Vanessa Says

I know there is a big trend towards ordering everything online.  Commodity products from reputable vendors may be a really a good deal.  Personalized invitations or stationery orders are a bit more complicated to purchase on the internet.  Here are a few “internet personalized printing” horror stories….

1. Over Christmas, my customer, Debbie, wanted to order Holiday cards for her office.  She had been ordering from me for years.  This year, she did some research online, and came in and asked me if I could help her with the cards she wanted.  I researched it, and the price seemed right…and the company was receptive to working with me.  We were all set to order, and I had a thought….I asked the vendor to mail us a sample card.  The card arrived and I had a good laugh.  It was the size of a small 3” by 5” enclosure card, and not the standard bill of fare for this customer.  I called Debbie in to see, and we concluded that sometimes you just need to visit your stationer!

2. A customer named Cindy walked into our store on 2.17.11. She was having a party that was three weeks away.  She asked if we could do rush invitations.  We told her that we printed rush invitations in-house for a small up charge.  She ordered, and then told us that she had actually placed an order online with an internet stationer.  She ordered a Crane’s invitation, and it just wasn’t arriving.  She called customer service, and was told “Crane’s orders take time.  We cannot rush them.” She then called Crane’s and was told, “To get rush service with Crane’s, you must visit your local stationer.”  Very interesting, and very true!

3. My customer Annabel came in to do her holiday cards.  She ordered digital cards with a family photo on the front.  She told me that the previous year she ordered them online, and she was returning to our store.  Her 12 year old son piped in “Is that because you printed the wrong year on the cards, Mom?”….case closed…..

4. I recently heard of a family that used a video invitation to invite people to an anniversary party. One of their guests posted the video on youtube.com, and they began getting all kinds of responses from strangers who were NOT invited to the event.  Not Good!!!

The last point I would like to make on this matter is that there really is a romance of paper.  Holding a card or letter in your hands is a beautiful thing.  The texture, the type, the color of the ink and the fact that someone actually sent you something REAL!!!!!

Just one woman’s opinion…

Category : Vanessa Says

At Blacker and Kooby, we have a unique vantage point into the world of 12/13 year old minds….the Bat Mitzvah girls are the best!   I just recently helped create  invitations for four young women who are interconnected through school, activities and friendship. I was impressed with their maturity and fashion sense. I love help creating the best Bat Mitzvah invitations in New York City for these styling and savvy city teens.

The first young woman, Nora, came in with her mom.  Nora knew exactly what she liked, and was very specific about colors and font.  She created an ensemble from Luscious Verde, in beet, breeze, orchid and cream, with neptune ink.

Her fun choice of colors matched her vibrant personality.  Nora was no novice to the design world.  She had already launched an internet business with her friend that sold “duct tape bags”.  Nora, I want to follow you on twitter!  You are going places!

The next customer, Brooke, also came in with her mom and proceeded to unleash her inner design goddess.  She did NOT want the typical Bat Mitzvah invitation.  We decided to look at some wedding books for inspiration.  Brooke fell in love with Checkerboard’s iridescent pearl paper.  She chose inks in silver and lime inks, and added highlights or margarita paper, here and there. The dove on her invitation, symbolizes peace.  The “bayz hay” on the upper right hand corner infuses some spiritual good luck.  Brooke’s invitation mentions the name of her grandparents on her cards, a very nice touch.  Go Brooke!

Next came Hannah, another totally stylin’ chick!  Hannah had a very specific idea in mind.  She brought in a precious paper-cut silhouette of her profile that her third grade teacher had created.  We scanned the image in photoshop and integrated it into her design.  Hannah specifically asked us to use gold foil stamping on her invitations. She liked the shininess and brilliance that foil stamping achieves.  With Checkerboard’s grape and cream papers, and lilac ink, the foil stamping made Hannah’s tri-fold invitation come to life.  The result was arty, feminine and fun.  You rock, girl!

I want to mention that Blacker and Kooby had designed and printed invitations for Nora and Brooke’s older siblings.  We have a long history of event-driven relationships with our customers.  It is such a pleasure re-connecting with our former customers as they celebrate the most special moments of their lives…..

