Correspondence Cards - Do You Use Them? Do You Have The Personalized?

[Tojusi]

So, do you have correspondence cards and do you make use of them?

 

If you have them - are they generic, or have you had them personalized?

 

At the moment, I am seriously looking into ordering personalized correspondence cards: with my name embossed, choosing the font and color, and tissue lined envelopes. The whole works. Sure, it would be expensive. On the other hand, I consider that using correspondence cards would be a fine and gentlemanly habit, whether in personal life or in business. Also, in business context a thank you note written with a fountain pen on my own personalized correspondence card would surely be more memorable than an anemic thank you email.

 

Not that I am putting down the thank you email either - these days, receiving any thank yous seems to be quite rare! The manners today, eh....

 

 

[Arcadian]

I don't have any yet - but they are definitely on the list, and have been for quite some time, for excactly the reason you mention: The gentlemanly ways it denotes.

[Horseknitter]

I have used correspondence cards for a couple decades, both personalized and non personalized. I require that the paper be quality and interesting for both, some of mine have a hand drawn border of varying colors and others are plain. I use colors according to season both for the cards and for inks.

 

Because they are limited due to size I use them primarily for thank you, get wells, bereavement, praying for you type communications. However, that size limitation also limits my verbosity.

[cactusneedle]

I have been using them for a couple of years now. I have some with just my name and some for my husband and I as a couple. I have received thank you's for my thank you cards! So, yes, the handwritten thank you is very appreciated. It does take a bit more effort than buying a greeting card to suit the occasion, but I think it's well worth it.

[PaperDarts]

I use Pollen cards and envelopes, bought separately and available in many colours and several sizes. The card is the same size as the envelope (slightly smaller than standard business size I think) but both are very FP friendly. Sometimes I personalize the card with a metal stamp you press into the paper, one with my initials that my sister gave me years ago. I do think personalized correspondence cards are very classy.

[JimCouch]

I have been using them for a couple of years, just plain, not personalized at this point. I find they are perfect for thank yous, birthday wishes, quick notes.

[Maurizio]

Yes I use them. I like to use Crane's correspondence cards even though they're a bit expensive. I find Crane's paper not to be very fountain pen friendly, but, the paper for the cards is different and is friendlier. I like Crane's because it's American made, and the envelopes are substantial, they do create a nice impression. The envelopes are made from the "unfriendly" Crane's paper rather than card stock, so I have to use a wet nib to address them.

 

I buy Crane's blank cards in packs of 10 w/ 10 envelopes, they're roughly 4 x 6". I personalize them myself by using the same image which is printed on my business card, my logo. I put the logo on the card and use the phrase "from the desk of ... " and my name. I like to play with typography so I use an italic "f" in that phrase a point size larger that the rest of the type which is in regular style, and use a nice classic serif font, Adobe Caslon which is also the typeface I use on my business card. I print the logo in color on my fairly high end color ink jet printer. It's not as good as getting them from a printer, but they come out pretty decent.

 

There's no question that sending handwritten notes makes an impression, especially since the rise of email. This is recommended by numerous books and corporate communication gurus.

 

Anyone looking to make a positive impression in business should use handwritten notes for thank you's or other communication, to cut through the fog and flood of impersonal email. Correspondence cards are a nice convenient way to do that.

[Moshe ben David]

I've considered correspondence cards. In the past I've had sheets of Monarch size (also called Executive Size) letterhead printed up and have been very satisfied using this. Somewhat larger than the cards, but definitely smaller than regular letter head. Nice thing is I can get these in the same paper I use for longer letters, and know how it acts with my pens, etc.

 

I have been using Neenah Linen in a Classic Grey (light, works with most of my inks) for this purpose, with envelopes to match.

[churl]

I enjoy buying different styles and types of correspondence cards so I wouldn't consider personalizing. But I use them regularly, and as others have noted, usually for short correspondence. They're very useful, especially when you realize it's someone's birthday/anniversary/etc and you need a card. Even though it's clearly not a greeting card, because of the quality and gravitas, it's always well received.

[inkypete]

Personal correspondence makes a real impression, especially amongst those who rarely receive. I worked in the emergency services and one of our volunteers was killed during an operation. Just so sad. I spent a fair bit of time with his wife after the event and naturally she received many condolence messages from people she didn't know right through to heads of state. I asked her much later what was the most impressive condolence message she had received. She didn't hesitate. The one from our State Premier, who also happened to be the opposite political flavour to her - in fact, very opposite. Why? Because it was two A4 pages hand written by the Premier. She said she knew he had to take the time to sit and write this whereas many others were probably written by an aide and just signed. She certainly wasn't devaluing the other letters - just recognising the extra effort taken by our state's most senior head.

[alc3261]

I have some Artoz cards/envelopes unpersonalised and I ordered some personalised from Vistaprint. I'll see what the quality is like. Smytheson quoted £200 for personalised ones, which I thought was ridiculous.

[drv1913]

I think that correspondence cards are the best all-around stationery value. I have some from Dempsey & Carroll engraved with my full formal name. I use them for almost all of my personal, non-business correspondence - thank-you notes, party invitations, invitation responses, seasonal greetings to family and friends (I decorate the outside of the envelope for the appropriate greeting or holiday), notes of appreciation/fan letters to favorite authors, small businesses owners who make products that make my life easier, the local opera company director, etc. The only thing that I don't use them for is condolence notes, and that's because the color of ink and tissue paper on my cards/envelopes (purple) is too frivolous for such serious notes. For those, I use my engraved (with black ink) monarch sheets or plain sheets.

[mwpannell]

Let's see. Even a phone shot of your unique or "common" cards would be interesting. (To me, at least.)

[Maurizio]

OK since you asked. This is an originally blank Crane's card which I've run through my printer. They come out a little "washed out", but it's a lot cheaper than getting them printed.

[drv1913]

^^That's a pretty smart idea.

[alc3261]

 

My new cards arrived today, full name and address obviously covered up!!

[mwpannell]

Nice, thanks. And ... obviously.

More?

[JimCouch]

From top to bottom - Clairfontane, Crane & Co, CR Gibson. Pen is a Visconti Manhattan.

[Tojusi]

Resurrecting an old thread...

 

I finally got my correspondence cards from Smythson. It was a long and strange journey. I ordered a pack of paper samples - it never arrived. I emailed them about it, and they said they would send a new one. It never arrived. These are, by the way, the first ever items sent to me that have gone missing in the post. (If, indeed, they were sent...). Third contact - they sent it by DHL. This time I got it. Third time's a charm, I guess.

 

However, the paper sampler I received did not include the names and qualities of the paper on the paper or on any stickers that would be affixed to the paper. I later found out that they should have been so identified. I'm not sure what package I got, then.

 

So I ended up ordering correspondence cards in Three Crowns 290g weight. This is, by the way, definitely greenish paper which is not really apparent on their website where you order them. I ordered a double border. Even though the paper color was not entirely what I expected, I am very happy with the result.

 

The cards have my name center top.

 

The envelopes are same color, with silk paper lining and a border on the back. Very nice.

 

I got them on Friday, one day after they were sent from the warehouse. DHL again.

 

The cards and envelopes are quite smelly. I think it might be the colors, the printing, and so on - after all, they are "hot off the warehouse". But surely the paper itself must be slightly older, I'm sure they don't run their own paper mill. I hope the smell will disappear over time.

 

All in all, still happy.

[alc3261]

But they were very expensive!!