Paper Makes Everything Better!

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Paper Makes Everything Better!

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

My bed broke. So I went to Ikea to buy a slatted bed base to drill into the antique frame I will do anything to avoid getting rid of. I have an unhealthy attachment to my bed. (But then so does everyone who asks that I leave it to them in my will. Enjoy your haunted bed, suckers!*) As anyone who has ever been to Ikea knows, you cannot go to Ikea for just one thing. When entering, a feeling will come over you, a sense that you too can organize all the things, and you will be magnetically attracted to home organizational materials, funky textiles and shelves. SHELVES. But for me, Ikea means something else, I look at everything and ask myself can I cover this with paper? PAPER MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER.

I was magnetically attracted to a magnet board. Which is just the laws of science and so I cannot be held responsible. As I work at The (fantastically crafty) Paper Place, I could not just leave a metal board metal. That would be insane. Recently we’ve received new patterns in the Nepalese papers. I love the Nepalese papers in general, but the gold chevron is my new favourite. I bought five sheets right away, I didn’t even know yet what I was going to use it for, I just knew I would use it. This seemed the perfect craft for it. Chiyogami prints would also be fantastic. Note: Unlike covering cork board, this craft will leave your paper intact over the years, so you won’t have to feel bad about piercing the pretty papers.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Sheet metal magnet boards, these particular boards are 14.5×30.75″ each
A paper of your choice, large enough for your board
Spray Adhesive for the surface (this is pretty much the only craft where I would suggest spray adhesive)
Masking tape to secure the excess paper to the back of the board.
Washi tape (Optional)

Cover your floor with newspaper and lay the magnet board face up. Shake your spray adhesive for three minutes, then evenly coat the surface of your board. Lay your paper face down on a section of clean floor, and place your metal board face down onto it (doing it this way makes it easier to see where your board is, in relationship to the edges of your paper.) Now flip face up and smooth down your paper. Adhere the excess to the back firmly with masking tape.

I chose to do two panels of metal board, to give me more space for all the little bits I want to put up. The Nepalese papers are approximately 20×30″, so they were just a little short, so I finished the short ends with a double layer of gold stripe washi tape. Easy!

Before you select your paper, consider the other elements in your room of choice, patterns, colours, style etc. I chose to compliment the colours and pattern of my sofa.

This was a 15 minute, totally affordable craft, perfect for kids, teenagers and adults who need a way to show off the five dollar bill on which Sir Wilfred Laurier was defaced to look like Spock’s father.**

*My bed’s not haunted now… but it WILL BE.

**I did not do this myself, but I did buy it from the till when I was a waitress. Because it is awesome.

Tags: diy craft, home organization, magnet board, paper fun
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The Invitation Guide: Part III A Practical Guide to Using Decorative Paper

Sunday, April 14th, 2013

The time is nigh, the pressure is mounting, you are freaking out, but never fear, it’s time for another installment of The Paper Place Guide to:

Now for the part of the series you’ve all been waiting for: how to actually use the decorative papers (outlined in the last installment) in your invitation.

Decorative papers are beautiful on their own as prints, or when used in home accents, but in invitations, they bring in an element of design and interest that otherwise might be lacking in the typography or illustrative graphics, which means it’s a great material for people who don’t have advanced skills in that type of visual art.

And that is okay, not all of us are artists or Martha-crafty, instead you may have better social skills, less angst and have never needed to knit a poncho in prison! So for you, we have beautiful patterned papers.

I’ve made some layout examples using photoshop (real life examples will follow below) when making the print file of your design, it’s important to visualize in this way where your decorative paper will go, and allow space for it.

SHAPES

a 5×7″ invitation with decorative paper band

a 5×7″ invitation with double decorative paper band, or paper and washi tape

BANDS Strips of decorative paper cut to the size of your invitation can be placed in a number of ways: as a header flush with the top of your card, as a break between the title and body text of your invitation, as a side embellishment or as a loop tying multiple cards together. There are some very good reasons why bands are a traditional look, they’re pretty simple, and will give you maximum yield (how many small pieces you get out of your big piece) from your sheets of paper.

