Invitations 101 Review

Review of Event Leadership Institute Class:
"Invitations 101"

When planning a wedding or party, it is easy to get preoccupied with the visible aspects of an event: food, music, venue, decorations. Yet none of these elements will be enjoyed by guests or clients if invitations aren't designed well or delivered on time.

That is the message of a just-released online class from the Event Leadership Institute titled "Invitations 101: Folds, Papers, Printing Techniques & More" which offers some outstanding advice for professional and first-time event planners on how to get the most out of your invitations and make a great impression for your event.

Knowing all the options for successful invitation design, production and fulfillment is often the first step in successful event planning, according to class instructor and graphic design expert Steve Paster, president of Alpine Creative Group. The 30-minute video course covers the multitude of invitation options the event planner has at his or her disposal, as well as the financial and aesthetic factors the professional must consider.

Paster, who has worked on birthday invitations for LeBron James and Sean Diddy Combs, wedding announcements for Billy Joel and other entertainers, and event invitations for Hollywood events including Queen Latifah's VIBE Gala, says that the most expensive invitation is the one that's never opened. Also, if scheduling, budgeting or even legal problems get in the way, you might as well say goodbye to future assignments.

Paster has some advice for event planners that can make the difference between a smooth job and a nightmare:

• If your client changes his or her mind on an invitation design after the project has begun, make sure those changes are documented in writing.

• Custom stamps add approximately 40% to the price but definitely add flair to the project.

• Always have an invitation mailed to yourself to check timing and quality.

• "Evites" are a lot faster and cheaper than mailed invitations, but sometimes they end up in spam files or are assumed to contain viruses.

• Always ask your printer about lead time, potential cost overruns and additional services offered. It may be cost-efficient to have the same shop do the fulfillment.

• The first thing you should discuss with the printer is the due date, and get a written guarantee it will be met. Even gorgeous, persuasive invitations are useless if they're late.

• Shorter lead times usually increase price. Start the process early.

• If you use artwork, make sure it is not copyrighted. No matter how successful the invitation, if your client is sued when it's all over, it will hardly matter.

• Always ask for advance proofs before final printing. You don't want your client's company name misspelled.

• Carefully review all the options for paper, ink and printing. There are many variables to weigh. For instance, thermography (raised printing) is less expensive than engraving or embossing, but often looks cheaper, as well. Stamping with metal plates can use thick paper that has an impressive impact and leave behind a substantial image on the paper, but it also one of the more expensive options. Foil stamping is the least expensive, but cannot be used for small text.

• When deciding between a 2-color press or 4-color press, remember that 4-color can run either Pantone colors (specific spot colors) or process colors (combinations of CMYK), but it's a slower and more expensive option than using a 2-color press, which can only run Pantone.

On one hand, it's really a numbers game because of all the options. On the other, it's a lot more critical than a game because the first impression recipients have of an event comes from the invitation.

When event planners have to decide on the kind of paper to use for an invitation, they can select text or cover stock, coated or uncoated stock, vellum, skin, brushed, plastic or acrylic stock. They also have to decide on whether to use offset, digital, engraved, letterpress or various other kinds of printing, as well as die cutting, flush mounting, bordering, edging or other creative techniques. As Paster says, it really pays to know the difference.