original short: LunaLux from mn original on Vimeo.

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “What is letterpress?” Simply put, it’s a printing process in which ink is applied to a plate with raised characters and then pressed against paper. What makes letterpress extra special is that the process is done by hand on a very large, very old machine ONE COLOR AT A TIME!

This video by LunaLux does a great job of demonstrating how letterpress works. If you have any additional questions about the process, please leave a question in the comment section below!

In January’s issue of ONE Magazine I talked about current wedding invitation trends. Yesterday my friends at Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion discussed overall wedding trends for 2010 on their respective blogs. There are so many creative ways to make your wedding reflective of your personality and to make it stand out from other weddings. Take a risk, be unique!

Some of my favorite trends for 2010 include:

Bridesmaids dresses in champagne, ivory and cream
Statement bouquets
Black shoes

What are some of your favorite new trends? What did you do (or plan to do) to make your wedding exceptional?

{image source}

Is there such a thing as calligraphy-overload? I don’t think so! Primele‘s calligraphy is playful yet sophisticated and definitely modern. Sometimes you don’t need an excess of flourishes and swirls.

(images via Primele)

Neither Snow — what a poetic name for a calligraphy company. I’m drooling over the whimsical work of calligrapher Mara Zepeda.

(via Oh Joy)

Gocco is an unfamiliar word–and process–to many people. Read on to learn what it’s all about!

Hi, I’m Ellie and I write a design blog called Mint. I’ve also just started up a stationery shop, called Hello Tenfold. PJ asked me here today to talk about screenprinting & the gocco—one of my favorite topics! I bought my gocco less than a year ago, when I was planning my wedding. I wanted to be able to print my own invitations to save a bit of money, and I loved the look of screenprinting. I had some screenprinting experience, but I didn’t have access to the right facilities or much space, so the gocco was the perfect option.

So what the heck is a gocco? It’s a small, Japanese screen printing machine that was first made in the 70s. Today, it is no longer in production but has experienced a surge in popularity and hopefully, maybe, fingers crossed, someone will start production again! There are enough “leftover” supplies in circulation that it’s not hard to buy inks, screens, bulbs, and goccos, but it is pricey. The most wonderful part about the gocco is that unlike other screenprinting methods, it does not require a darkroom to make your screens.

A quick run-down of the process goes something like this: You make a black and white photocopy of the image you want to print. Then, you place the image in your gocco, and insert a fresh screen and two little lightbulbs. When you press down on the machine, the lightbulbs flash and the image from your photocopy is burned onto the screen. When you print, ink is pushed through the screen in the areas that were black on your photocopy. It’s wonderful for making small (a few hundred or less) copies of stationery or art prints, and you can even print on fabric. You can print multiple colors on one screen (depending on your design) and there are different sizes. The most common size prints about 3.5 x 5″.

That covers the basics, but if you’d like more info on the gocco, you can check out my Gocco FAQs or visit http://savegocco.com.

(images via Ellie’s Flickr stream)

Greetings all! I’d like for you to consider using your stationery as another way to provide those lovely little details by developing your own personal imagery or brand. Beginning with your wedding theme and colors, create a logo to use on all of your paper products before, during and after the event.

For maximum impact, and to provide your guests an idea of what will follow, apply your brand to the very first item you send out: save the date cards. If you haven’t made a decision regarding your brand at this point, just be consistent with the colors or themes you plan to incorporate later. Next, your invitations and the postage – try to use the same colors, patterns, or designs. I would advise you to use in moderation, but keep in mind that your guests will see only one invitation – not the overflowing boxes you have sitting in front of you.

You can design your own stamps with companies like Zazzle, Stamps.com or the U.S. Postal Service.

photo courtesy of of zazzle.com

Stay consistent with your ceremony programs.

photo courtesy of thepaperwink.com

Your place cards, table numbers, favor tags or labels, and even your guest book pages would benefit from some special TLC, whether it’s D.I.Y. or custom made.

photo courtesy of etsy and timeless paper

Hopefully these images will help you to envision the entire day from beginning to end and to get you thinking about the ways you can bring style to traditional elements with personalized stationery.

Keep it simple. Keep it beautiful.

* Special thanks to PJ at The Social Life of Paper for letting me share my thoughts with you on her lovely stationery blog!

Thank you, Lindsey, for getting us thinking about how we can use branding to enhance our weddings!

I have been a big fan of Photo Cards for years.  When my friends started having children, I would receive the ubiquitous holiday card with a photo of their kids (and/or pets) in a best-dressed, posed shot. I looked forward to seeing the photo cards and how different they would seem from year to year.  When we had our trial child (our dog) in 2001, I thought, “Now, I can send out Photo Cards!”  Giddy?  Yes, very much so.  But the giddiness waned, as I searched for a place that had interesting designs AND printed on cardstock.  Paper-lovers want quality and I could not find it.  So, I created a quality photo card myself and that is how my business was born.

I think most of us conjure the typical image of a thin, photo paper holiday greeting with a posed photo where the kids usually look uncomfortable or angry when we hear the phrase “photo card.”  Thankfully, this is not your only option in 2009.  With constant improvements in technology, digital imaging and printing, the photo card options are rich in quality and design.  You can also use candid shots in many designs for a more natural look.  Here are a few of my favorites…

Before I began making all my personal cards myself, I was a huge fan of Cardstore.com (above image).  I could personalize a card easily and they would send it to my recipient for the cost of a stamp.  Now, they have many more well-known and well-loved designers for you to choose from, such as Delphine and Tam Tam Design.  I found this fun baby announcement created by Alison and Jessie from Sweet Street Gals.  Cardstore.com prints on high-quality, 130lb. matte recycled cardstock.

For the preppy that lives inside you, Whitney English (above image) has many background designs to set off your photos.  Each card design is printed on 80 – 100lb. cardstock, giving that quality feel.  My favorite is the Pink Gretchen design.  You can see her other designs at whitneyenglish.com.

One more option to consider is a digital photo card.  The place I would recommend to find yours?  Etsy.  There are many designers that will create a custom photo card for you and send it to you as a digital file.  From there, you can take it to your favorite printing place or have a go at printing the card yourself.  Most files are high resolution and will print beautifully.  A favorite is Paper Mango (above image) and its Bubbly Christmas design.

As you can tell, I have a passion for Photo Cards.  I think it comes down to that thrill of sharing great photos with the people you care about.  And when these great photos are married with fabulous design, it’s a very special creation.  Thanks PJ for the opportunity to be a “guest blogger.”  I enjoyed sharing my passion with all of you!

And thank YOU, Cyn, for being The Social Life of Paper’s first guest blogger!

(top image source)

The white on black calligraphy on the envelope above caught my eye this morning. It was done by the very talented Jenna Hein for Brock and Kristina’s wedding. I love whimsical calligraphy like Jenna’s; it can add an element of playfulness to an otherwise formal invitation suite.

(images via 100 Layer Cake and Love, Jenna)