The Journal

This is part twenty-six of a series called One a Day in May, where we will review one wedding stationery term every day in May!

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Letterpress printing is a technique that involves relief printing on thicker paper where the design is pressed into the paper with a printing press. Letterpress printing is the oldest traditional printing method still in practice today, first created in 1450 (!!) by Johannes Gutenberg. There are a few different styles of letterpress machines that have been developed over the years but they all produce the same, beautiful, luxurious pressed print.

The basic process is similar to foil-pressed printing which we discussed before, but this time no heat is involved and the plate with your text or design on it is rolled with ink. The plate is then mechanically pressed into the card you wish to print on. It is a simple idea but there is a lot of fine-tuning that goes into each print because the printer has to account for things like the thickness of the paper, the size of the plate, thorough cleaning of the paint roller, etc., all of these are adjustments that must be made to the press itself.

Letterpress stationery always adds a little zhush to the invitation suite. Even if your aesthetic is simple and minimalistic, letterpress is a great way to add depth, interest and style to your wedding stationery.