Bleu Ink Paperie: July 2012

Envelope Liners

As a designer with a textile background for more than 10 years, I am naturally drawn to repeats and patterning. My design aesthetic is very clean and crisp and as I continue to develop my brand one of my most favorite stages in the design process is the creation of envelope liners.

Some custom stationery designers rarely include this in their product lines and may be even overlooked by customers but to Bleu Ink Paperie it is a signature piece of our brand and makes us stand out from the crowd. Although, the time required for inserted these liners can be a lot of extra time, the final product adds a very charming addition to the overall look.

I spend extra time printing and cutting in my home studio but I enjoy this process as it gives me the hand-made experience that I pride myself on. I believe it adds another dimension to the custom stationery designs that my clients seek out. As always, feel free contact me either at my Etsy.com store or on Facebook. Thank you.

Cheers-

Meg Seccombe

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/bleuinkpaperie

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BleuInkPaperie

Printing Issues - Custom Stationery

Quickly, I have learned in the process of providing custom stationery to my clients that printing from home can at times be challenging but cost effective if you have the right printer and time to trim your designs, etc.

As with close friends of mine who are self-employed or at the very least freelance, providing your own printed materials from a nice commercial printer you may find that you spend more of your time being your own technical support team or IT person. Since custom stationery often requires using a heavier stock paper to print on and one that may have a tooth or texture to the surface, it should be said that some printers that could be utilized from your home studio may not be fully able to handle these types of paper.

For me, this issue rang true. We recently invested in a HP Color Laserjet 2025cp. After researching various blogs, articl4s, and other sources it seemed to be the printer that we were looking for. The printer is great for basic papers but has difficultly in printing with a heavier stock as I mentioned earlier that has a deep texture to it. My first few jobs I designed often didn't hold the ink to the paper where the heat sealer on the printer. With some frustration over the issue, I spoke with some terrific people at Mohawk Paper based in Troy, NY. Mohawk Paper The led me to some of their paper products whic hI have absolutely fallen in love with. They have produced some amazing results and the helpful folks I met there could relate to my issues.

However, in short, after speaking with some friends in the business, many have suggested outsourcing the printing to a secondary printer. This of course will drive up your costs a bit depending on what your print requires, but generally speaking, I have found a greater success in this approach by letting the professionals in the printing business handle the printing of my stationery while I focus on the designs themselves. As always, feel free contact me either at my Etsy.com store or on Facebook. Thank you.

Cheers-
Meg Seccombe

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/bleuinkpaperie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BleuInkPaperie

Creating A Stationery Business

In my latest venture into the world of custom stationery I am learning everyday about the processes of starting a small business. Bleu Ink Paperie is my most recent project where I create custom designs for birthdays, bridal showers, weddings, and general announcements. I have found Etsy.com to be a wonderful medium for selling my products online. The link provided will take you to my shop. Bleu Ink Paperie on Etsy Please feel free to visit the shop for the latest designs and products. I have made a number of new contacts who are interested in my work and it has been a wonderful way for my designs to reach a larger audience.

In creating Bleu Ink Paperie, there have been many obstacles and challenges along the way that have helped me to better hone my craft as a business woman as I manage my brand. Earlier this year, I attended the Stationery Show at the Javitz Center in New York City.It was really the introduction into the stationery world that I needed to five me the confidence to get started. I networked with many wonderful people who helped me understand paper quality, printing issues, and marketing techniques. Over the course of this blog I will also share their insight and what they offered. As always, feel free contact me either at my Etsy.com store or on Facebook. Thank you.