Adding another layer of paper can change up that traditional look, or adding semi-transparent patterned washi tape instead can help transition between opaque cardstock and opaque decorative paper layer.

a 5x7" invitation with decorative paper triangle accent

a 5×7″ invitation with decorative paper triangle accent

a 5x7" invitation with an inverted triangle shape

a 5×7″ invitation with an inverted triangle shape

TRIANGLES A dynamic shape that adds interest to the card, directing the eye to the body text. The impact can vary by the sharpness of the angle. Pro tip: when doing triangles, first cut strips the desired length of your card, and the width, plus .5″ of the triangle pitch, use both positive and negative pieces in your designs.

a 5x7" invitation with diagonal band of decorative paper

a 5×7″ invitation with diagonal band of decorative paper

DIAGONAL not just for your bangs anymore! Asymmetry is interesting and really easy. You can also add a small layer underneath, like a an origami fold. Suggestion: Try a different pattern for that small under layer, and pick it up as your featured paper in the reply card.

Different shapes and configurations can completely change your card and make it pop in a way you hadn’t expected. Purchase a few sample sheets and experiment!

a 5×7″ ivory invitation with Nepalese Petite Damask paper band

5×7″ invitations left to right: Ivory Floral Sukashi band on Paper Bag, narrow Nepalese Petite Damask triangle on Ivory, Chiyogami 785 wide inverted triangle on Ivory

LINERS

Our envelopes are all unlined, this is by design; some people don’t like a lined envelope, others like the custom look, so these suit both groups. We have a template pack that contains liner templates for every envelope we carry. If you are ordering envelopes with us through Envelopments, they carry papers specifically for liners and will cut them to size for you.

Decorative envelope liners are a great way to carry through and showcase the paper used in your invitation. It’s a special touch that makes for a cohesive and impressive package.

4bar Paper Bag Envelopes lined in Chiyogami 785, Nepalese Petite Damask, Ivory Floral Sukashi

ENVELOPES

Another way to use our decorative papers is to make your own envelopes from them. Depending on the paper you use, the effect can range from rustic or contemporary (ex: Nepalese) to stunningly sophisticated (ex: Japanese decorative, Chiyo) . This is a great idea for someone having a small wedding or party, or looking to set some special guests apart, it’s really easy with our templates, and when just doing a few it’s not that time consuming. If you are having a wedding of 100? I would not suggest this level of customization unless you have an assembly line of friends and family backing you up because they love you that much… or because you have amassed blackmail material over the years for just this occasion. Props on your foresight.

THE PRACTICALITIES

CUTTING When cutting your decorative papers, precision is important, as is making a neat cut–which can be especially difficult on delicate tissue or really thick card stock. I would suggest investing in a cutterpede–a device we carry that comes with a rulered board on which your paper rests (providing you with precise measurements), and a notched ruler that goes overtop of your desired cut line on which a razor device safely fits and runs along. Aside from this, a guillotine cutter may also work, small versions of the traditionally large steel-armed cutter are available at arts and craft stores. You can also used a cutting mat (self-healing is the best) and a ruler with an x-acto knife. Depending on what you are doing, this could either be really tedious, or just what you need. If you are cutting tissue, depending on your method, it might be best to place a sheet of plain printer paper on top, just to apply pressure uniformly and prevent tearing. Alternately, if you are doing a mass of straight cuts, we can send out your paper for custom cutting,

If you’re unsure, you can ask any staff member for advice on what might best work for you.

FOLDING When making a folded card, you will get a precise crisp line if you use a bone folder to score and then press your fold. Just… get one. I’ve recently given in and bought my own and I loves it! I loves it like it were me own bony child!

ADHESIVES We carry a wide array of adhesives perfect for gluing paper to paper or paper to cardstock. The product we recommend most for wedding invitations is the glue runner ($10.95 for the glue and dispenser, $4.95 for refills). It’s a Japanese product that dispenses glue in a thin line like correction tape, and acts like double-sided tape. It’s the best thing ever. It doesn’t have the moisture level of white glue or glue sticks–which means it won’t warp and ripple your paper. It will sit perfectly flat and comes out in a precisely straight line, you can even use a ruler as a guide when trying to get the very edge of paper or card stock. The only material I would not suggest using it with are the sukashi papers and tissues. When doing samples with it, I found that the glue oxidizes slightly–changing colour in a way that only reacts with tissue materials. When using tissues and Sukashi, and light amount of a glue stick, Uhu or the Yamato rice paste glue stick, or, depending on the use, double-sided tape may prove appropriate. Again, let us know what you’re doing and we will do our very best to guide you!

