Your Guide to Choosing Stationery and Invitations
Choosing the right stationery can be an overwhelming process. Here are some helpful tips to assist you.
Correspondence Cards
Correspondence cards are flat card stock that cannot fold. Our standard weight is 3-ply, but some paper colors are available in 4-ply and 6-ply weights. Our standard sizes are #1, #3, #5 and #7.
- Measuring 5-1/8" x 3-11/16" the #1 card is perfect for those who like to keep their notes short and sweet.
- The #3 card, 6-3/8" x 4-1/4" is our most popular size, this card is the appropriate fit for those who prefer the more classic and standard choice.
- Our #5 card, 7-1/8" x 4-7/8" is a great alternative for those who have larger handwriting or who are more prolific writers.
- The #7 card, which measures 3-3/4" x 7-1/4," is a nice option for those who prefer something a little out of the ordinary. This size is also the traditional size for men, but nowadays many women use it, too.
Sheets and Informal Notes
Sheets.Our Sheets come in four sizes: the Petite Sheet (Size #1), the Note Sheet (Size #3), the Monarch (sometimes called Executive) Sheet (Size #7), and the Standard Letter Sheet (Size #8). The size you select is largely a matter of preference, but these sheets become more formal, generally speaking, as they move up in size, the Note and Monarch sizes being most common for non-business letters.
Because there is more room on a sheet than on a card, you may want to engrave your address at the top, underneath your name. Our Sheets are cut from our 1-ply stock, which features the Dempsey & Carroll watermark. Though our sheets are substantial, they may be fed through a printer if you wish. (And engraved text does not melt in a laser printer, as thermographed text does.) For personal correspondence, however, we always recommend hand-writing your letters and notes.
Because one generally does not write on the reverse of an engraved sheet, you may consider ordering a number of blank sheets to use as additional pages.
Informals. The term “Informal” refers to a fold-over note in either a 1-ply or a 2-ply weight. Your name or monogram is engraved on the front of the note, and your message is written on the inside. Our Size #1 is the standard fold-over size, but these notes also come in our Size #3. When folded, Informals measure the same as a Correspondence Card.
Informals are traditionally used as thank-you notes for wedding gifts and are otherwise a staple in many women’s stationery wardrobes. Because its writing space is a bit smaller, the elegant Informal is best for short notes.
Our stationery wardrobes are a good fit for those who write notes for different occasions.
What is a stationery wardrobe?
Calling Cards vs. Business Cards
The simplest distinction to make between these two types of cards is that the calling card is for social use, while the business card is for professional use.
About the Calling Card
History. Before the age of the telephone, the calling card (or carte de visite in French) had a significant role as a social tool. In the days when ladies might receive visitors during hours they were known to be “at home,” the calling card served to announce a visitor to the house. Thought to have originated in China in the 16th century, the calling card flourished in France and England before coming to America, reaching its heyday during the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.
Function.A visitor would present his card to the butler, who would place it on a silver tray and, leaving the visitor to wait, take it to the lady of the house. Different corners of the card would be turned down to indicate the visitor came in person, or that the call was intended to express congratulations or condolence.
On an initial visit, a gentleman would give a card to the butler and leave; if the recipient wished to start a friendship, a card would be returned in the same manner; but no response or a card returned inside an envelope indicated the recipient did not wish the acquaintance to continue.
Although business cards existed, they were never used in social situations. Just as today it is usually considered rude even to ask a new acquaintance what he or she does to earn a living, the idea that a person might produce a card with business information in a social setting was inconceivable until the early twentieth century. So the calling card would have served that social function, and any information missing, or perhaps a short note, would often be written directly on the card.
Format. The most formal calling card format features only a person’s full name, complete with title: Mr., Mrs. or Miss. “Doctor” is spelled out, as is “junior.” A home address, as brief as possible, is sometimes added to the lower right corner of the card; men’s cards sometimes include the name of a club.
Traditional calling cards are always engraved, using only black ink, the finest paper stock, and one of a small selection of conservative typefaces. Interestingly, the ornate social codes of American Society developed standard sizes to denote sex and marital status. These “proper” sizes were in use well into the twentieth century, though today it is acceptable to throw these rules out the window and choose a size – or create a different size – that suits your taste.