The last of our fabulous foursome was Katie!  Her invitation had special meaning to me, because not only had I done Katie’s birth announcements, and her sister’s, BUT…..I designed Katie’s parents’ Wedding Invitations and Programs years ago!

Katie was very enthusiastic, and choosing her invitation was a family event.  Mom, Dad and younger sister all played a role in the process.  Katie’s Hebrew name is Shoshana, meaning “rose”.  We were searching for the perfect rose invitation to herald Katie’s big moment.  Once again we turned to the wedding albums, and found a Checkerboard ensemble that would allow us to pay homage to Katie’s name and hold all her accessory items in an organized and attractive manner.

A black folder with bermuda and white inserts and black ink, outfitted with an abstract rose image that bled off the corners did the trick.   A coordinating Bermuda ribbon literally sealed the deal.  When the designing part was done, Katie jumped up and down and gave me the biggest hug.

Working with all four of these super young women was such a treat.  Doing Bat Mitzvah invitations is so much more than ordering printing, it is working with individuals who are deciding just who they want to be.  They are entering womanhood, joining a community and expressing themselves. Nora, Brooke, Hannah and Katie were all able to infuse their personalities, spirituality and aesthetic senses into their invitations.  I was honored to work with each of them and help create the best Bat Mitzvah invitation in New York City!

Category : Vanessa Says

At Blacker and Kooby we want to make your Wedding  invitations make a statement and match your event.  We want your guests to call you up and say  “those were the nicest wedding invitations I ever received, and they looked  like you!”  I recently had fun creating  some fabulous wedding and engagement invitations for two New York City couples.

 (Deborah and Ben)

Deborah and Ben were married in Gotham Hall on the  Westside.  They had a rehearsal dinner at Upstairs at the Kimberly.  They had many guests from out of town because neither of them is originally from New York.  Like many young working engaged couples, they are very busy.  They wanted their invitations to be elegant, traditional and city chic all at the same  time, and they wanted someone to translate their paper needs into reality!  Deborah immediately responded to William Arthur’s super heavy ecru card with gold beveling and rounded corners.  We use gold engraving in a lovely script and stately block font to share the details of their big day.

For their rehearsal dinner, a cityscape was perfect. We found a shimmery New York City  invitation to echo the view from The Kimberly. It gave the impression of  moonlight and grandeur, to fit the event.  Matching pearl liner and a citified font added to the urban chic aura of the dinner.

The wedding program is always the most complex part of the wedding ensemble.  Both Deborah and Ben collaborated with their families and the wedding officiants to ensure that their program was both spiritually and technically correct.  A quote from “When Harry Met Sally” began the text, echoing the New York wedding vibe.
Judaic wedding traditions were explained, wedding party participants were honored, grandparents were remembered, friends and rabbis were celebrated, and parents were thanked.  The resulting program became symbolic of their relationship and their journey together.

I was impressed by Deborah and Ben’s collaboration. Each one had a strong sense of self, and at the same time was deeply respectful of the other’s feelings. I became very attached to Deborah’s mother, Audrey, throughout the process.  She was just the right amount happy, sensible, available and sensitive.  I am always touched by the elation of parents surrounding a promising and joyous wedding.

To Deborah and Ben, I wish you all the happiness, joy and success for your lives together.  It was so much fun to play a role in your New York wedding planning.

***Photos for the Krisbergh Wedding by Fred Marcus.

 (Paula and Michael)

Paula and Michael needed engagement invitations.  Michael’s awesome mom, Linda who lives in  Brooklyn, found us on the internet.  She  popped in and we had a chat.  Linda told us that the wonderful couple would be having a party in the scenic River Café  with magnificent views of Manhattan.  We  knew we needed to do a Skyline invitation.

Busy Paula made her way to our fabulous Upper East Side stationery store, on her lunch break.  I  worked with Paula and Linda to find a fitting New York City invitation to set the mood for their upcoming event.
Michael was consulted via cell phone, and the resulting invitation was  so perfect, we had to do matching thank you notes!

The invitations and thank you notes had an abstract city skyline, featuring the Empire State Building, which you can see on a clear day  from the River Café!  We used celery and taupe shimmer papers with celery and charcoal inks to soften the cityscape, yet still make it look urban cool.

