Category Archives: Envelopes

Oak Creek Printworks is on Etsy

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24 packaged note cards and envelopes

Our blank kraft paper note cards and black envelopes, sold in a set of 24, is sure to help inspire your creativity and showcase your own unique artwork. This product is only available through our new Etsy store!

4 sample cards

To help display the blank cards, we created some of our own sample designs using products that are already available from Oak Creek Printworks.

Design and create personalized greeting cards using products at our new Etsy store, where shoppers will find select items that aren’t available on the Oak Creek Printworks website.

A set of 24 blank kraft paper note cards and black envelopes is our first item in the new Etsy store. The black, square-flap, announcement style envelopes are uniquely paired with 80 lb. kraft paper cards for an acid-free, environmentally friendly card with a more formal look.

We’ve used some of the products already available on Oak Creek Printworks to create the examples shown here: gold seals, adhesive foam squares, black elastic stretch loops.

We hope these cards will inspire our readers to bring their own creations to life! To learn more about the blank kraft paper cards with envelopes visit Our Etsy Store.

We pride ourselves in helping artists market their cards and prints. Send us your creations by snail mail, or 300dpi .jpg,  and if we publish your art on our blog, we’ll link back to your website.

Clear bags protect greeting cards and more

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clear bags for mailingClear bags aren’t just for greeting cards and note cards. These crystal clear sleeves have all the benefits of double-sided full color envelopes at a fraction of the cost. Clear bags are suitable to send through the U.S. postal service,  provided you follow a few simple rules.

A clean, white label area on the inside or outside of the package, preferably, but not necessarily, with a bar code. Bulk postage, bar code and address information can be printed directly on the the mailer, while postage stamps must be canceled; therefore they must be affixed to the outside of the sleeve in the proper position. It’s always best to check your design, printing and mailing plans with your local post office to confirm current postal regulations.

Benefits of clear mailers are huge. There’s no question that we’re hooked and will open “The Printer’s Glove of Choice!”. There’s some depth to the package, so surely there are samples inside, and the Golden Arches help seal the deal. The Aflac mailer, like all of Kaplan Thaler’s (Aflac’s ad agency), advertising, is enticing and clever. Because the envelope is see-through, the duck’s layered feathers reveal a unique die cut brochure, different enough to catch anyone’s eye and encourage them to open the envelope.  Aflac’s mailer does not disappoint, unless, of course, you were expecting sound effects.

You can find clear mailing envelopes in a variety of size and seal styles by clicking on this link on the clear bags page.

Aflac ad opened

 

Greeting Cards: Simple, Fun, Classy and Budget Conscious

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by Kimberly Foster

In today’s economy, every penny counts.  Making classy, creative, expensive-looking greeting cards, invitations, place cards, bookmarks, and envelopes to match, will fit into any budget.   All you really need are 3 things to get started, and chances are good that you already have them: paper, glue and scissors.

You can actually create your own cards and envelopes with any type of paper you choose, but if you just want to dive right into decoration, you may want to start out with ready made blank cards and envelopes. Blank cards are a perfect way to get started making professional looking cards even if you are just beginning.  They truly leave you little room for error!

So, once you’ve either purchased or made your blank cards, it’s time for the really fun part. Continue reading →

Artist Trading Cards

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Artist Trading Cards
Art Card Editions (ACEO)

Give an Art Card, Edition or Original, as a Stocking Stuffer
By Trevor Mauk

Countless artists today are trying to find new ways to have others experience their art. Many of them have turned to the Internet, and have had great success.  But a new, easy way to have your art in the hands of others is becoming more and more popular. Artist Trading cards, or ATCs, are opening a new world of artistic experience to both experienced and amateur artists across the world.

ATC-studio watercolor-setup

Artist trading cards were created in 1997 in Switzerland by Michael Leavitt, who was inspired by the idea of baseball trading cards. They are approximately 2.5 by 3.5 inch cards with an original piece of art that is created directly on the front, and with information about the artist who created it on the back. The individual cards are typically originals or part of an edition. The medium that the art is created on is limitless. Drawing, painting, photography, and three-dimensional objects can also be used on the cards. The only limitations for creating an ATC is that the card must be 2.5″ by 3.5″, and flat enough to be put into an envelope. Past these rules, the potential is endless, opening a wide range of possibilities for artists creating them. The small size has also pushed artists to create something very different than anything they have made before on their typically large canvasses.

Artist trading cards were not created with the intention of making money, but rather purely to experience art from others and to be able to share your own art as well. Therefore, they were intended to be traded and not sold. There are websites dedicated to arranging ATC trades, such as www.atcsforall.com, to make it very easy to start trading and to become part of the ATC community. The idea of physically trading these original pieces of art either through person or the mail has made this experience so much more genuine than experiencing art on the Internet. Having an original piece of art at your fingertips is oftentimes much better than viewing it on your computer screen.

Many artists who create ATCs also create their own envelopes that compliment their piece. It is also a good idea to put them in clear plastic pockets for storage and shipping to keep them protected. There are also specially sized boxes made for storing ATCs safely. A photo-album is a good way to keep ATCs protected and to look at them easily too. Some artists have been very creative with how they show and store their cards, whether it be sewing a plastic window on their handbag to display them, or framing them to show in their home.

In a world where so many artists are trying to find a way to have their art viewed by others, artist trading cards have opened up a new way to share original pieces in an easy, genuine way. With the artist trading card community growing, it is sure to open up a new artistic experience for artists of all types across the world.

Perfect Folds Give Greeting Cards Professional Finish

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On the surface, folding paper appears to be a pretty straightforward subject, but in fact, for artists and crafters who are creating their own note cards, greeting cards and other stationery products, understanding each paper’s specific characteristics can make the difference between an average card and an extraordinary one.

