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Category Archives: eco-friendly
May 12 2009

Father’s Day is coming

by admin

Oops, another posting over here at Paper Shop Ink has crept up on me and I’m not prepared. So, you’ll have to forgive me for bringing up Father’s Day so soon after Mother’s Day. But, I’m currently in design mode for Father’s Day cards, so I thought I’d go on an Etsy Hunt to see what others stores are getting ready early. Check out these green greetings.

Ey, Pops Card for Dad by Aspen Doo Lilly

Robot Dad Card by Mama Robot

F is for Father Letterpress Greeting Card by hijirik

Dad you Rock by modernemotive

Father’s Day – Gocco/Screen Printed Botanical Card by Anna Cote

Are you planning for Father’s Day yet? Got any great gifts you just have to get him? Don’t forget it’s June 21st so get thinking!

See you next week.

Elsewhere
etsy: http://modernemotive.etsy.com
blog: http://blog.modernemotive.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/modernemotive

Categories: earth friendly, eco-friendly, greeting cards, modernemotive, recycled | 16 Comments »

May 5 2009

Inked

by admin

Did you think eco-friendly stationery started and ended at the paper choice? Rest assured there is one more step you can take. Evaluate the ink too.

Image copyright sarbert

Traditionally, the printing industry uses inks that are petroleum based. These inks deliver two major drawbacks to the environment. First, they release VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) into the environment (read pollution) which reduces air quality and can cause short and/or long-term health effects. Secondly, they are made from non-renewable resources (boo). Sadly, due to availability and cost-effectiveness, these inks are prevalent within the printing industry.

However, there are choices YOU can make to ensure you are not supporting these practices. Go that one step further and source printers that use vegetable or soy based inks. These inks are derived from sources such as soy beans, flax and canola.

Pro’s:

  • emit low VOCs
  • derived from renewable sources
  • biodegradable
  • de-inking paper is much easier when it comes to recycling
  • provide equal if not better results

Right now, I don’t print commercially but have opted for a digital press at home. For me, this is a great choice as I have no printing waste and only print what is required. Should one day the need for commercial printing arise, you can better your dollar I’ll be going with vegetable or soy inks.

Other ways to reduce VOC’s into the environment

Don’t use ink!
If you’re design allows (either entirely or fully), don’t use ink! Huh right? Check out this simple design that embosses (or blind presses) the design onto the paper and in my opinion, creates an equally stunning aesthetic.

Blind Impression Letterpress Notecard Set by simplesong design

Save yourself some money and handwrite your envelopes
While having a printed envelope creates a look of completion, evaluate whether it’s totally necessary. If you’re writing leaves little be desired, snag a friend with enviable writing abilities or consider a calligrapher when it comes to your wedding invitations.

Source short-run printers
Many commercial printers have print-run minimums that exceed what you actually need. Do a little more research and find a printer that will do short-run printing or consider opting for a digital press as mentioned earlier.



Dotty Everydays – Set of 6 greeting cards and envelopes by modernemotive (yup, me!)

Okay folks, time to wrap up this post. Hope this was helpful. Happy Tuesday.

Find me elsewhere
etsy: http://modernemotive.etsy.com
blog: http://blog.modernemotive.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/modernemotive

Categories: eco-friendly, ink, modernemotive | 1 Comment »

Apr 30 2009

Letterpress wedding invitations for how much?

by admin

This is my first post with Paper Shop Ink. Very exciting! It feels like a first date, not sure what to say and not sure what to show. At the 9SpotMonk Studio, we’re busy working on a new eco friendly custom wedding album, launching in May. We’re focusing on themes that are more nature based (naturally) and trying to bring that smell of the first day of Spring on to paper. So with that said our first post will focus on that theme.

A second theme for this post – price. We’ve been doing letterpress invitations for some time now with pricing all over the spectrum but have noticed in the past year brides and grooms looking for still beautiful invitations but have been more budget conscious. There are many ways to keep within your budget and still bring the wow effect to announce your wedding day. Doing 1 colour instead of two colours, printing 2 colours on the invite but staying with one colour for the rest of the pieces – response, reception, thank yous, etc. Size can also be a determining factor as well. A smaller invitation still can pack a punch, both on the receiver and the wallet. Don’t forget, a smaller invitation will need less postage as well.

Call on your local stationery stores that carry custom designs. Sales staff are always happy to work with you to bring your idea to paper and meet your budget needs. Call on your local letterpress stationers. Many of these studios are run by the owners/designers themselves. They are the champions of assisting you bringing your wedding theme into paper. They know first hand paper selections, envelope choices, all things to help you again – keeping within your budget.

Etsy! Etsy is a great resource if you cannot find a local printer/designer to meet your needs. Everyone I have ever spoken to who has a shop there is helpful and knowledgeable on their craft.

This week I’m highlighting some spring themed invites, all letterpress printed from small studios. The goal is to find a set of 100 invites and response cards for around $1000. Let’s see how well we do…

This beautiful very simple and modern invitation comes from our friends at Bella Figura. A 5 by 7 inch size, it is one of my favorites.