GETTING IT DONE

After cutting your expected numbers by remembering couples and families, It’s prudent to overbuy by 10% so that you have extra in case anything goes wrong. It can totally break your schedule and flow, wasting time if you have to run back to the store for one more thing. You have to put your pants back on and everything (look you guys, I… really hate pants.) More card stock, envelopes, an extra quarter sheet of chiyo, and more glue won’t go to waste if you are doing place cards, menus and thank yous, you will use it. Unused and unopened items like glue and twine can be returned if you really have no use for it and you kept your receipt. it’s best to make your sample, ensure all your measurements are correct, print your invitations and then have all of your separate elements ready to go so that you can take your horrible pants off, put the Parks & Rec marathon on and get to work.*

GUIDES TO COME: Using Stamps & Punches for Invitations, Embellishments (washi tape, ribbon, twines, stickers, etc)

Additionally, if there is something that has not yet been covered and you would like to see a guide on the subject, leave a comment! The same goes for any questions about the items covered in these guides so far.

*I have gotten through every major project by watching television. I completed my thesis to Veronica Mars, I got an A+ so I recommend my method to everyone.

Tags: diy wedding invitations, invitation how to, invitations, wedding invitations
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The Invitation Guide: Part II Decorative Paper

Saturday, April 13th, 2013

Hello again, my betrothed buddies! It’s time for another installment of The Paper Place Guide to…

The wall of gorgeous Chiyogami paper… (Like all paper, they’re delicate, so to ensure you don’t get a bent sheet, please ask for assistance. )

In this, our second and third parts, we* will be talking about how to use decorative papers in your invitation designs. Since this is the focus of our store, this entry will long (even by my standards!), necessitating that it be split into two parts. The first will be about the paper itself and the options available to you, and how to best use the store. Planning a wedding, and making invitations can feel overwhelming, and our store itself daunting, in this guide I hope to explain how everything at The Paper Place works and how best to find the perfect paper for you.

So first, a paper breakdown, or…

HOW AND WHERE TO LOOK AT PAPER AT THE PAPER PLACE

Binders located at the front table. Duplicate binders can be found at the back of the store in the invitation and stationery section

It came as a huge surprise to me when I started working here that not all, not even most of the paper is out on display. It simply can’t be, we have over two thousand different kinds. Our handy solution to this is to provide binders full of samples for you to peruse. These binders are located at the back and front of the store, or, in the case of Chiyogami, on the shelves in the center of the store (pictured above). Our papers vary greatly in style, size, material and price. Names, size and price are all labeled on each sample. In order to purchase the paper, you must first fill out the green requisition form, found with the binders. (A note on the requisition forms below.)

A BRIEF PAPER BREAKDOWN:

Note: Most of the papers I’ve pulled are in the neutral/white or tone on tone range when possible. They’re available in a wide range of colours but I’ve selected these because sometimes it’s easier to imagine your ideas when what’s presented is closer to a blank slate–which is why people on house hunting shows are constantly saying “I hate the wall colour…” Guys, you can paint! Look at the crown moulding crazy people! Um… Back to the paper.

Some of my favourite metallic on solid colour Chiyogami papers. I’m a minimalist. (In reality I have a psychological block preventing me from wearing more than one colour at any time. I mean… Green goes with…?)

CHIYOGAMI are Japanese hand-silkscreened papers, their patterns are rather fine and elaborate, some are matte, some are iridescent, others are a mix of the two. Their prints are varied-floral (cherry blossoms are a big theme), geometric, abstract, fans, kokeshi dolls, cranes, and more. At The Paper Place you can browse the Chiyos we have on the wall, or go through the binders. Any patterns we don’t have in store, can be brought in with our weekly order. Online, you can browse the Chiyogami by colour, pattern, or both. You can also order samples of any sheet.

The beautiful and often overlooked Kinkaku papers.

KINKAKU, like Chiyogami, are hand-silkscreened metallic prints on coloured papers. These are beautifully minimalistic patterned papers.

A small selection of Nepalese paper, in gold metallic, white, and natural inks, with floral, geometric, woodgrain, and victorian prints.

NEPALESE these papers from Nepal are made by a women’s co-operative, they are environmentally friendly (the metallics are a little less so) and at $5/sheet they are very cost-effective. Their styles and prints vary, Victorian/Baroque/South Asian motifs and contemporary abstract patterns are available in a wide array of colours.

a selection of Japanese decorative in whites and ivories- floral sukashi, obonai feather, gold fleck, kin sunago (tiny gold flecks), shibazakura, and crane white

JAPANESE DECORATIVE These papers are not like the patterned Chiyogami, aside from the occasional metallic fiber, fleck or flower, or watermarked crane they’re not layered, their patterns come from an abstract finish or texture. Machine made, they are lower in price than either Chiyogami or Katazome. They make great subtle layers or liner paper.

a selection of smaller-print Katazome — the finer the print, the more visible it will be in small section cut for an invitation.

