Peggy Davis, Calligrapher:
The Invitation Album
An unusually-shaped envelope arrives in the mail, the address hand-lettered or in beautiful type; anticipation sets in. The envelope is eagerly opened. This is the first taste your guest has of what will be your simkhe, your celebration.
You will bring your sense of design, of tradition, of meaning to this event, beginning with the invitation. Peggy Davis has worked with hundreds of people to design invitations and other items which bring a personal touch to printed work.
There are many choices to be made, the result being a coordinated invitation or announcement set. The cover or border design can be applied to other items such as program booklets, benchers, centerpieces, banners, etc.
The cost varies widely, depending on the choices of materials and complexity of the design. Peggy will work with you to meet your needs and your budget. A detailed estimate will be prepared for you once a plan is developed.
You are invited to click on the thumbnail images that appear on this page to see full size images of these selected invitations. Please note that colors may not be the same on your screen as in the originals, and that designs are available in a variety of ink colors and paper colors and textures.
Choosing an invitation Design
A verse from a traditional source or Hebrew names is often the inspiration for an invitation or announcement design. It is usually lettered in Hebrew and English, often with accompanying illustration. Other languages, including Yiddish and Russian, can be used in the design. You may find a cover or border design here that you would like to use or adapt. Commissioning a new design provides one which is tailored to your taste and needs.
Another choice to make is whether to use handlettering or type. One or the other may be appropriate, depending on the design and your budget. Handlettering provides a more personal, immediate touch to the invitation, and can be adapted in shape and form in a way that type cannot. Samples of type and lettering can be sent to you.
As Peggy uses a number of printers, there are a variety of papers, sizes and ink colors available. She can send samples to help you make these choices. The standard ink colors available are: black, grey, purple, navy blue, royal blue, maroon, teal, red, lilac and brown. Some papers are recycled, with textures, fiber or flecks, others shades of white and off-white or ivory with smooth, linen or textured surfaces.
How to Begin
As you look through the examples here, you may find something that appeals to you or which you'd like to adapt. You may find examples of styles, designs or symbols elsewhere, in a book, a greeting card, a magazine. Any of these can be helpful in creating a design. From conversation with you and any examples you provide, Peggy will send you sketches, and with your comments, a sketch will be refined to your satisfaction.
The final art work will be mailed or faxed to you for approval before being sent to the printer. The printer will ship the invitation or announcement set directly to you.
PricesPeggy offers invitations in a wide range of styles and prices and is happy to work with you to create an invitation set to fit your taste and budget. Please call her at 413-624-3204 or email at ketuba@ganeydn.com to discuss your project. You are welcome to arrange a visit to Peggy's studio near Greenfield, MA and Shelburne Falls, MA. Please call to schedule a visit. Additional Services: Envelope addressing to match your invitation set |
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Paper and Ink ChoicesPeggy's invitation designs are printed by selected invitation companies or a local letterpress printer. She now offers full-color printing which can include specially created art or art shown elsewhere on this website. Two of the companies Peggy works with are Checkerboard and Carlson Craft. You may use their sites by clicking on these links to view these companies' paper formats and colors. Their websites provide a guide as to the shapes, sizes, paper colors and weights, envelope liners and ink colors that they can provide. Peggy's art work and lettering can be printed on their paper. She usually provides art and lettering to be printed on blank stock. Sometimes a customer finds a design from one of these companies that they want to use, and asks for hand-lettering to further customize the printer's design. Many of the layered paper combinations shown can be changed to offer a wider variety of choices. If time is short and you don't want to commission custom art for your invitation, you can order on the web through the links below.
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Envelope Addressing:
When preparing an address list for printing envelopes, please use the following format:
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Mr. and Mrs. First and Last Names Miss Name Street address (Additional address line if needed) City, State Zip (country if needed) <-----blank space between addresses Ms. Name One & Mr. Name Two Additional Names Street address (Additional address line if needed) City, State Zip (country if needed) |
Type the addresses exactly as you would like them to appear on the envelopes. Please spell out city and state names. Type each line on its own line, separate each complete address with an extra line space.
If there will be inner envelopes, names should be sent on a separate list. As with outer envelopes, each line of an inner envelope should be typed on its own line. A blank line should separate what appears on each inner envelope.
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Names Additional Names <-----blank space between envelopes Names <-----blank space between envelopes Names <-----blank space between envelopes Names and Additional Names |
Put your address list in the text of an email
Or, if you prepare the address list in a database or spreadsheet, you may export the list as a tab delimited text file (ascii).
(click for price list)
You may choose from the following typestyles for |
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Below are examples of hand lettered placecards
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