With a love for all things vintage and a whole-hearted desire to give brides exactly what they want for their wedding days, Paula Gold of Letterpress by Visionary Pen has combined the rich beauty of letterpress printing with affordable prices and eco-friendly textured papers.

“I started printing on a press that’s 105 years old,” Gold said of her work at Visionary Pen. “It’s 1,000 pounds of cast-iron, and it’s completely manually-powered by a treadle like you’ll see on those old sewing machines.”

invitation with starfish
Visionary Pen creates elegant custom invitations with timeless letterpress techniques.

While this manual method allows Gold to maintain her high standards to reduce her ecological footprint, this vintage printing press also delivers high-quality stationery with a sense of original, creative timelessness.

“We produce wedding invitations,” Gold said. “They’re all completely custom. I design everything, letterpress it, cut it, [and] assemble it all in my studio.”

Through Gold’s studio, she has complete quality control to ensure every element is exactly as the bride ordered.

“It’s all about us exchanging information,” Gold said. “I’ll sit down with a bride, ask her a few basic questions to find out … what she’s looking for. Then we’ll start designing. And at every point of the process, she’s got the power to say, ‘No. We need to [do this.]’ So really it’s going to be exactly what she wants.”

Through this approach, Gold often establishes a personal connection with her brides. Then she can work to fit their individual budgets, draw unique designs for their custom invitations, and even collaborate for do-it-yourself projects that will give brides beautiful invitations at less cost.

invitation with D.I.Y. rhinestones
Visionary Pen's Paula Gold drew special symbols on this letterpress invitation to help the bride know where to place her D.I.Y. rhinestones.

“We’re very D.I.Y. friendly,” Gold said. “[For] example, this bride wanted rhinestones on her invitations, but didn’t have it in her budget for me to do the rhinestones. … I actually drew this image for her and when I drew it, I put little dots and a diamond shape down here that allowed her to place her [own] rhinestones perfectly. That way it all comes together.”

In addition to adding drawn details, Gold can suggest inexpensive alternatives, recommend places to purchase rhinestones and their appliqué for D.I.Y. touches, and even cut all the paper perfectly for brides before allowing them to put the paper’s layers together themselves for more affordable rates.

“Letterpressing can be incredibly expensive. But because I do everything myself, it’s much more affordable,” Gold said.

And even if her expertise is too expensive for a bride’s budget, Gold always offers D.I.Y. solutions.

“If they’re willing to put in a little bit extra work, they can get fabulous invitations,” she said.

jute paper and box
Visionary Pen selects renewable resources, like cotton and jute, to create their eco-friendly stationery.

While Letterpress by Visionary Pen provides such helpful alternatives to brides, Gold never sacrifices high quality or the personal touch.

“I always tell brides: ‘This isn’t about me. This is about you. So let’s figure out what makes you happy.’”

From modern styles to traditional inspiration, Visionary Pen’s custom invitations also always include an eco-friendly paper base. Brides may choose from 100% cotton, bamboo, jute, or even elephant dung. With varied textures, these “papers” then bring an extra-special element to letterpress invitations.

“They’ve not only found a beautiful paper, but they’ve found a way to sustain,” Gold said.

While Gold notes that jute is the most renewable resource, she also encourages brides to think beyond the box for custom invitations that could benefit the environment, support humanity, and still look, feel, and smell absolutely beautiful.

“With elephant dung, basically they’re creating a source of income for people so they protect the elephants rather than try to kill them,” Gold said as she explained the story behind elephant dung paper. “It’s a fabulous win-win situation. We’re protecting the animals. We’re protecting the environment, and we’re creating a form of income for people who were destitute. It’s a marvelous opportunity. All this paper comes from Sri Lanka, and it’s all monitored so there’s no problems with people being exploited.”

Visionary Pen's bridal show booth
At Bridal Spectacular's bridal show, Visionary Pen won the Dazzle Award for their display of textured, eco-friendly, wedding stationery.

True to her convictions, Gold takes Visionary Pen stationery to a new level as she seeks to help those with whom she shares the world through her choices of printable papers, her D.I.Y. recommendations for brides, and her vintage letterpress techniques.

“There’s really just a tremendous amount we can do,” Gold said. “It’s fun. It’s different.”

Las Vegas brides, for wedding invitations that mean the world to someone else as well as reflect you and your groom as a couple, select Letterpress by Visionary Pen. Then prepare to experience extraordinary customer service for one-of-a-kind wedding stationery.

To learn more about Las Vegas’ Letterpress by Visionary Pen, please visit their website. Also, to schedule a consultation, please contact Paula Gold by phone at 702-395-3583.

For more information about Las Vegas wedding invitations and letterpress stationery, please visit the official website of Bridal Spectacular.

Author: Allyson Siwajian © 2012

Photographs: first three images courtesy of Letterpress by Visionary Pen, final image by Allyson Siwajian