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.

The Choices

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.

	Watch this space for more invitation designs coming soon.

Prices Click on this link for an INVITATION ESTIMATE PRICING CHART Average combined art and printing charges for 100 of each item Prices may be higher or lower depending on the choice of printer and complexity of design. A written estimate will be provided for your order. For a consultation with Peggy Davis about invitations for your simkhe, please call her at 413-624-3204 or email her at phd@crocker.com See also: Invitation addressing list formats Digital address lettering styles Place Cards One way to see samples of paper and ink available on which your custom design can be printed is to visit the websites of companies that provide printing services for Peggy's designs. You may also find designs provided by the printers which Peggy can order for you, or to which Peggy can add lettering or other elements.

Paper and Ink Choices My art work is printed on the specially prepared paper and envelopes from these printers: Checkerboard Chase Encore Studios www.EncoreStudios.com Regency Thermographers CarlsonCraft If time is short and you don't want to commission custom art for your invitation, you can order through this link and still receive the personalized attention I give all my customers when you call. Their websites provide a guide as to the shapes, sizes, paper colors and weights, envelope liners and ink colors that they can provide. My art work and lettering can be printed on their paper. I usually provide 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 me to provide lettering to further customize the printer's design. Many of the layered paper combinations designs shown can be changed and offer many choices of elements.

When preparing an address list for printing envelopes, please use the following format:

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.

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 digitally addressed envelopes and placecards:

Click for Pricing Chart