Dauphine

Free letterpress gift tags with your custom holiday card order!



Enjoy the present!

During the holiday season, time with family & friends is what we all cherish the most. The many gifts we search for and create with our own hands are just the icing on the cake. This holiday season we want to help you make those gifts extra sweet
by adding a custom letterpress tag to your holiday card order. It’s our gift to you!

 View the entire collection here!

Open publication - Free publishing - More card

The details: Gift tag will be printed on the same letterpress stock and in the same ink palette as the holiday card. Gift tag quantity will match holiday card quantity. Embellishments such as die-cut and foil treatments on the gift tags are subject to additional charges.

Offer valid through January 1, 2012. Applies to orders placed on or after September 19, 2011. Dealers must note promo code on order form: DAUHOL2011

Sneak Peek Series (10 of 22) - The Rutherford Suite

It’s time for another one of our Custom Wedding Portfolio II Sneak Peeks, where we share a glimpse into the process our designers went through while creating some of our newest designs. We love all of our new designs and it’s hard to decide which one to share next, but this week we chose to share the Rutherford suite after seeing the Salmon & Parchment color combination in a few places, including this post on the Martha Stewart Weddings blog and this color palette post by Perfect Bound. The design could work well with just about any color palette, but our designers chose this sweet, flirty combination as a modern twist on a traditional romantic pink wedding.

 

Our Rutherford suite was created with a certain bride in mind - one who has a lot of details to share with her guests. With multiple cards included with the suite, we took the opportunity to layer those cards with different patterns so that they could be stair-stepped in the pocket fold for visual impact. Envelopments pocket folds are perfect for this type of suite since they provide a stylish way to keep all of the many details in one place (plus, we can pair any of our designs with any color and format pocket fold they have to offer!). We love dressing up the outside of the pocket with more luscious letterpress too. The pattern on the wide letterpress printed belly band wrapped around the London Fog colored pocket fold gives a suggestion of what guests can expect inside … much like this imaginary bride’s event and the invite itself. It’s all about the layers and discovering all of the many details that this bride has planned (for months and months!) for her guests.

 

The main invitation card features the font HT Pasticceria designed by Ryoichi Tsunekawa of Nagoya, Japan. The typeface is based on Italian shopfront lettering and wallpaint advertisements from the 1950s, which we paired with a textile-inspired background pattern - a perfect fit for our vintage modern aesthetic.

CREDITS: (1) Martha Stewart Peaches & Cream Board: Originally posted on "The Brides Guide" /// Author: Shira Savada /// Photographer/designer credits: none included (2) Originally Posted on Style Me Pretty /// Author: Emilia Jane /// Cake & Macarons: Nine Cakes (3) Originally posted on: 100 Layer Cake /// Photographer: La Dolce Vita Studio /// Styling: Shanna of Ruffles & Rouge (4) DIEPPA RESTREPO Shoes /// Available from: diepparestrepo.com  (5) Bracelet from Mikkatmarket.com (6) Dresses: Originally Posted on Style Me Pretty /// Author: Abby Larson /// Photography: Jose Villa Photography /// Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier (4) Off The Shoulder Textured Tunic /// Sold at Free People

Click here to view full the full Pinterest board!

For more sneak peeks into our new Custom Wedding Portfolio II follow us on twitter and click the "like" button on our Facebook page.

Sneak Peek Series (9 of 22) - The Sonoma Suite

The Sonoma suite is special to all of us at Dauphine. It was originally created by our then managing director, Erin, for her Fall wedding. The design was inspired by 19th century French engraving cuts to create a romantic and formal, but not so traditional look. To continue the romantic and formal feel, for its debut in our new Custom Wedding Portfolio II album, the Sonoma suite was letterpress printed in malt and espresso inks on our double-thick natural white premium stock and then edged in espresso. The updated color palette, along with the new Dauphine exclusive liner paper in our espresso Filigree pattern, make it a great choice for today's classically elegant bride.

