Wedding Invitation Challenge - White Ink on Blush Pink Paper

You know we love a good challenge! Simple jobs allow for great zen-like flow and rhythm, but challenges stretch the problem solving muscles, and are great fun.

The Paper

A couple came to us with a design, all text in two colors, on a blush pink background. You know that letterpress printing isn't good for large areas of solid ink, so we would have to source the blush pink cards. I found two great options that would be letterpress-friendly, and we decided to go with the warmer option, from Waste Not Paper / Paper Source.

But, when it came to print, I wasn't satisfied with the thickness of it, so I learned how to duplex (make them double-thick). Much better! Much more luxe and sturdy.

How this benefits you? Next time we need papers that are white on one side and, say, bright pink on the other, I can make that happen even if not pre-made!

The Ink

The couple's ink selections were white and a salmony-red. While white isn't that common for letterpress printing, it can be done. Most letterpress inks are translucent (the paper can show through), and for white on white, we usually use transparent white, just to make the "No Ink" look stand out a wee bit more. But for these, since the card is pink, the white needed to be opaque - which we have a jar of. But when testing it on the pink, it just wasn't looking right. Like, gray almost.

So I got to experiment. (Hooray!!)

I started adding a tiny dab of metallic silver to it, to possibly boost the opaqueness. And it worked! It was just a matter of adding the correct amount to achieve the results I wanted for their invitations. I wiped some of the ink away, added more, and ran many test prints until it looked white enough. The bride agreed that it looked great and so we scheduled the printing for after my honeymoon. I had my notes made for how much silver to add.

Results

Creating the opaque white blend, and mixing the gorgeous salmon-red (PMS 485ish), then duplexing the papers, created a super fun and modern invitation. The couple came to the home studio to pick them up and loved them. It is always so heart warming to see the excitement in their eyes as they view their design come to life like that.

Project Notes

Design: by client
Inks: Opaque White, Salmony red (PMS 485ish)
Paper: duplexed Luxe Blush by Paper Source / Waste Not Paper

This was a really hard invitation to photograph! Much respect to those of you with the skills to do it right.

Do you have a design you need printed? Contact us to discuss your project!