Wedding Stationery Guide: Flat Printing

While letterpress will always be my favorite style of printing, there are some things it is simply not suited for. That is where flat printing comes in! In this installment of The Wedding Stationery Guide, I will be sharing details about the digital printing process and how it can be used in your wedding invitation suite.

As part of the Wedding Stationery Guide, I’ve put together a primer on printing processes to clear up some of the confusion that comes with ordering wedding invitations. See other posts in the series here: Printing Primer

With flat printing (also known as digital printing) ink is transferred to paper by a digital printing press. A digital press is similar to the inkjet printer you use at home, but of a much higher quality and larger scale. This process uses liquid ink that soaks beautifully into cotton paper, similar to offset printing, leaving a smooth finish. The resulting stationery can feature an unlimited number of ink colors, making it the perfect choice to reproduce multi-color designs like watercolor illustrations or photographs. Unlike other printing styles that require a custom printing plate to be created for each design, the flat printing process is all digital.

The full-color photo and bright pink flowers in the save the date below showcase the type of design in which flat printing excels.

Flat printing makes it possible to print small quantities, or even just a single copy, of a design. For example, printing each individual’s name on their escort cards, or a guest’s mailing address on your invitation envelope. (This is not possible with any other printing method because they require a custom-made printing plate.)

Flat printing can be paired with foil stamping or letterpress. This is a great way to add a touch of shimmery foil to your photo save the date cards, or combine a watercolor painted background with letterpress typography.

Flat printing is offered on single-ply or luxurious double thick two-ply cotton paper in bright white or soft white. Colored paper is not available for flat printing, but you can print a flood of ink on white paper to achieve a similar look. The navy background color in the design below is actually ink covering the paper, and the white portion is the paper showing where no ink was printed

Flat printing is the most budget conscious of the printing methods offered at Banter & Charm, and also has the fastest turn around time. Unlike the other printing styles that are priced per ink color, flat printing allows for unlimited ink colors for the same price.
Flat printing is available for wedding invitations, inserts, envelopes, save the dates, and day of stationery. Banter & Charm’s flat print wedding invitation collection showcases the designs that are best reproduced with this digital printing method.

Flat printing needs to be seen in person to be truly appreciated! Head over to the shop and order a sample invitation package to see the different printing styles yourself.