Here is a project that was fun and different (for me) and the final results beat my expectations. I love it when a project works out like that!

Stationery Suite. This was a full set of stationery. Business cards, letterhead, envelopes, notecards, and postcards. Every thing but the postcards was printed on Crane's Lettra 100% cotton papers. According to their website:
 "Cotton, Not Wood.

The understated quality and luxury of Crane & Co. paper is derived from the simple purity of cotton. Our papers are made from recovered cotton that comes from textile industry waste by-products.

Cotton fibers are naturally whiter, brighter and more durable and permanent than wood fibers. The beauty of cotton is that it contains very little lignin (the compound that makes tree trunks sturdy) and is alpha-cellulose. This means it requires very little bleaching.

CRANE’S LETTRA ® Papers
100% cotton, tree-free and designed to maximize letterpress imprinting."

So, this project was printed on "green" paper!

The process I used for this print job is called letterpress. It is printed one color at a time, and the ink makes an impression in the soft paper, creating an amazing feel and texture to each piece. Each piece was printed on varying weights / thickness of paper. More on that below:
The business card came first, as that is really the center-point of modern print design and is the main connection between the physical world and the digital presence that is ever more deeply a part of our lives.

The logo is featured prominently, as the point here is to establish the branding provided by the logo. These cards were printed using one ink color on each side, and a blind impression (deboss) on the front side as well. Printed on 220# Crane's Lettra Pearl White cover stock. It's 3-4 times thicker than your "standard" card and is absolutely stunning to hold and feel. The "blind" impression of the border around the logo and the stripes add a great texture that you can't miss, but allows the visual elements to remain very simple and focused on the logo.

The next piece was the note cards. [In the photo below, they are located above the business cards.] This is an 8.5" x 3.66" (1/3 of a page) card, so it fits in a standard #10 envelope perfectly, and sits well with a folded letter as well. The ink is only on the front, and this stock is a bit lighter than the cards: 110# Pearl White Lettra; about half the thickness of the business cards, but still as thick as the heaviest cards available from most printers.
The design is aligned along the bottom to match the letterhead and allow for maximum writing space.

Below the business cards are the envelopes. Very simple and clean logo and address laid out in the upper left. Printed on Crane's Lettra 32#/80# #10 envelopes. The texture and finish of these envelopes is sure to catch the attention of any recipient and stand out among the junk mail and bills.

The letterhead is printed on the same paper as the envelopes, a heavy-weight (80# Lettra) text paper that can go through any home or office printer, but still has a substantial feel and texture.
The logo and tagline create a nice border at the top. It draws attention, maintains the branding, and still leaves room for plenty of text. Along the bottom, the line separates the footer from the body of the letter, and the little flourish above the email on the right repeats the design in the logo.

The last piece is the postcard. These are printed on a 16pt (around 110# or 100# equivalent) card stock that is bright white. Since these will be going through the mail on their own, no envelope for protection, the front has a UV gloss. The back side has a spot gloss over the logo and return address, which helps protect and adds a touch of class.
I'm really pleased with how all of this came out, and the client was very happy as well. I love working with print, so if you have a project coming up, feel free to head over to my design brief and let's get a quote started!
I'd love your thoughts. Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!