Printing Methods
When it comes to your wedding invitations, the design isn’t the only thing that makes them special - the printing method adds depth, texture, and a touch of luxury.
Digital Printing: This is going to be the most cost effective way to have your wedding invitations printed. Digital printing is our most modern method of printing that directly produces a digital file onto paper. The printing is flat on the paper, meaning if you were to rub your hand over the invitation, you would not feel where the design is printed. We are still able to print using different fonts, ink colors, and select paper types (although paper weight does play a huge role here).
Thermography Printing: This too is a cost effective way to have your wedding invitations produced. Unlike digital printing, this printing creates a two dimensional lettering or design on paper. So, if you were to rub your hand over this invitation, you would feel the letters raised from the paper. We are still able to print using different fonts, ink colors, and select paper types. It’s also a modern-day take on the Engraved Printing process, for a fraction of the cost. However, the key mark of engraving is missing in this process ~ the dimpling on the back of the card stock.
Letterpress Printing: This is a traditional form of printing (so much so that the concept was introduced in the 15th century), but it made a bold return thanks to Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine in the 1990s. The invitation is designed digitally but the information is then transferred to a metal plate. This plate is pressed into the paper against the ink at a high pressure causing the lettering on the paper to be debossed or sunken. If you were to run your hand over this invitation, you would feel the letters sunken into the paper. For this reason, the paper must be thicker than what is used in both digital and thermography.
Engraved Printing: This is the most luxe of printing processes. Where letterpress is debossed or sunken, embossed is raised, creating a two or three dimensional design on paper. For this reason, If you were to run your hand over this invitation, you would feel the letters raised from the paper. This method is considered the “crème de la crème” of printing methods due to the cost of creating custom metal dies and the labor-intensive nature of the production.
From timeless letterpress to modern digital printing, each method of creating wedding invitations brings its own unique beauty ~ and no matter which method you select, your guests will be so excited for the union and the celebration to follow!
Pro tip: Love the idea of Letterpress, but want to stay within a budget? Some couples choose to have the main invitation in letterpress and the remaining suite items (response card, details card etc) digitally printed.
