Review: Levenger Initialize Letterpress 3 x 5 Cards & Envelopes

Levenger Initialize 3x5 card

I've been leery of Levenger's personalized paper products. My experience with Levenger paper has been very hit-and-miss (when it's good, it's fantastic, but some of it is absolutely terrible), personalization is usually quite pricey, and I've read some very critical reviews of their personalized note cards.

Then I ran across the reduced price on the Initialize Letterpress 3 x 5 Cards & Envelopes. They were reduced from $13 to $8.95, so I scooped up a pack.  Levenger must be clearing them out, because they're down to $4.95 this week.

For that, you get 10 cards of very sturdy 110-lb. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified cover stock. I really wasn't prepared for how sturdy these are. Between their sturdiness and very smooth finish, they have a very high quality feel to them.

As usual, my crappy photography doesn't convey the color; the cards are off-white. In my opinion, Levenger's photography makes them look whiter than they are, and the blue initial, though described as Navy, has a slightly purple cast.

This is also the first letterpress product I've bought, and I must say I like the letterpress imprint. Some descriptions I'd read of the process made it sound like little more than using an ink stamp, so I wasn't expecting much, but the initial looks quite good. The letterpress process leaves an imprint in the paper — the opposite of engraving. So, like engraving, it give the card texture that conveys something special.

The letterpress initial and sturdy, quality feel are sure to impress . . . provided you use the right pen and ink combination. As much as these cards delight with their weight and feel, they disappoint with how they handle ink.

Gel inks and rollerballs worked fine, but most of the fountain pen inks I tried feathered rather severely. All of the bottled inks were terrible. Much better were my $4.50 Pilot Petit1s in Wine Red and Mandarin Orange. The best, without any noticeable feathering at all were my $3 Platinum Preppies and Pilot Varsity!

Inexpensive pens and inks worked best!

Bottled inks feathered so much I expected the card to take flight! (Worse than this picture conveys . . . click on it for a better idea.)

Gel inks and rollerballs worked fine, but most of the fountain pen inks I tried feathered rather severely. All of the bottled inks were terrible. Much better were my $4.50 Pilot Petit1s in Wine Red and Mandarin Orange. The best, without any noticeable feathering at all were my $3 Platinum Preppies and Pilot Varsity!

The envelopes, on the other hand, took most inks quite well. The envelopes also have a textured finish.

At their old price of $13, I probably would not have recommended these cards.  But at $4.95, it might be worth buying two or three packs. Just count on using up a few in the process of figuring out the best inks to use.

Review: Levenger Initialize Letterpress 3 x 5 Cards & Envelopes