KATAZOME Hand-stenciled on handmade kozo paper these paper are bold and graphic in print, they are matte, unlike the Chiyogami which are often silkscreened with layers of iridescent or metallic inks.

a selection of white watermark and translucent papers: wave white, hempflower white, tarasen dot, new unryu white, and kingin white.

WATERMARK/TRANSLUCENT/SUKASHI ranging from soft tissue papers, to translucent but crisp paper that come in a variety of colours, textures and patterns. They can be a good material for banding, or as a layer on top, but shouldn’t be used as a backing as they are lightweight. These delicate, often tone on tone prints, and tissues make for beautiful accents and liners.

do you like little cardigans, records and vintage bicycles? This is the paper for you!

ITALIAN DECORATIVE These fine vintage floral and geometric prints have an old-world wallpaper/fabric feel.

SAMPLES

Many of our papers can be purchased as 8.5×11” samples (the Nepalese, Italian and Indian cannot, but we have smaller cut-offs of some prints if you’d like to just get an idea of the materials.)

When you have multiple papers you like, but you’re not sure which one will look best with your finished design, it’s a really good idea to get a couple of samples of each before you invest in a great quantity of one.

Like trying on different dresses/tuxes/kilts/Star Trek uniforms, it takes a little experimentation to find what you like, this process will allow you to make multiple invitations in different patterns and styles, before making the decision to buy.

We stress making mockups and doing tests because it’s our policy at the Paper Place to accept no returns on paper or envelopes, and we don’t want to see you unhappy. (See below for an outline of our return policy)

Requisition forms located with the binders on front and back tables.

A NOTE ABOUT THE REQUISITION FORMS:

I know it seems easier to a lot of people to just show us the paper they want in the binders, saying “one sheet of this please”. It’s not! Because we have so many different kinds of paper, it makes our lives easier to have it written out, (also Nick will forget what you want by the time he gets to the shelf).

The name will help us locate its general spot in the back—we have different sections for tissues, Nepalese, Japanese decorative, etc.
The size will indicate to us what shelf it may be on—shorter sheets on shorter shelves, longer sheets on longer shelves, etc.
Indicating the price will save us both time, even if you are buying samples, as we can determine the sample price based on the full sheet price.

At the cash, we can hand off your sheet to the staff member at the register and they can ring you in as we pull your paper, all of this information is also necessary when punching in your order, and your receipt will be properly itemized.

This process is really important, especially now, as we have several new staff members and all the information you provide them will ensure that your paper is found quickly and your order rung in accurately.

The green sheet will be handed back to you, and then you will have a written record of the paper you purchased in case you need to buy more, it will save you so much time, I promise!

A NOTE ABOUT THE RETURN POLICY

Paper is an easily damaged material. If you take paper and envelopes out of the store, we can no longer guarantee that it is in perfect shape. It’s a hard rule, but it’s for a good reason. It’s a rule we make clear with signs at the back, at the cash and on your receipt. It would be unfair to make exceptions. This is why it is very important to sample and test print, and why we stress the return policy when encouraging you to make mock ups.

NEXT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO USING DECORATIVE PAPER IN YOUR WEDDING INVITATIONS

(*this is the royal we, in the sense that it’s just one person writing but that one person wishes she had a an English castle and a dozen Corgis and sometimes writes in the third person.)

Tags: decorative papers, diy wedding invitations, how to, paper accent, wedding invitation, wedding invitation inspiration
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Getting Ready to Grow with Seed Storage Packets

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

The end of March means, snow melting away, spring is on the way and it is time to start thinking about the garden! The end of March also means my Dad’s birthday is upon me. Since he is an avid gardener I thought why not put together a little package of seeds that he can get started over the month of April in preparation to plant outside when the sun is shining?! So that’s what I did!

I wanted to make my store bought seeds special… I found the perfect paper at The Paper Place – Cavallini decorative paper covered in images of vintage seed packages and vegetables. It is a pretty durable paper, so I decided to make a couple of toggle envelopes that my Dad can reuse to store seeds and planting info.

