Paper, Paper Paper !!!

I *heart* paper. Like a lot. I love all the pretty options. Colors, textures, shapes, sizes. Needless to say, wedding invitations were really hard for me. If it wasn't because I almost gave myself an ulcer making my engagement party invitations I totally would have made them myself. That and my pc crashed ( the pc gods have not been shining on me lately). So I went on a search for the "perfect" invitation. Now if I had all the money in the world I would have indulged my inner designer and lept head first into letter press. Alas I had to compromise and ended up customizing one of the selections offered by Wiley Valentine. My stationary needs were fulfilled at Bloomingdale's! Funny I would have never known, but they have a small stationary section run by Judy Paulen Designs. Though I stalked the invitation selection at various retailers for months, I always ended up there. Will definitely post picture when they come in!

Kates Paperie had great selections for the traditional bride, a bit pushy service for someone who is still in the "I'm just looking phase", Papyrus would have been nice but I found all their stores to be so small. Wedding Things had a really fun selection plus tons of favor ideas, trinkets, bridesmaid gifts and accessories all in store ( the web has an overwhelming array of options as well).

Let me demystify what all the different printing methods mean. The slightest difference can make or break the bank. Definitions courtesy of Wikipedia =)

Letterpress: is a term for printing text with movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse.

See how the print looks like it is indented in the paper. This process looks best on heavy stock paper, so the images are more defined. * Think of it as the the BMW of invitations, Lux but semi-affordable, depending on the whether you go for the SUV or the compact*

Thermography Printing: post print process done immediately after printing. It can be done inline or offline as long as the ink is wet. Thermography powder is applied to the sheet of paper after it leaves the printing press. The sheet is then vacuumed or shaken to remove excess powder. This leaves powder only where there is wet ink. The sheet then travels through a heat tunnel; there the heat causes the powder to melt which leaves a raised effect. * Thermography falls somewhere in the middle, I found printers who could provide the printing at really affordable prices if given the artwork, and other ready made stationers that combined engraving and thermography which could really get up there*

Flat or Laser Printing: Is a common type of printing that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. Like photocopiers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a laser beam across the printer's photoreceptor. In plain English this process is like printing on your computer at home, only difference is that printers can produce really vivid images and graphics in mass quantities. *Really Affordable*

Engraved: The plate ( burin) is inked all over, and then the ink wiped off the surface, leaving only the ink in the engraved lines. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing-press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the engraved lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before the plate shows much sign of wear. The work on the plate can also be added to by repeating the whole process; this creates an engraving which exists in more than one state.

Somewhere in the middle, again one of those depends on your design selections*