised while the opposite side of the paper remains smooth. This type of printing can be done in several colors and will give a formal appearance.  The printer uses ink and a powder resin combined with heat to reproduce the raised lettering effect of engraving. The text has a shiny finish and is often said to not be as sharp as engraving.
• Embossing: Most often used for small insignias, monograms, or return addresses, this process creates a raised impression on paper by running the paper through two metal sheets. When no ink is used, it is called “blind” embossing. Although a printer can perform this service for you, you can also buy a small embosser with your monogram or return address on the plate, allowing you to create custom stationery in a more affordable way.
• Letterpress: Letterpress is increasing in popularity every day.  A letterpress printer presses inked letters or designs into a piece of paper, forming an indented surface. By repeating the process, he or she can create images with more than one color. It really is beautiful but is also one of the more expensive printing types because it is labor intensive.  Most of your cost with letterpress is for the plate and the setup.  I have often been asked if you can letterpress just a few of your invitations and not the rest – the truth is, the setup cost is the most expensive part, so letterpressing, say 25 invitations, can be very expensive per piece, while doing 150 will have a much lower per piece cost.  Also, if you want an exact sample of YOUR invitation for letterpress, it may be a bit pricier than with other types of printing because the plate has to be made.  Then, if you want to make any changes, an entirely new plate would have to be made.  Sometimes people don’t understand the process and why there are certain things that take longer / cost more, and that’s why.

Unless you go directly to a print shop {and even that would have to be a pretty advanced one}, most invitation studios will do one of the printing types in house and outsource the others to fellow professionals. Each type requires very specialized equipment.

I hope this sheds some light on the complicated world of wedding invitations – and we didn’t even TALK about PAPER! :-)