For our package -
100 2 colour invitations 5 by 7 size
100 1 colour invite envelopes
100 1 colour response cards
100 1 colour response envelopes
———–
$1030

They offer free 2 day shipping, this is definitely a perk. Shipping for 100 sets can get very costly with Fedex Ground getting to upwards of $50 (depending on how many pieces are ordered).

If I wanted to cut costs down on this suite even more, I’d opt for a one colour invitation. That would bring my price down to $930, which is under my $1000 budget.

To see this suite, visit Bella Figura

From Hello Lucky, this smaller rectangular invitation has a great balance of artwork to text ratio. What do I mean by this? Well, sometimes the text can overpower the artwork and vice versa. But I love how the beautifully laid out leaves, swashes and the little perched canary work all together.

For our package -
100 1 colour invitations 7 by 4.125 size
100 1 colour invite envelopes
100 1 colour response cards
100 1 colour response envelopes
———–
$989.50

Hello Lucky also free ground shipping!

Have a little more to spend? Get your printed envelopes sent ahead for an additional charge of $40. Make sure you have plenty of time to address those envelopes. Remember you friend who does calligraphy on the side? It’s time to call in a favor.

To see this suite, visit Hello Lucky

I heart Inky Lips Press! Casey McGarr runs a design and printing studio in McKinney, Texas. His work to me, is the ultimate letterpress inspiration. Old school linoleum cutting and letterpress printing paired with modern graphic design, to us, it’s a pretty cool match. Inky Lips is known for their letterpress posters. Check out the amazing linoleum carvings done by Casey himself.

I like the use of type in this wedding invitation, it’s uber creative and brides and grooms, it takes a lot of time and patience to get those tree branches just right.

For our package -
100 1 colour invitations 5 by 7 size
100 1 colour invite envelopes
100 1 colour response postcards
———–
$910.00

We opted for a 1 colour invitation on this one. Two colour brought it up $88.00. For an additional colour without adding printing cost, think about doing a coloured envelope for this one. The set will have a 2 colour feel with a 1 colour pricing. How can you be eco friendly on this set? Response postcards! No envelope needed, you save on costs and save a few trees.

To see this suite, visit Inky Lips Press. They are super friendly and experienced, we love working with Casey.

——–

Sometimes you need minimalism. There’s not a lot of minimalism in weddings these days but for those who opt for a clean line, check out Bird on a Branch from Pistachio Press. We found Rachel’s work on Etsy, on our quest for the budget invitation.

I like the clean lines this invitation offers. It’s simple, evokes a feeling of spring and would be perfect for just about any spring wedding. She uses Crane Lettra stock, which is 100% cotton so it’s uber eco friendly.

For our package -
100 2 colour invitations 5 by 7 size
100 1 colour invite envelopes
100 1 colour response cards
100 1 colour response envelopes
———–
$700.00

Pricing on Pistachio Press’ Etsy page says ‘pricing generally starts at $700′. I am assuming that what she shows in the photo is what you’ll be paying for in regards to number of colours on the invite, response, etc.

To see this suite, visit the Pistachio Press Etsy site.

Thanks for reading my first post on PaperShopInk and thanks to Candis for inviting me to be a contributor to her great site. I am already busy working on next week’s post.

Have a great week! – Vivian

Categories: 9spotmonk, custom wedding, eco-friendly, letterpress on a budget | 54 Comments »

Apr 27 2009

A paper vase? No way!

by admin

I was out shopping the other day and made a trip to my local bookstore. Like always, I headed straight for the card section for some store inspiration. However, something caught my eye along the way – a paper vase! It was beyond awesome and such a new idea for me. What can I say, I’m known for falling under a rock once in a while.

Sadly, I can’t show you the actual product as there was NO branding on it – tut tut! But, it somewhat looked like this only taller. :)



Recycled Paper Vase: Pumpkin by wishingfish.com

Of course, these paper home accessories are all over Etsy too. Here are some of my favorites.

Magazine Bowl by Rubbish Remade



Recycle Magazine Paper Vase by Too Crafty for my Shirt

Paper Bowl by Nico Papergoods

Understandably, being a paper addict, I am now obsessed with these inventive creations. As one to jump in at the deep end, I had to go on a hunt to find a tutorial to make my own. Check out this tutorial from Patricia over at A Little Hut – Recycle Project No. 7 – Magazine Bowl.

Guess what I’m doing this weekend?

What a great way to use up all those magazines that are collecting dust in your home. Come on, you know you have a stack just like me. Get creative!

Categories: desk accessories, eco-friendly, modernemotive, paper, paper designs, recycled | 23 Comments »

Apr 20 2009

Recycled? Post-Consumer? Pre-Consumer? What?

by admin

Wow, my first post on Paper Shop Ink. It kind of feels like the first page of a new notebook where you don’t know what to say or where to start. Isn’t the first page always the hardest?

