Helani Letterpress

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The Helani letterpress wedding invitation, shown here in 3 colors, certainly has a sweet destination and even beach vibe — but change the inks and you can open up this design to a whole of occasions (we’ve seen the helani is some beautifully rich deep colors for fall or deeper bolder colors for a summer wedding). the traditional type paired with the more modern illustration makes for a crowd-pleasing but unique wedding invitation.

This stylish invitation suite can be customised by selecting your own style from the following: Script Fonts • Colours • Patterns • Calligraphy • Envelope Lining • Patterned Backing • Edge Painting • Folios.

We love working with clients to make their favorite Smock designs their own! Visit our blog for invitation inspiration.

The Helani Invitation Suite above consists of:
Invitations, RSVP Cards, Place Cards & Favour Cards.
View other available pieces to complete the suite

Additional extras shown in the Helani Suite include:
Envelope Lining & Patterned Backing.

Font Used: Graham Inks: Grass, Blush & Cloud (3 Colour) Envelope Liner: Sottern Pattern in Grass Ink Paper Colour: White

The price of your sample is redeemable against the purchase price of your letterpress invitations if you decide to order from us

CURRENT SPECIAL OFFER - FREE PRINTING ON ENVELOPES FOR LARGE INVITATIONS (ONE PER ORDER)!!

Go ahead and change the ink colour on your design if you’d like. There is no cost for this customization. Custom inks are also available for an additional charge.

Please note that onscreen colour varies depending on your screen settings.

Many customisation options are available for our letterpress social and wedding range. You can change the following details to make your design custom to you...fonts, colours, patterns, envelope lining, calligraphy, patterning, edge painting and folios.

Fonts
Go ahead and change the fonts on your design if you wish. There is no cost for this customization. Mix and match fonts from different samples to create your own unique look and style.

Patterns
Choose a pattern. Choose an ink colour for that pattern. Then turn your pattern into an envelope liner; an invitation backing; or a folio pocketfold enclosure.

Calligraphy
This option works great for the bride’s and groom’s names on the invitation; the reply by date on your r.s.v.p. card; the location on your reception card; or any text you’d like to highlight. Choose from two styles: the historical Spencerian or the classic Clermont. Our Rhon and Lashar samples wear their calligraphy accents well.


Envelope Lining
Each of our invitations is custom-made with a specific client in mind. Why shouldn’t the envelope liners be individualized too? Our envelope liners are custom too, flat printed on bamboo text-weight paper. To create an envelope liner of your own, pair any ink colour with any pattern.

Patterning
1. Choose your pattern.
2. Choose your ink colour.
3. Choose which pieces you’d like to be backed with your pattern.
Patterned backings are flat printed directly onto bamboo paper.
Our Cavall, Chasseral, Aberdeen, Helani, Nevis, and Vettore samples feature patterned backings.

Edge Painting
Originally reserved for the finest hand-bound books, edge painting has a rich history in the letterpress world. For centuries, master binders would gild the edges of a book with gold to show the preciousness of that book.
We’ve put a modern spin on this practice by hand painting the edge of our invitation pieces with any of our ink colours (we also offer edging in gold or silver).
Edge painting can highlight an existing colour in your set or introduce an entirely new hue. Our Nevis sample uses black ink and blush edge painting.

Folio
Our folios are custom pocketfold enclosures that hold your invitation and accompanying pieces. Choose any ink colour and pattern for the folio’s interior and exterior.
Check out our Engadine and Burstell samples to see our folios in action; folios can be added to any of our designs. Other things you should know: we will adhere your invitation to the folio for you. And please note that inner envelopes are not available if using a folio.

Order Process

Below, please find a step by step guide to ordering your invitations from Pretty as a Picture.

Step 1: Choose a design and order a sample if you wish

Step 2: Choose the custom details of your invite and order online or over the phone

Step 3: We design your invitation and send you a proof.

Step 4: Approve your proof. Your order will be sent out to you in 15 business days, depending on the service requested (excludes delivery transit time)

Step 5: Delivery

Browse our invitation galleries and remember that custom ink, paper, typestyle and design options are always available—just give us a call at 00353 404 64224 to discuss options or order a sample.

To order a sample, just click the "add to cart" button below. Your sample wedding invitation set will consist of your requested invitation design, a reply card, an outer envelope, and a reply card envelope, printed in a standard ink color. Most sample orders are processed within 2–3 business days. If you are in a rush, please contact us so that we can prioritise your order. The cost of samples is credited to your wedding invitation order with Pretty as a Picture if you decide to order from us.

If you’re in the Wicklow or Dublin area, come and visit us in our studio and we will show you our albums and go through all the available options with you. We can show you the various font, colour and other options available and go through the customisation process with you in detail.

Upon placing your order with us, a non-refundable 50% deposit is required and we will send you a proof in 3-5 working days. Once you have approved the design and checked all spellings etc are ok the balance of payment must be paid via paypal, cheque or cash. Your finished invitations will then be readywithin 4 weeks.

You can pick up your invitations at our studio or we can delivery them to you.
Delivery within Ireland is €15
Delivery within the UK is €25
Please enquire with us for delivery prices elsewhere.

Letterpress

Letterpress printing is labour intensive, and printing takes a long time and requires a great deal of skill. Years ago, letterpress was virtually forgotten in favour of faster and cheaper printing methods better suited to the mass market. However, as fine cuisine is still valued in a nation of fast food, fine letterpress printing is still appreciated for a kind of beauty that can only be made by genuine craftsmen.

In the finest letterpress, the printed image is sharp and crisp, because a thick layer of ink is placed only in the floor of the impression, leaving the walls of the impression clean. The rich texture of shadow and light created by these clean-walled impressions gives letterpress its unique beauty. The quality of the impression gives a feeling for the paper, just as a woodworker’s craftmanship reveals the character of fine wood.

Because printing is done on antique printing presses, each printed piece will be subtly unique. No two pieces are entirely the same, as letterpress printing is not an exact science. Subtle variations in position, impression, colour and inking are to be expected. These small variations are part of what makes letterpress beautifully unique, trust us we know!

Bamboo Paper
We’re proud to be associated with Smock – the first and only print shop to offer printing on a luxury bamboo paper.

Why bamboo? Bamboo is a truly sustainable and renewable resource. It’s the fastest growing plant on this planet; it grows without pesticides or fertilizers; and it requires very little water to grow. Bamboo also makes the prettiest paper out there. Smock have partnered with a 500-year-old paper mill to develop this fine artisan paper just for us.

What is our bamboo paper like? It’s extremely soft, luxuriously thick, and elegantly textured. It’s also perfect for letterpress. Essentially, imagine the highest quality cotton paper. Now imagine something even prettier and without the pesticides used in cotton production.

We consider bamboo to be a true wonder plant. In addition to not requiring pesticides or fertilizer to grow, bamboo reaches its mature harvestable height in 3 to 5 years (versus 10-20 years for most softwoods). Bamboo generates up to 35% more oxygen than hardwood trees, and absorbs four times as much carbon as hardwood. Bamboo can detoxify wastewater (due to its high nitrogen consumption) and improve soil quality. If that wasn’t enough, bamboo also has natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties too.