Creating the perfect fold doesn’t really require an understanding of the paper manufacturing process, but it sure does help to explain why folds sometimes go terribly wrong.

In the manufacturing process, paper begins as a mushy soup, which is forced through a fine screen with enough pressure to squeeze the liquid out of the mix. As the fibers of the paper mixture blend and settle into position, they align in a single direction establishing the ‘grain’ of the paper. Chapter 6 in Getting it Printed, by Mark Beach, Steve Shepro, and Ken Russon, is titled ‘Paper and Ink,’ and provides an encyclopedic review of papers’ characteristics and the paper-making process.

Since greeting cards are typically printed on a cover weight paper or a card stock, it is necessary to score the card before folding in order to prevent the paper from cracking. Without scoring, the greeting card may have a bumpy, unsightly fold, even more so if folded against the grain, in which case cracking is likely. The pressure of scoring crushes the paper fibers along the precise path of the fold on the greeting card.

You may also hear scoring referred to as ‘creasing.’ While the tools and equipment that compress the paper fibers may differ, in either case a depression is made on the outside of the greeting card, usually by a 2-3 pt. rounded die or other smooth, hard tool. Some machines pass the paper under a roller to create an debossed depression; others have an arm operated by a lever that pulls a bar down to create the depression. When the bar on the creasing device crushes the paper fibers, a small beaded impression results on the opposite side of the paper. The bead is the result of crushing the fibers in a perfectly straight line, allowing the paper to practically fold itself.

If you are printing your cards at a commercial printer, they know how paper behaves and they will take measures to insure that your cards are properly scored and folded. If you are printing or otherwise creating your own greeting cards, the scoring is up to you.

Do-it-yourselfers have traditionally relied on bone, plastic, or ivory tools to create the line of compressed fibers. When the scoring tool is dragged with pressure along a metal straight edge ruler, the paper fibers are depressed and crushed, creating a raised bead on the opposite side of the paper. This may or may not work well. I consider it a risky method, frequently less than perfect.

The growth in paper crafts, card-making and scrapbook arts has created a demand for improved scoring tools for artists and printers doing very short runs.

Score Boards

Crafters Companion, tested and recommended by the Creative Home Arts Club, is a handy tool for artists, card-makers, or anyone who wants to make clean, smooth folds, whether on handmade cards, envelopes or boxes. The Score Boards combine everything necessary to easily score paper and card stock.

Top Score Multiboard

Create the perfect crease and fold with the Top Score Multiboard, the quintessential tool for do-it-yourselfers crafting handmade note cards, greeting cards and boxes.  The double-sided card-making aide provides templates for scoring the crease in the exact position for A2, A7, and A8 (half letter) cards, as well as a number of other folds that can be created from papers cut to various sizes. The Multiboard doubles as an embossing tool, with a variety of lines and shapes from which to choose. The fully illustrated instructions demonstrate the following folds and card ideas:

  • basic half fold
  • gatefold
  • slimline
  • square
  • concertina
  • pop out card
  • creating a custom sized box
  • triangular boxes
  • diamond shaped boxes
  • window boxes
  • wedge, or cone shaped boxes

The Top Score MultiBoard includes a free embossing tool and complete instructions!

List Price $24.99

Your Price $19.95

The Enveloper

Create dynamic envelopes using virtually any paper in a variety of styles and sizes. Contrasting art papers make great liners for a stunning presentation of your hand made greeting cards. Includes a free embossing tool and complete instructions!

The Enveloper

List Price $24.99

Your Price $19.95

Crafter’s Companion Scoreboards Video DVD

This step-by-step instructional video walks you through a wide variety of techniques for creating professional folds on handmade greeting cards, boxes and envelopes. Use your computer or DVD player on your TV. Over 60 minutes of great ideas and a visual tutorials.

List Price $14.99

Your Price $9.99

Scoreboard Special – 1 Enveloper & 1 Top Score Multi-Board + 1 Free Instructional DVD

By ordering these two award winning tools together you will get the instructional DVD Free; an easy to follow step-by-step video that shows you how to use these tools.

List Price $59.97

Your Price $39.90

Envelopes for Note Cards and Greeting Cards

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With a dozen different envelope styles and hundreds of sizes in existence, how do you choose the right one for your note cards and greeting cards?

For artists who are creating greeting cards we like to simplify the process by following standard envelope styles, sizes and general availability in the United States.

Style
Oak Creek Printworks includes announcement style envelopes with all custom printed greeting cards, and we sell announcement style envelopes in four sizes. Announcement envelopes have a square flap, while Baronial envelopes have a deep, pointed flap. Announcement envelopes are readily available in all the standard greeting card sizes. Baronial envelopes are manufactured in a variety of sizes, but available here by special order only.

Size
The smallest announcement style envelope is an A2. If your card folds to one-quarter of a letter sized page, it’s an A2. The matching A2 envelope is slightly larger than the 4.25”x5.5” folded card, and measures 4.375”x5.625”. Envelopes and packaging for A2 note cards are available in the Oak Creek Printworks store.

The A6 card is slightly larger, measuring 4.625”x6.375” when folded. Its matching envelope is 4.75”x6.5”.

The A7 card folds to 5”X7”, and the corresponding announcement envelope is 5.25”x7.25”.

The A8 card folds to 5.25”x7.875”. The companion envelope is 5.5”x8.125”.

The A9 card is an 8.5”x11” letter sheet folded in half to 5.5”x8.5”. The companion envelope is 8.75”x5.75”.

Square cards fold to 5.25” square. The companion envelope is 5.5”x5.5”.

Other envelope sizes, and colors other than white are available by special order.