invites & thank yous

[jcrow]

my invites are currently being printed and i got to thinking maybe i should have thank you cards letterpressed professionally as well. most thank you cards i have seen have just those words on the cover. i was wondering if i should tie in the thank you cards and invites further than just using the same typeface, color ink and paper. do you think it would be bad to too much to have the same graphic that is used throughout my invites on the front of my thank you cards? i know it''s a whatever-you-want-to-do situation, but i was just wanting your thoughts on what you would do personally. thanks.

 

[jcrow]

well ironically enough, i was just browsing on weddingbee.com and saw that her thank yous have a graphic. so, graphic it may be.
though, i''d still like to hear your feedback...

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hey - I think it will be lovely to have the same graphic on your thank yous. You might even consider trying to tie it in other places as well - favor tags, or menus, or place cards, etc...

 

[Scintillating]

Letterpress is so $$$$ expensive, and most people can''t recognize it or appreciate it.
I don''t think I''d bother.

Scintillating...

 

[jcrow]

on a related note, how many thank you cards are you suppose to get? the same number of invites or much more?

 

[njc]

I love the idea of tying them into your invitations, but just wanted to throw this in to think about in terms of graphics and numbers...

I probably ordered and extra 50 or so thank yous thinking i could use them as general correspondance (gift cards, thank you for dinner, etc) after the wedding. Ours just have our monogram, so nice and plain to do so with.

 

[selflove]

I think it''s very classy to tie in your graphic to the thank-you cards as well.

Theoretically, according to the etiquette experts anyways, everyone who you invite is suppposed to give a gift, and therefore you would send them a thank-you, so you should order the same number of thank-you''s as the number of invites. I''d actually add on like 10% to that, just in case and like njc said, you can always use these again in the future for random thank-you notes.

Not everyone who''s invited will give a gift but it''s highly likely that some people who weren''t invited will give a gift. We got two of those, pleasant surprise!

 

[Scintillating]

Date: 6/8/2006 12:34:42 PM
Author: jcrow
on a related note, how many thank you cards are you suppose to get? the same number of invites or much more?

Get more, lots more, you'll probably make mistakes handwriting thank yous and may get more gifts that you expect.
You can always use thank you notes later - they are just useful to have around.

What do your invites look like - did you post a pic anywhere?

Scintillating...

 

[jcrow]

thanks! i just figured we may need more than the invite number because of shower gifts or company/co-worker gifts. i am not expecting, but just don''t want to be out and in need of more if something arises.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 6/8/2006 1:38:29 PM
Author: Scintillating

Date: 6/8/2006 12:34:42 PM
Author: jcrow
on a related note, how many thank you cards are you suppose to get? the same number of invites or much more?

Get more, lots more, you''ll probably make mistakes handwriting thank yous and may get more gifts that you expect.

You can always use thank you notes later - they are just useful to have around.

What do your invites look like - did you post a pic anywhere?

Scintillating...

nope, haven''t posted them yet, but i probably will once they come in.
they are in book form with a pamplet stitch sewn with linen thread. white cotton paper with metallic chocolate ink. the graphic is a group of roses, but they look like peonies, which will be my wedding flower. the first page is the formal invite, next page is the reception invite, the next is hotel info, next map, next history of the church, next history of the reception venue, an lastly, a perforated rsvp. each page except the map page has the floral graphic.

how many more should we get? for instance i ordered 150 invites which includes extras. should we get 200 thank yous? 250?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I agree that it is nice when they tie together. My invites and thank you cards will be on the same paper. I think an extra 50 should be plenty.

 

[fatafelice]

Jcrow, I think that is a great idea! -- Provided it isn''t cost-prohibitive, that is. For the last bridal shower I threw, I looked into having a set of thank you cards made to match the shower invites and give to the bride as part of her gift. I don''t remember exactly, but I think the thank you cards were going to be almost as much as the actual invites and I had to nix the idea.

If you do go with them, I would definitely order plenty so that you can use them for shower gifts as well. Plus, as long as they don''t say "Thank You for the wedding gift" or some such thing, they would always be usable in the future.

I can''t wait to see your invites! I love letter press and I love book-style invites, so they sound like heaven. Where are you getting them done? I am starting to shop around for similar invites myself, so I would love to know how your experience goes!

 

[flutterby]

i was going ot have this done as well. I did thermography, not letter press and I had her do invites, table numbers, programs, and menus with the graphic. I just couldnt really justify the price for the thank yous. I''m just getting jean m ones with intertwined hearts that say thank you. HOWEVER, if you can afford it, GO FOR IT!