 

We can't wait to see how this design evolves though. The beauty of our Custom Wedding Portfolio albums are that any design can be customized -- adding custom foil touches, swapping out letterpress inks, edging and envelope liners -- the options really are endless! We are excited to see how future brides update this design to suit their event.

 

Can you see it in blush and bashful? Traditional black and silver? Cheery coral and tangerine? Modern turquoise and sunshine? How would you customize this design?

INSPIRATION BOARD CREDITS: Old Walls by CubaGallery | Couch by Bjorg Juto via Design Sponge | Cupcakes photo by Melianie Nashan via the Knot | Pillows by West Elm | Vintage Postcard from Library of Congress | Chandelier via Pottery Barn | Monogram Cakes via Martha Stewart | Boutineers by Wylie Weddings via 100 Layer Cake | Bride Photo by Lucia Paule Design and Jessica Johnston Photo via Style Me Pretty

 

Remember, for our summer promotion we are offering free letterpress note cards with every invitation order!

For more sneak peeks into our new Custom Wedding Portfolio II - Don't forget to follow us on twitter and click the "like" button on our Facebook page.

Sneak Peek Series (8 of 22) - The Pacifica Suite

Even though the calendar shows that summer is approaching, the weather here in Northern California doesn’t feel anywhere close! To help remind us that it is already June and that blue skies are soon to return and stick around for a while, we chose our Pacifica design for the latest in our Sneak Peek series.

The vintage inspired, breezy and warm inspiration board turned in to a letterpress wedding suite that would be ideal for a Cuban or Hawaiian event, but could also be customized for any vintage yet contemporary venue with an island feel.

One of our favorite pieces of inspiration was the Frings Brothers logo with its clean and sophisticated vintage-cigar-box style. We found a font designed by John Downer that was a perfect compliment to the design we were looking to create.

The suite was printed on our brilliant white double-thick premium letterpress paper with our seafoam and tobacco inks on the front and a full bleed weaved grass mat pattern on the back in buttercream ink as the finishing touch.

INSPIRATION BOARD CREDITS: Vintage beach photo via Carroll.Mary | Polaroid of Palm Trees by *Lea* | Frings Bros. Logo via FFFFound! | Anthropologie Lamp via Rue & Coco + Kelly | Cigar box escort cards via Style Me Pretty | Fan by Leila Brewster Photography | Couple in car via French Kiss Events on Flickr | Sea grass mat by Safari Thatch | Vintage palm scenic shot via New Girl on Post | Umbrella via ChristopherYatesJarvis photostream | Bride & Groom via Style Me Pretty

 

How is the summer weather shaping up for you? Does our Pacifica design fit in with the summer that you are already enjoying? Or are you like us and waiting for that first real feeling of summer to make an appearance?

For more sneak peeks into our new Custom Wedding Portfolio II - Don't forget to follow us on twitter and click the "like" button on our Facebook page.

Sneak Peek Series (3 of 22) - The Larkspur Suite

Happy Friday, everyone. Today we are sending a bit of springtime your way in the form of our new Larkspur suite. Initially based on vintage china patterns and tile work, the Larkspur suite combines seafoam and olive green letterpress ink with gold foil. Take a peek and let us know what you think!

 

INSPIRATION BOARD CREDITS Teacups at top left (via Black Currant Photography) | Floral Teacup (via Jens Closet | Flowers via Style me Pretty | China Shelves - Photography by Koreana (via www.adore-vintage.blogspot.com) | Beribboned Dress by BHLDN | Vintage Tin Tiles from the American Barn Company (via Apartment Therapy) | Table photography by Leo Patrone (via Snippet and Ink) | Room photography by Paul Costello (via Musings of an Owl) | Couch - Atelier Chesterfield, Bottle Green by Anthropologie

This post is part of our Sneak Peek series where we share glimpses into the inspiration and final invitations for suites in our new Dauphine Press Custom Wedding Portfolio II.

