Personalized Profile Archives - Crane Post Script

A New York Lettra Love Story

Crane & Co. — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 11:01:13 +0000

We love receiving pictures of our customers’ personalized stationery—it’s the reason we created the Personalized Profile feature—and so it was a visual delight to open Steve Ono’s email recently. Steve works for family-owned print shop Japan Printing and Graphics in New York City, and, like many print shops, they love our Lettra paper.

If you’re not familiar with Lettra, it’s our signature letterpress stock. It’s 100% cotton, and the soft-yet-sturdy, textured composition is positively divine to the touch. When the letterpress machine makes its impression, we’re pretty sure fireworks explode.

Below are a few of the lovely business card designs Steve shared with us as well as his thoughts on Lettra and the importance of one’s business card choice.

Pearl White Lettra letterpress printed in black ink.

“The delicate texture and feel of the Lettra stock is incredibly unique and unmistakable. People absolutely love the paper because it feels so soft and textured, almost as if it were textile. Secondly, the Lettra stock allows for deep indentations when the using letterpress printing. The softness of the paper allows the indentations from the letterpress to be considerably deeper than any other paper that we use. This amplifies the effect of letterpress printing and also adds a more visible dimension to the business cards. This paper is indispensable for the type of work that we do.”

Double-mounted Pearl White Lettra with engraved and burnished silver logo.

“When people ask for our advice on design and layout, we always ask them what they are looking for. Before we make any suggestions, we always check first if they have any preferences. For example, a full bleed design is going to suggest a different type of taste than on text only design. These preferences also dictate what type of effects and materials are likely to appeal to the client. We also factor in the industry and demographic that they are looking to appeal to: Finance, jewelry, designer and other high end service providers are a good fit for certain types of designs/finishes, while entertainment, technology and dining are likely a better fit for other designs/finishes.

Double-mounted Pearl White Lettra letterpress printed in black.

“Business cards have become a commodity for most people these days. The reality is that cheap online suppliers are good enough for most people. However, that is actually a good thing for people who invest in quality designs and materials for their business cards. For example, someone attending a convention might meet hundreds of people and therefore collect hundreds of business cards. There isn’t a chance that he/she will remember everyone. When reviewing the hundreds of business cards, 99% of them will probably look cheap and unimpressive. A few will probably stand out as being far superior than the rest. These few business cards will get all the attention. Its that simple. There are other examples too, but the point is that quality matters if you want to distinguish yourself from the crowd.”

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Stationery for the Very Very Fine House

Crane & Co. — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 10:00:05 +0000

To suggest to us that personalized stationery makes a lovely gift would be preaching to the choir. Of course, we have never met a recipient who did not express genuine glee upon opening our signature blue box. However, when we heard that personalized stationery was the new home gift of choice for one New York City real estate broker to his clients, even the choir’s ears perked up.

Of course, such a gift makes perfect sense. What better way to celebrate the purchase of a new home than with its address printed on an envelope flap? Kyle Haas shares some advice on pinpointing someone else’s personal style and the importance of leaving a lasting impression—one handwritten note at a time.

What do you love most about giving personalized stationery as a gift to your clients?
When a client purchases a new home, there is no more perfect gift than personalized stationery with their new return address on the envelope. The clients are always appreciative and I, from a business standpoint, know that they’ll think of me each time they use it. That’s so much better than sending a generic postcard or email to keep in touch.

How do you go about choosing a design that best fits your clients’ style?
One of the other great things about giving personalized stationery is that it’s, well, personalized. I can take cues from my clients’ décor or personalities to help me decide which fonts, colors and styles to choose. If I’m not sure of design choices, the Crane Concierge has been very helpful.

What is normally the reaction from clients to this gift?
My clients are always very appreciative. They all remark about how perfect the gift is and seem taken by the thoughtfulness. I really can think of no better way to leave a lasting impression after my clients close on their new home.

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A Dallas Darling

Crane & Co. — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 15:40:42 +0000

We may be biased, but we like to think our customers have impeccable taste. So, it’s only natural that we would want to showcase the exquisite personalized stationery they create for their epistolary wardrobe. Dallas resident Beverly Hicks (and mother of our very own Chief Financial Officer) chose an engraved hand-drawn monogram in medium gold ink on an ecru correspondence card. She paired it with our lively and elegant Golden Swirl envelope lining.

“I have adored Crane stationery forever,” said Mrs. Hicks. “Their gold engraving hits the top of my list.”

We’d love to feature your Crane stationery in our Personalized Profile series! Please email submissions@crane.com for consideration.

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Head of the Class Craftsmanship

Crane & Co. — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 09:00:51 +0000

We adore it when personalized stationery comes with a story. This engraved elephant correspondence card—illustrated by Alexa Pulitzer—was for a soon-to-be University of Alabama student. We never knew a university’s signature color and its mascot could come together to create such lovely stationery.

“I must say, it’s truly incredible to be moved by the beauty of engraving and fine papers,” long-time client Elizabeth told Alexa of her daughter’s new stationery. “I was speechless by the elegance and finery of Allison’s Royal Elephant. Your design represents her first impression as she embarks her next stage in life as a student at the University of Alabama. I am genuinely and sincerely in awe. A million thanks!”

We’ve always said personalized stationery makes the perfect graduation gift, and this custom design certainly takes the cake. Or, in this case, the crimson.

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A Gift Horse Worth A Look

Crane & Co. — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 11:45:40 +0000

Over the years we’ve received a mailbox (the big USPS blue variety, that is) worth of emails asking us for advice on how one goes about designing personalized stationery for someone else. After all, it is a gift that is so, well, personal. When we came across stationery enthusiast Lauren’s design for her parents, we knew she would have some words of wisdom.

What was the inspiration behind this design?
My dad works for the New York Racing Association and my mom is a horse lover through and through. They spend the summer in Saratoga, NY, going out almost every night of the week at someone’s home for cocktails or dinner. I thought these flat cards would be perfect for sending thank you notes to their hosts.

Nothing says classic to me like gold engraved stationery. I loved the idea of a simple equestrian motif. Given their involvement in racing, this horse was a perfect choice. I used my parents’ informal names and chose a striped envelope liner to add a little playfulness to the design.

What do you love most about giving personalized stationery as a gift?
I am an avid letter writer and think everyone should have his or her own stationery wardrobe. Paper is a utilitarian gift (you’ll always find a reason to pen a note), but it’s also beautiful and can be personalized especially for the recipient—a winning combo in my book.

It’s been a while since my parents owned joint stationery (they each have their own personalized set for correspondence), so I was eager to gift them something they could use as a couple. In full disclosure, I blame my recent wedding. My husband and I have joint stationery and I use it all the time.

When designing personalized stationery, what are the important details to think about?
No matter the gift, I always try and find something representative of the recipient’s style. My parents are classic and fairly formal, so gold engraving was the perfect choice for their stationery. Maybe going with something more modern or a colorful liner for one of my single girlfriends, for example.

I also try and think of how the giftee will use the paper—practicality counts! I have a friend who recently moved and was desperate to make new friends. She would meet women with similarly aged children at the local playground, but always found herself without a pen or paper to get their information. I gifted her a set of calling cards with her son’s name so she could easily swap phone numbers for future playdates. Much more useful than a new address stamp!

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