As you can read in my bio, my company modernemotive focuses on producing paper goods using eco-friendly materials. Rest assured, today’s recycled papers are available in a myriad of colors, including the brightest whites and are meeting, if not exceeding, the technical standards when compared to virgin papers. With so many high-quality and accessible alternatives, there really is no reason for us not to consider these earth-friendly papers.

So, as Candis invited me to talk about eco-friendly stationery, for my first post, I thought I would demystify some of the words you may come across when you’re sourcing stationery or papers for your projects. For today, I’m going to focus on some of the key features I looked for when sourcing my materials. Let’s get on with it shall we?

Recycled Content
Recycled content consists of materials that have been recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream. This occurs during either manufacturing (pre-consumer content) or after consumption (post-consumer content).

Post-consumer content – Post-consumer fibers are primarily derived from local recycling programs, meaning they are re-used after consumers discard and recycle them. Obviously, the higher the percentage of post-consumer content within a paper the better. My primary paper is 100% post-consumer content which I absolutely love and the quality is superb. Yes, I see ‘flecks’ here and there but for me, it just simply adds character to my work.

Pre-consumer content – These fibers are recovered from manufacturing waste so never land in the hands of the consumer. Therefore, this term should only be used for waste that typically would of been disposed of and not reused such as paper trimmings.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Papers
All of my papers (except my colored envelopes – for now) are FSC certified. What does this mean? Obviously, most papers contain wood fiber. However, if you choose FSC certified papers, you can rest assured that the paper has been harvested from a well-managed forest. The benefits of FSC certified forests extend to people, the wildlife and the environment. Even better, by choosing these options, you help reduce the amount of illegal logging, deforestation and other irresponsible social practices that can be prevalent in unregulated and non-FSC certified forests throughout the world.

Chlorine Free Paper
Thankfully, most paper mills today are protecting our water by choosing chlorine free manufacturing processes. Originally, the purpose of chlorine in the paper making process was to generate whiter paper by brightening the pulp. However, today paper mills are finding alternative options at their fingertips to get the same (or perhaps even better) results.

The three most common processes used for chlorine free whitening are:

Totally Chlorine Free Paper (TCF) – all chlorine processing is removed from the bleaching system, Instead, the paper is whitened using processes that include oxygen, peroxide and ozone bleaching systems. If a paper is made up of recycled content, the term TCF cannot be applied as it is impossible to know if the paper is TCF or not.

Process Chlorine Free Paper (PCF) – all chlorine has been removed from the secondary whitening process. This means no chlorine was added during the manufacturing. As the paper may contain recycled content, it cannot be labelled TCF, and therefore PCF is used in its place.

Elemental Chlorine Free Paper (ECF) - these papers have been whitened without “elemental chlorine” (gas) which is the worst of all chlorine. That said, some chlorine (likely dioxide) may of been used. Despite this, there are some benefits as by removing the elemental chlorine from the process they are also reducing dioxins and improving water quality. Every little bit helps.

Hmm, I think that’s enough demystifying for today don’t you? This was actually a great educational process for me and I hope for you too. You are still there aren’t you?

Okay, so no post is complete without some visual eye-candy. So, on a Etsy hunt I went to seek out some eco-friendly paper goodies.

In perfect time for Mother’s Day, check out this lovely card from Smock Paper. Don’t you just love the punch of pink atop the grey? It’s printed on 100% bamboo paper and to go one step further, 1% of your sale will go towards an environmental cause via the 1% For The Planet project. Yah for Smock Paper I say.

Perfect for decorating the nursery of a new baby or bedroom of a toddler, this poster from sweetbeets is sure to get the little ones (okay, maybe not the babies) counting in no time. Printed on 100% recycled cotton paper. Available in boys colors too!

Ah, I always love the work of Wendy from dozi, especially her notebooks. The cover of this lovely notebook is made from cardstock that is 80% recycled and 30% post-consumer content. The inner papers go a step further as they are 100% post-consumer content. Woot!

And lastly, by yours truly, some Hi notecards that are perfect for everyday use (various colors available). Printed on FSC certified 100% post-consumer paper and partnered with a FSC certified 30% post-consumer kraft envelope. It comes protected earth-friendly too as the cello sleeve is biodegradable and compostable.

Okay, the first page in my new “notebook” is written on – let the messy scribbles now begin. See you next Tuesday.

Categories: earth friendly, eco-friendly, etsy, modernemotive, paper | 26 Comments »

Nov 8 2007

Invite Design — Going Green

by admin




Invite Design recently launched a new web site as well as an “environmentally conscientious” Green Line. Not only are these invitations eco-friendly but they are absolutely gorgeous. There are so many options to choose from.

All Green Line invitations and envelopes are printed on 100% recycled or tree-free content with environmentally-friendly inks. These invitations can be customized just like the previous Select and Elite invite collections.

Putting all of this together is a lot of work and an extreme amount of time and research. I’m very happy for Genevieve and Nicole on the launch of this new Green Line. Congrats!

Categories: custom design, eco-friendly, invitations, wedding invites | Comments Off