 

[jcrow]

Date: 6/8/2006 6:00:31 PM
Author: fatafelice
Jcrow, I think that is a great idea! -- Provided it isn't cost-prohibitive, that is. For the last bridal shower I threw, I looked into having a set of thank you cards made to match the shower invites and give to the bride as part of her gift. I don't remember exactly, but I think the thank you cards were going to be almost as much as the actual invites and I had to nix the idea.

If you do go with them, I would definitely order plenty so that you can use them for shower gifts as well. Plus, as long as they don't say 'Thank You for the wedding gift' or some such thing, they would always be usable in the future.

I can't wait to see your invites! I love letter press and I love book-style invites, so they sound like heaven. Where are you getting them done? I am starting to shop around for similar invites myself, so I would love to know how your experience goes!

first off- can i tell you how much i LOVE your avatar pic? i think i would frame it for my house! it's my favorite along with researcher's stunning rings shot. just had to tell you

that is an awesome idea for a bridal shower gift if you are hosting!

i am not worried about the cost of the cards. i will price them first, though. i figured, i'm not doing save the dates, not doing programs. i will print my own food item cards (food station reception). so i think that just leaves invites and thank you cards. i am putting money towards them- like half or more- cause i do feel a tinge of guilt. but, i am a graphic designer. it's what i do. i am in love with paper ink and type. i adore letterpress. it's just so tactile.

i looked endlessly for a printer that would letterpress my invites. many companies i found that did letterpress only printed their designs. that was a no go for me. my FSIL recommended the printer i am going with. she used him for her invitations a couple of years ago. she's a graphic designer too. of all the quotes i received, he was the lest expensive. so i went for it.

 

[jcrow]

thanks for your support msflutter (and everyone else). guess i will try it out.

 

[fatafelice]

Date: 6/8/2006 6:13:15 PM
Author: jcrow

first off- can i tell you how much i LOVE your avatar pic? i think i would frame it for my house! it's my favorite along with researcher's stunning rings shot. just had to tell you

that is an awesome idea for a bridal shower gift if you are hosting!

i am not worried about the cost of the cards. i will price them first, though. i figured, i'm not doing save the dates, not doing programs. i will print my own food item cards (food station reception). so i think that just leaves invites and thank you cards. i am putting money towards them- like half or more- cause i do feel a tinge of guilt. but, i am a graphic designer. it's what i do. i am in love with paper ink and type. i adore letterpress. it's just so tactile.

I'm not a graphic designer, but this is exactly the reason that I love letterpress! To me, the cost is worth it, even if nobody else cares.

i looked endlessly for a printer that would letterpress my invites. many companies i found that did letterpress only printed their designs. that was a no go for me. my FSIL recommended the printer i am going with. she used him for her invitations a couple of years ago. she's a graphic designer too. of all the quotes i received, he was the lest expensive. so i went for it.

Can you share the name of this printer?

I am thinking about having a friend (who is a graphic designer) do the design for me, so I would be interested in a printer who will print something other than their own designs. Also, since you are a designer, are there any printers that you would recommend to do a custom design and printing (in case the friend thing doesn't work out)?

 

[JulieN]

What about foldover notes with your (new?) monogram instead of "Thank You?" If you have any left over, you can use them for ages...

 

[jcrow]

i kinda hate to throw the name just out on the net. hum, how else can i get it to you?
most of the names/companies are on my work computer. i'll put what i can remember now and post more tomorrow.

bella figura - my fav. but was 3x the cost of the one we went with. their paper is incredible! this company can take your design and print it.

dauphine press - also print your design

seasame letterpress

paper monkey press


also, for me i wanted to be able to pick my papers, use whatever typeface and pick my color of ink. some places like bella figura only have the papers they list on their website available. others it's the same with ink and type.

if you have any questions, i'll be happy to help

 

[flopkins]

jcrow - I had thank you cards letterpressed along w/my invites. they were just a plain card in matching cardstock, with a border and our first names. so we could use them for whatever correspondence afterwards. we got about 100 extra so we could use it afterwards... DH insisted on it, and the marginal cost for the extra wasn''t much, so whatever.

anyway I was happy w/it.



fatafelice - I highly recommend my letterpress printer - he prints exclusively - no design. I worked w/him almost entirely by email, and he sent me tons of samples to look at. I just went in once to look at the paper types and ink colors. I was VERY happy w/his work! Plus I think his prices are very reasonable.