I just winged the pattern, folding the paper around and cutting a small flap to glue at the bottom and a large flap at the top to open. I used a circle punch to cut a couple of discs out of chipboard for the toggles, fastened them with brads and strung some waxed linen thread around them to close the package. I made two – one for vegetable seeds and one for flower seeds, then labeled them so with a couple of manilla shipping tags, fabric washi tape and vintage style labels (also by Cavallini).

With the left over paper, I cut out bits to collage a handmade birthday card, wishing him a happy day and successful growing season!

My Dad thought they were great and is now ready to start plotting his 2013 garden!

“Planting is an experiment in growing” – Tom Marchand, My Dad

Everything I used for this project can be found in-store at The Paper Place (except the seeds of course)! Cavallini decorative paper, Cavallini vintage labels, waxed linen thread, card stock, circle paper punch, brads, A7 envelope, linen washi tape, Yamato glue stick, cutting tools and rubber letter stamps & stamp pads… and the beauty of working at The Paper Place and having a craft supply shopping addiction is that they can all be found at my house too! In my crafting drawer !

Tags: Cavallini, DIY, envelopes, garden, gifts, spring, vintage
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The Invitation Guide: Part I

Friday, March 8th, 2013

So, you’re getting married, congratulations! I’m so excited for you! But I think this means it’s time to have the talk… no, not The Talk, we’re a paper store, not your parents circa your early teens. It’s time to have the talk about…You just got engaged! Over brunch! You know what you should do? Start making wedding invitations! Look, there’s the paper store! NOPE. Back it up, you crazy kids. We know you’re excited; you should be! But go home and bask in it a little bit– indulge in some fantasies about the perfect wedding. Then remember your actual friends and family. Indulge in some fantasies of eloping! Breathe.

Now it’s time to think about invitations.

In this series of blog entries, I will be going over different steps and techniques for creating wedding invitations.*

First…

A FEW QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELVES

-What is our style? Look around you, at your homes, your clothes, the films you enjoy. You will find aesthetic choices everywhere. Vintage, antique, deco, whimsical, rustic, minimalist, maximalist, modern, contemporary. Etc. Use this as a reference point. It defeats the purpose of making your own wedding invitations if you make them look like someone else’s. It’s for you. Put yourselves in it!

-What colours reflect our style, choice of venue, the season of the wedding, our personalities? Put together a palette, use paint swatches (convenient and free) this is a great way to build a base for your invites. That said, do not get completely set on these exact shades for envelopes and cardstocks, instead keep it as a reference, a way to layer and arrange colour that can come from other elements—like decorative paper, ribbon or washi tape accents.

-How many invitations are we actually making? This is not how many people you expect at your wedding, take into consideration couples and families, this will cut your number considerably.

-Are we printing at home or with a print shop? There are pros and cons to doing either. I will go into this a little further down.

You should also prepare a list of questions you would like to ask our staff, we would be more than happy to calculate yield for you, make notes, and help you with your estimates.

TIPS AND THINGS TO CONSIDER

-Look at style blogs, I would suggest avoiding wedding blogs at first—don’t be influenced from the get-go by someone else’s personal design, get an idea in mind of what you want to say about yourselves first, then look at wedding blogs for suggestions on how to translate your ideas into something concrete.

-In terms of constructing your invitations, work backwards when it comes to size. Be clear on the sizes of envelopes we carry, and make your cards to fit them (in the case of our A7 and #10 envelopes, we have cardstock cut to those specific sizes 5×7 and 3.875×9.25 respectively.

-If you are designing your own print file, and are stuck on the basics, first things first: Pick a program. I use Photoshop because it’s part of my trade, but you can use Adobe InDesign which is a little more friendly to first-time users in terms of setting up a file and placing text and images.

- Look at fonts, websites with a thousand fonts can be overwhelming, first do a search of designers top lists. You’ll find fantastic typefaces tried and tested by design professionals.

-Know your skill level, if you can’t get graphically creative in a digital way, look at decorative papers as an alternative. This way you just do the text work, and leave space to accomodate your layered paper.

-Consider incorporating patterned paper to pick up your palette, we have hundreds of prints that may reflect you and your aesthetic; they can be used as band accents on your invite, envelope liners, and as elements in your place cards, menus and favours.

-If you are doing a pocket fold, know that you will need an envelope. They would seem to perfectly encapsulate all your elements, like an envelope, ready to mail. But I’m afraid not. They’re not sealed on all sides, and so cannot be mailed. Knowing this, if you still would like a pocket fold invitation because they are pretty and nicely cohesive, of course we would be more than happy to help you make one (if you have the time) or order pocket folds and corresponding envelopes from a line we frequently work with: Envelopments.

