Edges: An Overlooked Design Aspect

The edges of a piece of stationery are often overlooked and neglected, but can be the final finishing touch to really make the job sparkle. It’s like when reading a Bible, the pages are gilt in gold leaf, making the page edge sparkle, a constant reminder that you are reading something important and to be cherished. With today’s techniques, several different edges are possible. From gilt metallic edges and colourful inks to the sandwich of multicoloured boards, it’s possible to cater to design and budget. Especially with luxury invitations, the edge will be the first thing the recipient will see when they break the seal of the envelope.

Going beyond Silver and Gold

The leaf used to gilt a metallic edge comes in a multitude of colours, everything from electric blue to radiant red. Whilst this allows a massive amount of customisation when used in concept with coloured boards, you do have to beware that some combinations don’t work so well together, best thing to do is talk to us during the design phase and if needed we’ll arrange a test. Don’t forget that you can use gilt edging with bevel or square edge depending on the aesthetic being strived for. For gilt edging we can also apply a deckle edge, where the edge is distressed in places and gives a rather unique finish, the envelope picture below has a deckle edge applied to the flap.

Inked Edges

We can make an edge any colour when using inks, including matching to Pantone colours and special pre-mixed ink combinations. The finish is highly opaque, so you can cover darker boards with lighter colours.

Sandwich of Boards

When duplexing multiple boards together to achieve thicker invitations or business cards, you can, by simply playing with the board colours, create a ‘liquorice allsort’ effect with the layers. This is something that is being seen more and more lately.

Any Questions?

If you need any further information on edges please contact us.

Thursday, 29th November, 2012