You’re out there searching for invitations and you start hearing all these terms…thermography, letterpress, offset, engraved. What do they all mean and more importantly, how will they affect the cost of your invitations?

Digital printing is a popular, process which transfers color toner or liquid ink to the paper which does not absorb into the paper, as does conventional ink, but forms a thin layer on the surface. It produces a clean and crisp image.

Offset printing is a printing technique where the inked image is transferred or “offset” from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the paper using a one or two color press.

Engraving is the opposite of letterpress, as it creates a raised texture instead of indented. Engraving starts with etching the text and artwork onto a copper plate. During the printing process, the plate is coated with ink that fills the space created by the etching, and then the plate with ink is compressed onto the paper, leaving the ink raised on top of the paper and an impression on the back of the paper from the force of the process.

Thermography produces raised printing by adding a special powder to the ink printed on the paper, then the printed piece is heated and the ink mixture dries to form a slightly shiny raised effect on the paper. This method produces an effect similar but not as crisp as engraving.

Letterpress is a process where ink is applied to a raised plate of your text and artwork, then pressed directly onto paper. Letterpress creates a deep impression into the paper, producing an appealing texture.