-If you are printing at home, or with a print shop, find out whether your printers can print borderless, meaning right to the edge. If you/they can, it will make the most of your paper/cardstock, if not, it will change your yield and how you will lay out your print file (borderless: move your images right to the edge, less cutting. Bleed edge: move images to the center)

YIELDS: A VISUAL GUIDE

HOW TO CALCULATE YIELD

width of paper/cardstock = W
length of paper/cardstock=X
width of invitation=Y
length of invitation=Z

W ÷ Y = V
X ÷ Z = U
V × U = YIELD

Algebra, you guys, I just did ALGEBRA for you, that is how much I care! That said, if you didn’t follow… because it’s been a long time since senior advanced math, which I barely passed (I’m more of a biology/art kind of person) you can always ask one of our associates to work this out for you. In the meantime, here are some visual representations of the most common invitation and reply sizes when working with the most common cardstock sizes:

square exampleb

PRINTING

WE DO NOT PRINT! AT ALL! Sorry, it’s just not what we do, that said, here are tips for choosing your print shop/or home printer:

PRINT SHOP

-Research different local print shops: they must be able to take outside stock. Look around for any special services you may want, not all print shops can do work with metallic or white inks.

-Ask them if they will print on large sheets of paper or cardstock and cut it down for you.

Reasons to go with a print shop: They will do most of the work for you. This alone might be the best reason to do anything.

HOME PRINTER

What to look for in a home printer–whether it’s things you need to know about the one you have, the one your friend has, or the one you are going to buy so you can print your invitations in the comfort of your living room while sitting in your underpants and watching Law & Order reruns.

-Can it print borderless? This will potentially save you time and effort, or, if it can’t print borderless, effect your yield and how much time you need to set aside for cutting.

-Can it print on custom sizes? 5×7? Smaller? On envelopes? If yours can take a 5×7” card, you are SET. And likely if it does, it will allow you to print on envelopes. Life. Saver. Especially true if your penmanship is atrocious.

-Can it print on a shimmer or textured surface? Shimmer papers are not porous, so they don’t dry very fast, it’s important to do a couple of tests or ask a salesperson (not us, a printer sales person, there are hundreds of printers, we… don’t know. Sorry!)

Printers these days are ridiculously cheap. They are also annoying and ink is expensive and blah, blah. I know, I hate obsolescence as much as the next person who has gone through four iPods, but here are the reasons I would suggest working on a home printer:

-You are the type of person who measures twice and cuts once. Or designs twice and prints once. And then figures out you measured/designed wrong both times and just wrecked a dozen invites. Home printers mean you can fix that and no one has to know.

-You’ve come to understand that invites are not all you need– there will be place cards, menus, thank yous and possibly baby shower things in future. It… might be best to invest in a home printer. I swear I am not sponsored by Best Buy. But I would not turn down a free printer if they were maybe reading this. (Canon, plz!)

TIPS FOR TRANSLATING YOUR DESIGN FROM SCREEN TO PRINT

Lighten your image! Your display is bright, and glowy. Paper can be bright, glowy? Not so much. So lighten your image, including your text. Want a nice bright blue? Go brighter than you think and do test prints. Your paper choice will likewise change the look of your design and colours a fair bit– a vibrant orange will hold on a bright white card, but on ivory will go a little more harvest-rust.
TEST. TEST. Oh, also, TEST. Look, I know it’s a pain coming and going from home to the shop, and adjusting your file, again I am in favour of staying home, but test prints tell you so much about the materials you’re working with. You will not regret it. Or, if you have a home printer… no excuse, test-law-and-order-test-test.
If you’re printing at home, make sure to adjust all your media settings for optimal printing. Check your instructions! (I can’t believe I just wrote that, I have never made it past “Congratulations on your purchase…” of anything, ever. But then I just play with things until I make them go… or break them. Normal people, sane people, read instructions.)

STAMPS

The Screen Alternative. You guys, you can have custom stamps made, not with us, but check Google! But before you commit, you better make sure ALL of your information is correct. Essentially the basics are the same—scale your stamp to fit your invite size—which should already be scaled for your envelope.

NEXT TIME

How to make invitations with our decorative papers!

*All of these designs were created by me. In my spare time. Probably while watching television. I tried to make them examples of attainable results. Full Disclosure: I have over ten years experience with Photoshop and a visual arts degree. Also: I was watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Tags: design, diy wedding invitations, How-To, invitations, wedding invitations
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