Judy Paulen Designs - Trunk Show Photos

As we mentioned, our new Custom Wedding Portfolio II was launched last week at two trunk shows hosted by Judy Paulen Designs in New York! Our team had a great time at the event meeting all of the brides looking to use the new album to create their custom wedding suite.

Our new designs and techniques (foiling and edge painting) were on display:

 

To see more photos of our designs and of the event check them out on our Facebook page. While you're there, don't forget to "like" our page so that you can see future designs, updates and promotions.

A Sneak Peek

After releasing two new album lines in 2009, we're busy at work behind the scenes on our next launch that will be available later this year. In the meantime, we have a few surprises up our sleeves that we'll be sharing soon!

As we do every year, we sent out a fun card this week to all the wonderful dealers we work with from coast to coast to let them know that we'll miss seeing them this year at the National Stationery Show, but we're preparing some exciting things to come at Dauphine Press – edge painting is just one fun finishing touch that we're adding to our repertoire!

Dealers on the east coast were treated to an interesting postmark on their "delight delivery" which were sent from the nation's first post office located in Philadelphia's Old City. Brides take note: this is the only post office in the country that hand cancels each piece of mail as a matter of course. The unique postmark bears the signature of Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General: "B. Free Franklin." Even the postmark date is set in vintage form, including the abbreviation for the month of May.

This is also the only post office in the country that does not fly the American flag. Why? Because when it was established in 1775 we weren't a country yet, so there simply was no flag to fly.

Post office photo from here.

San Francisco Ballet Silver Celebration

This year, Dauphine Design had the honor of working with the San Francisco Ballet to design the event invitations and materials for their opening night gala celebrating creative director Helgi Tomasson's silver anniversary.

Early on in the design process, a stark palette of white, silver and gunmetal gray was established. Later at our presentation of several concepts to Helgi and his wife Marlene, he personally selected a minimalist design in which the words "Silver Celebration" were printed in a whisper of varnish on the white cover of the invitation. We incorporated silver foil on the metallic vellum flysheet inside the invitation, as well as on the belly band {which, when removed, revealed the letterpress "Silver Celebration" on the cover}. Metallic elements were also introduced in the envelope liners, the silver response envelopes and the die cut menus which sat inside each dinner plate at the event.

The event was also a tribute to Helgi's entire family. Cabernet from their private vineyard was poured, photos taken by his son Erik were used throughout the invitations, and his wife Marlene was honored with a Lew Christensen medal which recognizes extraordinary service to the San Francisco Ballet.

The Silver Celebration was, by all accounts, an affair to remember. We are proud to have been a part of the festivities!

Alhambra Letterpress Invitation

Our Alhambra invitation design comes to us courtesy of Jori Jackman at Seaside Papery in Coronado, California. The invitation was custom designed for an event at The Prado in San Diego's Balboa Park which is known for it's flamboyant Spanish Renaissance style architecture.

One of the things I always recall about The Prado is the gorgeous hand painted tile work throughout the restaurant, and also in the outdoor courtyards and magnificent Moorish style fountains surrounding it. We were naturally delighted to have the opportunity to incorporate some of the gorgeous tile details into this inspired invitation. We used a distressed fill on the aqua blue arch that frames the invitation wording to lend a vintage feel that ties in perfectly with the retro script typeface. Also the fresh palette is one of our personal favorites. Enjoy! 

Coral letterpress invitation: Primula

We start the week by introducing Primula, a fresh floral letterpress invitation from our oh-so-affordable Coral collection.

What's different about Coral, our latest collection of letterpress invitations? As a green-certified business with a longstanding commitment to sustainable printing, we set out to design a new line of invitations that was stylish, eco-friendly, and above all, affordable. We carefully researched materials and printing techniques to stretch your dollars and our capabilities without compromising one kilowatt of quality or design.

Coral designs are sold as sets which means we're efficient with time and resources. The end result is a stunning letterpress wedding invitation at a price that fits your budget.