Oscar + Emma Pocket Invite

Designed by Oscar + Emma, Columbus, Ohio.
Pocket and panels are crane lettra 110# cover in fluorescent white. Blind letterpress and aqua blue ink. This set is sized to fit into a A7 envelope. The blind hit of the tree wraps around to the inside pocket.

National Stationery Show?

We didn't attend the National Stationery Show this year, and it was hard to not be there. BUT, we helped many get ready to debut new letterpress beauties at the Show, so that was quite satisfying knowing a little bit of Spark was present in NYC.

We have so many exciting things going on at Spark these days – new employees, new clients, a new logo (coming really soon), new custom stationery designs, a new employee lounge. I've been overwhelmed in a good way and am so grateful to see the business we've worked so hard to build continue to grow.

We're here today printing the most brightly colored piece we've ever done – it's for a Bat Mitzvah. I could be sad about working Memorial Day weekend, but with the backlog we created prepping others for the Show, it was inevitable.

I do hope the rest of you are relaxing this holiday weekend!
Valerie and Jim

Coasters on Fox River Blotter

Designed by Bailey Lauerman, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Letterpress-printed on Fox River Blotter 158# cover.

Recommended Letterpress Papers

Below are the papers Spark currently recommends for letterpress. We are always adding to this list as new projects come our way. If you have a paper you would like to add, please leave a comment.

• Crane lettra papers in 80# text, 110# and 220# covers. This is a nice, not too lofty cotton paper that is soft to the touch and takes a great impression.
• French Paper Muscletone 140# cover. Sturdy stock with a smooth finish.
  
• Arturo papers by Cartiera Magnani. The cover weight in this paper could be heavier, but this is a beautiful, luxurious paper. The envelope sizes in this line are ideal for stationery.
• Rising Museum Board in 2ply or 4ply. This paper is often used for watercolor and framing, but also makes for a great letterpress paper. It is wonderfully thick with a smooth finish.
• Somerset papers, we prefer the velvet finish as it feeds well on press.
• Blotter paper. This is a very toothy, thick stock.
  

We also run the following papers - some are not often thought of as letterpress papers - on press:

• Gruppo Cordenons Stardream metallic papers (Shine and Curious Metallics are other options).
  
• Neenah Esse smooth or textured stocks.
• Transparent Papers such as UV/Ultra.
• Neenah Classic Crest in 80# text, 130# and 165# covers.
• Chipboard, varying weights.
• Neenah Eames textured stocks.
• Handmade Seed Papers.
  

What do you use?

Creative Blu Letterpress Pocket Invite

Designed by Creative Blu
Details: This invitation set is printed on crane lettra fluorescent white 110# cover in pink and charcoal inks. The pocket is letterpress-printed and die cut. Insert cards are stacked in the right-hand pocket. This is a stunning, tactile piece that really shows off the softness of the crane lettra 100% reclaimed cotton paper. Many thanks to Creative Blu for sending this project our way!

1st Birthday Party Invite

Designed by Valerie at Spark for her daughter's 1st birthday party.
Details: crane lettra 220# fluorescent white cover in pink and brown inks as well as a blind hit. Envelope is also crane lettra fluorescent white with ink jet return and chocolate text weight liner.

So, not every child needs to have a letterpress-printed invite on the thickest paper imaginable, unless your parents are the lead pressman (Jim) and art director (Valerie) at Spark. This was a fun project for both of them. All too often they never get to print personal stationery because they are too busy keeping up with client orders. As their daughter's 1st birthday came closer, they knew they were going to print her invite no matter what. We hope you enjoy this fun design as much as we do.

Spark Timeline Invitation

Designed by Spark for Epitome Papers, Edina, MN.
Printed on Crane lettra 110# cover in pearl white. Red, black inks. Red mixed to match French Paper wild cherry envelope. Silver eyelet.

Congrats, Graduates!

Congrats from Spark to all the graduates out there! We have some local college students graduating and wish them the very best!


Spark Bittersweet - one of our favorites.


Henry-style Congrats

Spark 2010 Custom Album

It is hard to be here at the office today and not setting up for the National Stationery Show in NYC. We made the decision not to attend this year and instead hunker down to plan for our Spark album due out early next year. This was a hard decision for us as we love the energy and enthusiasm that embodies the NSS.

Spark Letterpress Cards - Wholesale Orders
Retailers and Buyers, if you are looking for our Spark letterpress cards and products, feel free to check out our Spark Letterpress Catalog (PDF). We are happy to extend our 10% discount on any orders over $100 or more. Simply mention the Spark10 discount when you place your order with us by fax or phone.

Spark Letterpress Love Album
Write this down on your must have list for 2010. Our new custom stationery album is due out in early 2010. The Spark custom album will feature complete, fully customizable wedding suites. This album is meant to show off our talents and inspire clients to create beautiful stationery at an affordable price.

If you would like more information about our album, please contact us at service@sparkstationery.com.

Here's a sneak peek...

L-S Circle Business Cards

Designed by Lawrence & Schiller.
Rising 2-ply museum board, orange and charcoal inks. Prints both sides and die cut to 2.5" circle. This was a larger press run for us as we had to run more than 60 names for this marketing and design firm.

Spark Wedding - Anemone Flower

This invitation set was designed by Spark for someone special in our family. The anemone flower takes center stage in this design. No frills, except for the stardream coral paper backer and the blind letterpress envelope liner. Printed on crane lettra 110# cover in pearl white. Blush pink and dark brown inks.

Lettuce Paper Hydrangea Invite

This wedding invitation was designed by Lettuce Paper, Brooklyn, New York. Letterpress-printed on our Heidelberg Windmill press using crane lettra pearl white 110# cover in two custom blue inks. Luxe white envelope. We encourage you to check out Lettuce Paper's website as she has a keen and clean design sensibility we love.

Cotton is Not So Bad After All

Crane lettra is our house stock. We have always been very happy with its performance, however we often get questioned about how green our beloved paper is. Check out this blog post by the Ladies of Letterpress (thank you!!).

Is Lettra Recycled?

We love Lettra--and not only because of its tree-freeness. What goes into that cotton stock? This info comes from Dave Kidwell, Crane's Mid-Atlantic Region Manager, regarding the "recycled" content of Crane's Lettra.

Read more about this at the Ladies of Letterpress Blog >>

Creative Blu Sewn Wedding Set

This wedding set was designed by Creative Blu, Long Beach, California.

Spark takes credit only for the printed pieces! Creative Blu dressed up the panels as show in the image above. It is a stunning, handmade piece. The panels were letterpress-printed on crane lettra fluorescent white 110# cover in green and charcoal inks.

Standing Letterpress Mailer

The above mailer for the University Center of South Dakota was designed by the creative team at Lawrence & Schiller, Sioux Falls. This 5.25" square standing piece is letterpress printed in navy and taupe and printed on crane lettra ecru white 110# cover. Secured with antique brass eyelet.

Oscar + Emma Save the Date

Check out this exquisite save the date designed by Oscar + Emma. Printed on Crane lettra pearl white 110# cover, sized 5.25" square to fit into the Crane lettra 5.5" square envelope. Ink colors are black and very pale pink.