Single Men: 1-9/16” x 3-1/4”
Married Men: 2” x 3-1/2”
Single Women: 2” x 2-7/8”
Married Women and Widows: 2-3/8” x 3-1/4”
Married couples: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
The Calling Card Today. Calling cards, sometimes referred to as personal cards, are experiencing a renaissance, particularly among younger people, who change jobs more frequently and may want to present themselves socially with a less work-related face. Though a standard business card size is still popular for calling cards, a more unusual size may be a surprise to the recipient. Ink color and typeface are other ways to make the card have more personality. And today, there is sometimes more contact information put on the card; a cell phone number and personal email address are very common, as they don’t change when a person changes jobs or home addresses. Still, many clients prefer the simple elegance of engraving only their names on the center of the card.
How to Use Your Calling Cards. Calling cards are the perfect “blank slate” for today’s social and business interactions. It is perfectly acceptable to jot a little note or a bit of information directly on to your calling card. For example, after a business meeting you might add your work email and hand it to a new acquaintance. After running into an old friend you might write “call me” and include your mobile telephone number. How you use your cards is entirely up to you. You should be comfortable and confident that your cards are a sophisticated reflection of your personality and are completely adaptable to any situation. Calling cards also make fabulous gift enclosures – simply write “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations” on the card and enclose it with a gift.
We’re sure you’ll find hundreds of ways to use your cards. Enjoy!
Your Guide to Wedding Invitations
About Dempsey & Carroll Wedding Invitations.
Questions About Invitation Etiquette.
Dempsey & Carroll's General Manager, Jonathan Arnold, Gives Expert Advice to The Bride's Guide's Shira Savada
Shira: How does engraving differ from other printing methods? Why should brides choose this method for their stationery?
Jonathan: Engraving is considered the highest quality printing method because it’s all hand-made and it provides a crisper printing impression than anything else.
If you look at the back of a piece of engraved paper, you can see the bruise - an impression left by the press’s plate. The bruise on the back and the tactile feel of raised matte ink on the front of the paper are the signatures of genuine engraving, which are the elements I find most appealing. I also respect the strong tradition of craftsmanship and excellence of this art form.
SS: What are the three biggest etiquette faux pas you’ve seen?
JKA: First, I must preface my answer with this: no bride with Dempsey & Carroll invitations commits etiquette crimes! We make sure of that.
We often have to steer our customers away from using their joint monogram on their invitations, as it’s considered bad luck to use them before the ceremony. For example, if Kate Smith were marrying Michael Jones and they wanted to put their joint initials “KJM” on their invitation, I would suggest the bride’s monogram only or something else entirely. (Of course, joint initials are fine for post-ceremony papers, like escort cards, menus, place cards, and thank-you notes.)
Something that is OK to do but which I really dislike is specifying “black tie” on the invitation. It used to be that the time of day dictated dress code, so saying that an evening wedding at The Pierre is black tie, on a formal invitation, seems redundant to me.
I’m a big fan of “simpler is better,” and while I understand people want to convey as much information in a single mailing as possible, the number of enclosures is sometimes out of control. Hotel reservation information, lists of activities available in the area, requests to visit the special website - they all take attention away from where you want it, on the invitation itself. Probably the greatest mistake in this area is including bridal registry information.
SS: What’s the largest job you’ve ever done?
JKA: Most of the weddings we handle require around 100-200 invitations, though we’ve occasionally done as many as 500.
SS: What’s the average lead time you like to have for wedding invites?
JKA: We like to start the process at least 4-5 months in advance. Our engraving process can take 4-8 weeks to complete, but we do, of course, have rush services available for people who are starting later than they should have.
SS: Any particularly memorable projects?
JKA: People often think of us in a strictly traditional light, so it’s nice to have clients come in who think “outside of the box” and do something a little out of the ordinary. We just recently finished a monogram inspired by a Rorschach inkblot. Also, we recently had a customer bring in a photograph of her dog, which we used to create artwork suitable for an engraving die. Once the die was complete, we made a whole suite of stationery with the dog on it–everything from correspondence cards to notepads!
SS: What pieces have you seen more of or less of lately? Any trends you’ve noticed overall?
JKA: I’ve been noticing more brides are opting out of using both inner and outer envelopes, actually. Though using both was customary for older generations, many of today’s brides feel that the inner envelope is both unnecessary and environmentally unfriendly. Lucky for our brides, our papers are 100% cotton, a renewable resource that kills no trees!
SS: What is the most traditional invitation a person can have?
JKA: A really old-school invitation would have no r.s.v.p. line and no response card; the wording would indicate that guests should write a response on the recipient’s own personal stationery. In the 21st century, the most traditional invitation wording may sound boring, but in reality, these are some of the most beautiful invitation samples we have, just very simple and clear.
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