Paula and Michael are being married in Atlanta, and I am  working on the rehearsal dinner invitations now.  I was so happy to get a little New York into their wedding before they leave for Georgia.  Best of luck and happiness to you, and send me a couple wedding photos!!!!

Category : Vanessa Says

Here’s the skinny on what to do after you have ordered your lovely invitations to herald your event. The first question you may have is “how should I address them?”

Handwritten envelopes are certainly the most personal way of inviting guests.  If you have nice handwriting, this is certainly the sensible way to proceed. However, most of us do not have wonderful penmanship and we would be afraid to waste an abundance of costly envelopes… so, it is time to think about calligraphy!

Hand calligraphy vs. computerized calligraphy

The upside of hand calligraphy is that is beautiful. Talented calligraphers can modify typefaces to match the scripts on your invitations, metallic and white inks look particularly good in hand calligraphy and when your invitation is received, your guests will know it is a special piece of mail. Some envelopes are too thick and complicated to address by computer, so you may not have a choice… and need to spend more to get the job done!

The downside of hand calligraphy is that you are beholden to an individual who goes on vacation or has a family emergency….and while a reputable calligrapher will provide you with a backup plan, they are only human. Hand calligraphy also costs more. I have seen calligraphers charge anywhere from $3.25 to $10.00 an envelope, depending on font, ink and paper. We gladly take hand calligraphy jobs from our customers, and use a handful of dedicated calligraphers who we know to be qualified and talented.

Computerized calligraphy, “ink jet” and “pen and ink” systems at Blacker and Kooby

Computerized calligraphy is a more cost effective way to address a mailing, neatly and on a timely basis. At Blacker and Kooby, we do two kinds of computerized calligraphy.

We run envelopes through an ink jet printer… and depending on your envelopes and ink, they run $1.35 to $2.00 an envelope, plus a small set up fee. Envelopes printed by ink jets are very lovely, and neat. They do not detract from your invitation, and there is not much waste of envelope stock. We have 150 fonts and we can adjust point size and justification, meaning centered, flush left or flush right. For more modern layouts and fonts, most customers prefer using the ink jet system if their envelopes will allow.

With the ink jet, we can match your ink color very closely. Metallics can be a bit of a challenge, but we have samples to show you how we handle gold and silver jobs. We cannot do white ink with the ink jet system, but have no fear, we have another system to service your needs!

Our pen and ink system is fabulous for doing white and metallic inks. These envelopes generally run $3.00 to $4.00 for three lines, plus a small set up fee. Apart from handling tricky ink colors, and allowing us to do thicker envelopes, an added plus of this system is that is looks more hand done. The stylus that inks the envelope is essentially a mechanical hand, and it doubles up over itself to add flourishes, which creates thin and thick lines mimicking hand calligraphy.

In the end, what really matters is that the mode of addressing that you chose adds to, and does not detract from your invitation, and that your mailing will be properly delivered.

Category : Vanessa Says

Wedding invitations now come in all shapes and forms. They are flat cards, folders, squares and rectangles… they have single lined envelopes… double envelopes…

They have all sorts of enclosures… response sets… reception or party cards… rehearsal dinner invitations… brunch invitations…

So, how do you assemble your “wedding package”?
Do you use the tissue sheets that came with the wedding invitation order?
What is the best way to seal the envelopes shut?
What is the best way to mail your wedding invitations?

The basic rule of thumb is that the prettier things should show when your guests open the envelope up. If there is a pretty motif or monogram, it is nice when it shows right away. More information oriented pieces get tucked behind the more attractive pieces. Since most enclosures are smaller than your invitation, they still lie on top, but are slipped down further inside the envelope.

At Blacker and Kooby, we have learned that each wedding invitation has a life of its own. We help brides figure out how to assemble their invitations in the most attractive and logical way.

Category : Vanessa Says

A photograph integrated with an invitation makes an extremely personal statement. Technology has improved in the printing world, and photographic images are becoming more attractive and lower in cost to duplicate for a set of invitations.

Category : Vanessa Says

Custom postage basically doubles the cost of postage, but it adds so much to an invitation package. Envelopes become much more engaging with a colorful well designed stamp, especially if the stamp relates well to the rest of the invitation package. We have been extremely happy with Zazzle.com as a custom postage provider.

Category : Vanessa Says