Press
Lucia Loves ... Writing Paper
Invitations are well worth the paper they're written on according to Lucia van der Post
None of us needs telling that the arrival of the internet and e-mail has changed the way we relate to each other - dumping a lover by e-mail, for instance, while clearly frightfully bad manners, is apparently an everyday occurrence, and these days many an invitation and thank you drops into your inbox.
All this makes the arrival of a proper hand-written letter that much more special and has led the stationery companies to make greater efforts to woo our custom. We may write fewer letters these days but, it seems, writing proper missives and sending out pukka invitations has come to be seen as a luxury, which means that more attention than ever is lavished on writing materials.
If you think that you may need some new writing paper, or want to order some fine invitations or special Christmas cards, it's worth knowing that the number of companies offering their services is growing all the time. Whereas once you had to wait weeks, you can now log on to a site such as www.heritage-stationery.com and have copper-engraved writing paper or a set of party invitations done in 48 hours.
And if it has been some time since you last grappled with the intricacies of such matters you may like to know that copper engraving or die-stamping is considered the gold standard in the world of posh paper. The first thing stationery snobs do when they get a new letterhead is run their fingers over the address and the raised letters tell them at once whether or not it's the real thing.
It's the most expensive type of stationery because you have to pay for the copper (or steel) plate, but once that's done, the cost of the printing is only marginally more expensive than flat printing.
Next, in terms of quality, comes thermography, which achieves the raised lettering effect. It has a plastic finish and costs about 15 per cent less than copper engraving. Finally, there is litho, or flat printing, where the letters are not raised but still, nevertheless, look attractive and the whole process costs 15 per cent less than thermography.
When it comes to envelopes, most people love the type of tissue-lined envelopes by Smythson of Bond Street (www.smythson.com) and The Wren Press (www.wrenpress.co.uk), which has two royal warrants, one from the Queen and one from the Prince of Wales; the company provided the books of condolences after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. These products are obviously more expensive than your unlined quotidian version.
Costs, though, vary widely. Take the tissue-lined envelopes. Smythson charges £125 for 100, while the same number from HERITAGE would cost £45. One, of course, is a blue-chip name and the other is a newcomer on the web, so take your pick.
But the real wonder of ordering online is the speed with which things can be done. Most orders from these stationers take a minimum of ten days to process (Leeming Brothers guarantees an order within ten working days, Smythson within seven) but HERITAGE Stationery will send it all beautifully wrapped within 48 hours.