Joel at Dependable Letterpress:
http://dependableletterpress.com/index.html

My invite:

 

[jcrow]

these are more sites i ran across while researching letterpress.

kenzie kate - offset and thermography
moon tree arts - letterpress
sway space - letterpress
peter kruty editions - letterpress
peculiar pair press - letterpress

 

[ChargerGrrl]

JC:
Sorry I''m chiming in late- I''ve been MIA all week!

I''m echoing everyone else here in saying that it''s a cool look to incorporate the same graphic in all the paper goods. I myself will be using the "initial" graphic from the monogram that you''re familiar with

(thanks again, BTW!!). It will be featured on everything from the invite (which I need to get started on!), to the table tents, and placecards. It also adds a bit of color to all those elements.

I honestly hadn''t thought about how I''m going to print out the invites. I was thinking about using the latest-model laser printer here at work, but am now intrigued by letterpress. I''m going to do more research and check it out.

THANKS for the info and I hope that my $.02 helped!

CG

 

[fatafelice]

Thanks for posting those, Jcrow! I really wish that we had PMs still...I am so curious about your printer, but I get why you would be hesitant to post it. I had already bookmarked a few of the first couple you had posted -- I''m really interested in Sesame since I live in NJ and a lot of the other printers seem to be on the west coast. Plus, I''m planning on a bluebird/nature kind of theme and they have a couple sets posted with bird graphics. The ones in the second set are all new to me, so that is really helpful! I now have more sites to bookmark! LOL

I had a question about your invitations...Is the printer making the books as well, or are you assembling them yourself? I haven''t seen too many examples of those out there, but it is something that I am very interested in. If you aren''t doing them yourself, did that contribute to your difficulty in finding a printer -- one who would/could do that work?

Sorry for the hijack, but I really appreciate your help! And I am definitely looking forward to seeing your invites. Let us know what you decide about the thank you cards as well!

 

[jcrow]

Your welcome ChargerGrrl!

 

[jcrow]

Date: 6/9/2006 4:23:02 PM
Author: fatafelice
Thanks for posting those, Jcrow! I really wish that we had PMs still...I am so curious about your printer, but I get why you would be hesitant to post it. I had already bookmarked a few of the first couple you had posted -- I''m really interested in Sesame since I live in NJ and a lot of the other printers seem to be on the west coast. Plus, I''m planning on a bluebird/nature kind of theme and they have a couple sets posted with bird graphics. The ones in the second set are all new to me, so that is really helpful! I now have more sites to bookmark! LOL

I had a question about your invitations...Is the printer making the books as well, or are you assembling them yourself? I haven''t seen too many examples of those out there, but it is something that I am very interested in. If you aren''t doing them yourself, did that contribute to your difficulty in finding a printer -- one who would/could do that work?

Sorry for the hijack, but I really appreciate your help! And I am definitely looking forward to seeing your invites. Let us know what you decide about the thank you cards as well!

your welcome! i want to clear it with my printer first and see how mine print before posting his info.
yes, he''s making the books & putting them together. i had to find a printer would would be able to bind and perforate the invites. some i found didn''t have that capability. i also want to mention that my printer isn''t in the same state as me. i wouldn''t let location stop you from using someone. it''s really easy to email files or burn them to cd (if you design them yourself).

about my thank yous, i am going to try to incorporate my floral graphic as well as the words "thank you" on the cover. if it just doesn''t look good then i will just use the words.

 

[jcrow]

well it''s a good thing i didn''t say who my printer was. he messed up the job and i am in tears!!! i don''t know what to do but sobb.

i got samples of the invites in. he put the graphic on the wrong page. it doesn''t sound so terrible, but it is. i had but dotted circles instead of full circles to check off on the rsvp card and there are dots missing. i had dotted lines around my map and a few other places. in random spots dots are missing. in other places dots are jammed up against one another. they are just wrong.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh jcrow I am so sorry! He needs to reprint them for free. At least you did these VERY early so it will be okay. Just be firm and professional.

 

[jcrow]

Tacori E-ring- that''s just it- he won''t. he said he''s already spent more time than intended on them and my only option seemed to be that he just wouldn''t mail them all to me and i would in turn not pay for the print job.

so, now i don''t have invites

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Just remember your wedding isn''t until Nov so you have time to find a new printer! How disappointing though.

 

[jcrow]

i know, but my heart is still broken.

i may not be able to letterpress them. the other printers i looked into couldn''t score and bind my invites. i have contacted a few other printers that i hadn''t looked into before. hopefully they are capable and not outrageously expensive.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Can you have it printed with a letterpress printer and scored/bound with a regular printer?