2.08.2011

If it's good enough for the Queen of England

NO, not Tiffany's...but the most formal of printing methods: Engraving, traditionally a mainstay of royal and diplomatic correspondence.  Text is etched onto a copper plate, which is then coated with ink and wiped clean, leaving the ink only in the indentations. 

Soft, high-quality cotton paper is pressed hard against the plate, causing it to deform into the etchings. The result is raised, crisp text, with warmth and a sumptuous tactile quality that cannot be achieved with flat printing.

It is easy to tell whether a piece of stationery has been engraved (rather than thermographed -- the somewhat less crisp imitation). Simply turn it over. If there is a tell-tale "bruise", caused by the pressure from the press, it is engraved.  Another way to tell is to look at the letters closely -- thermographed text is shiny, while engraved text is more subtle and matte.

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