Stationery Print Sizes—American Sizes

To keep the polish on our reputation for custom printing, Publicide presents this series of standard and not-so-standard social and business stationery sizes. The American Standard for invitations, greeting cards, and thank you notes are the Announcement and Baronial Size sets. Also in this post you'll find some great odd letter sizes.

Publicide can print, trim and fold your card or stationery project exactly to fit your need. Just email info@publicide.com or call us at 212-629-6517 to discuss your project.

Announcement Size:

The Announcement sizes are the most prevalent and have premade envelopes to accompany them. Announcement sizes are A2, A6, A7, A8, and A10. Along with these 5 there are sometimes the A1, A4, and A9. I have included them here in italics since they are rarely used and don't often have a matching envelope. A3 and A5 apparently do not exist in the universe of American Announcement Sizes. The envelopes in this series generally have square flaps and side seams.

Announcement sizes are recommended for formal invitations, weddings, business stationery, booklets, and brochures.

Announcement Card Sizes:

A1 = 3.5" x 4.75"
A2 = 4.125" x 5.5"
A4 = 4.25" x 6.25"
A6 = 4.5" x 6.25"
A7 = 5" x 7"
A8 = 5.25" x 7.875"
A9 = 5.5" x 8.5"
A10 = 5.75" x 9.25"

Announcement Envelope Sizes:

A1 = 3.625" x 5.125"
A2 = 4.375" x 5.75"
A4 = 4" x 6"
A6 = 4.75" x 6.5"
A7 = 5.25" x 7.25"
A8 = 5.5" x 8.125"
A9 = 5.75" x 8.75"
A10 = 6" x 9"


Baronial Size:

The Baronial sizes are the second most popular size option for small cards with matching envelopes. Baronial sized envelopes usually have a pointed flap and diagonal seams. Once again, there are several missing steps in the Baronial Size Order—who can say why? And I must mention here the Lee, Astor and Gladstone sizes which jump out as relics of mysterious origin.

Baronial sizes are recommended for invitations, greeting cards, announcements, and personal stationery.

Baronial Card Sizes:

4 Bar = 3.375" x 4.875"
Gladstone = 3.375" x 5.375"
Astor = 3.5" x 5.375"
5 Bar = 3.875" x 5.25"
5.5 Bar = 4.125" x 5.5"
6 Bar = 4.5" x 6.25"
Lee = 5" x 7"

Baronial Envelope Sizes:

4 Bar = 3.625" x 5.125"
Gladstone = 3.5625" x 5.5625"
Astor = 3.625" x 5.625"
5 Bar = 4.125" x 5.5"
5.5 Bar = 4.375" x 5.75"
6 Bar = 4.75" x 6.5"
Lee = 5.25" x 7.25"


Letter Size:


Most are familiar with the American Standard letter size, 8.5 x 11 with its accompanying envelope (the #10)—and for business correspondence there is nothing better suited. However, we recommend the other following sizes to make a special impression. These are suited to personal letters, executive stationery, and anything else required to stand out and above the usual.

The Monarch Letterhead is a smaller sized sheet often used for corporate or personal communication. We recommend the glove and scarf sizes for ladies looking for a unique and elegant personal stationery. Most of the envelopes for these sizes open at the end instead of along the side, adding a further mark of distinction.

Suitable Sheet Sizes:

Monarch = 7.25" x 10.25" (fold to 3.625" x 10.25")

8 Glove = 7.25" x 10.25" (fold to 3.625" x 10.25")
7 Glove = 7.5" x 6.125" (fold to 3.75" x 6.125")

1 Scarf = 8.75" x 6.5" (fold to 4.375" x 6.5")
3 Scarf = 9.5" x 7.25" (fold to 4.75" x 7.25")
4.5 Scarf = 10.5" x 7.25" (fold to 5.25" x 7.25")
6 Scarf = 10.5" x 8" (fold to 5.25" x 8")

10 Policy = 11" x 8.5" (fold to 3.625" x 8.5")
11 Policy = 12.375" x 10" (fold to 4.125" x 10")


Envelope Sizes:

Monarch = 3.875" x 7.5" (open side)

8 Glove = 3.875" x 7.5" (open end)
7 Glove = 4" x 6.375" (open end)

1 Scarf = 4.625" x 6.75"
3 Scarf = 5" x 7.5"
4.5 Scarf = 5.5" x 7.5"
6 Scarf = 5.5" x 8.25"

10 Policy = 4.125" x 9.5"
11 Policy = 4.5" x 10.375"


Publicide, Inc
Letterpress, Printing + Design
481 Washington Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-629-6517
www.publicide.com

Typography and Type in Print

Looking up typography nerd stuff on the net today and found this most excellent new book, The Typographic Desk Reference. A brand new resource of type terms and categories for organizing the mazillions of different typefaces out there.

Credit is due to I Love Typography for this tip off since the book has only just been published in the last couple months and is not being distributed through the usual channels. You can get it from Amazon or from Oak Knoll themselves. I vote Oak Knoll to keep Amazon from skimming off the top. Can't wait to receive our order!

I'm going to have to get a bigger shelf to keep up with our growing collection of type books. Thanks to Hyphen Press for keeping a steady stream of new books and relevant old books in print. I'm also a huge fan of Baseline Magazine for quality articles and great printing. Their magazine is the best I've seen with thorough and well-researched articles printed on great papers with awesome effects. Wish they could all be so nice. You can browse the latest issue online but the paper copies are the real prize.

Thanks for visiting!

-Dusty

Publicide, Inc
Letterpress, Printing + Design
481 Washington Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-629-6517
www.publicide.com

Legion Letterpress Papers

Publicide is excited to announce that we have been chosen to carry Legion Papers! Legion is a fine art and letterpress paper company that distributes a whole bunch of excellent small paper manufacturers. The list is really exhausting and so you should take a look at the bunches of fine paper mills they stock. A whole lot of these are handmade and I think they're all made of cotton.

Our two favorites so far are the Arturo and the Rising Museum Board. The Arturo is made in Italy by Cartiere Magnani, a 600 year old paper company still going strong today. And we thought our letterpress was old. Nope. Its 1850s design has got nothing on this place. They're so old they don't even need a website for me to link to on this blog.

The Rising Museum Board gets a mention because it is without a doubt the thickest cotton paper I have ever seen. It comes up to 120pt. That means you could fit about 3 business cards in your whole purse or pocket if they were printed on this stuff. I suppose technically it's not a paper, but a board—but if anybody out there wants to take the plunge, I will let the letterpress chew on it. It's sure to be a show-stopper.

I've got swatchbooks here at the printing press so come down and check these out!

-Dusty

Publicide, Inc
Letterpress, Printing + Design
481 Washington Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-629-6517
www.publicide.com

Pantone Alone

After emptying trashes in the Publicide Printing Office other day I came across this tenacious Pantone chip clinging to the bottom of the dustbin. Pantone 130 U, to be exact.

I immediately composed a 2 word poem to the chip:

Pantone alone.




Then, via iPhone technology I emailed the chip to my illustrator pal Cara who in turn composed this haiku and illustration:

Pantone 130
Sad and Alone in Dust Bin
color of solus



I'm now thinking that in order to insure that the art endures, I will rubber cement the chip to the bottom of the can. And I have placed a printed out memorial of the artwork near to the bin.