Making Stationery 1 - Custom Writing Paper & Envelopes

Only a few short years ago if you wanted to send someone a quick message it generally meant writing out a few lines and dropping a note in the post but now we click a few keys on our computer and send off an e-mail.

While being able to communicate almost instantly with family, friends and colleagues has great advantages there are times that an electric note just is not appropriate and you find yourself scrambling through the house looking for a clean sheet of paper to write on.

It is easy to make your own custom stationery and it adds a touch of elegance to your correspondence.

There are people that have to deal with so many e-mails in their day that sending them one more will only get lost in the pile. Notes or letters that they can physically hold and read at their leisure are more likely to get attention these days. There are times that a hand written note or letter will genuinely convey the emotion that you are trying to send while an e-mail will seem cold and distant.

So whether it is a note to remind your son's Scout leader that you will be able to assist in next weeks meeting or a note to your neighbour to help themselves to your bursting to the branches full apple tree you need something to write on. A stationery wardrobe is different types of stationery you would have that have a similar style or theme and could be used in all different occasions.

For the majority of people paper is just paper until they handle fine quality paper and feel the difference. Like everything else in life paper quality can run from cheap to exquisite and there are times to appropriately use different qualities.

In the age of letter writing (before the age of telephones) households would have sheets of cheap newsprint quality paper to write out their rough draughts and have the delivered letter written on their better stationery. The rough draught they would keep as a record of their correspondence if they needed to.

Even for a short note sometimes you need to write out a rough draught just to make sure that you are clear in expressing your thoughts.

You could write on the back of any old piece of scrap paper but to have a paper the same size as your finished copy can be useful in seeing how it will appear. From a Dollar store you can pick up a pad of children's drawing paper to use as your rough or "scratch" draft.

We have moved far away from the strict social etiquette of the 19th and 20th century where even paper sizes were considered "proper' or "improper". Generally there have been two sizes for writing paper, a full sheet and a half sheet.

A half sheet would be about 5inches x 7 1/2 inches or slightly larger, this could then be folded to fit in a 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 envelope. (These envelopes tend to be just a frustratingly tiny bit smaller than a 4x6 photograph). A full sheet of paper would be 8 1/2 x 11 and folded into quarters to fit an envelope.

Depending on the quality you are looking for you can also find pads of writing paper at a liquidator or discount stores.

With your own computer and printer you have the option to design your own stationery.

For household stationery you would have the home address printed across the top usually using a simpler font, individual stationery would have your name printed on it, with or without the address.

You don't necessarily have to use black ink to individualize your stationery. Dark blue is also very traditional but red could look striking and if you are known for your love of pink why not use that.

Instead of your name you could use a motif that you love or are known for, such as a dog, a soccer ball, a flower or something else that you find charming and print your address under that.

You might have to try a few different fonts and motifs in you design until you are happy with your results. You should not use copyright images for you motif. For this Hallowtree Place address I used the motif of a tree to reflect the street name.

Print your stationery in both full sheets and half sheets. You will probably find that you will be using the half sheets more often than the full ones so to start print off 5 full sheets and 10 half sheets and see how much you use. Typically only the first page of a letter has the design on it the rest of them are plain so add a few sheets of plain paper in with your stationery.

Using a higher quality paper would bump up the style once more. Fine paper is generally quite expensive but again look for writing paper in discount stores and at liquidators. By buying a pad of writing and printing your design on it you will have custom stationery for pennies a sheet

You can print your return address on the back of the envelopes and once again you don't have to use black ink. As a matter of fact your envelopes don't have to be plain white either.

A light blue envelope with a dark blue return address printed on the back would look nice and you could match the paper by printing the address or motif in blue as well.

By organizing the household stationery that you need you will be ready for any occasion from a quick little note to a friend to a loving letter to your heart's desire.

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