Birth announcements: announcing the arrival of a baby
A baby has just been born. Amid the first broken nights and the messages piling up on your phone, one question eventually comes up: how do you announce it to the people who matter to you, and who will matter to them? The birth announcement has not disappeared with social media: if anything, it has gained value by going against the grain. It is still an object you take the time to choose, print, slip into an envelope… and keep.
Why does the paper birth announcement endure?
We often announce a birth with a photo, on a screen, in a few seconds. The paper birth announcement takes the opposite path. It sits on a shelf, gets tucked into a drawer, and sometimes resurfaces fifteen years later to be shown to the grown-up child, who remembers none of it. An Instagram story disappears in 24 hours; a well-chosen piece of paper crosses the decades without anyone really thinking about it. Perhaps that, in the end, is the whole difference.
When should you send a birth announcement?
There are no hard and fast rules! Many parents prepare their design before the birth, leaving the name and date blank, so they can send it as soon as the baby arrives. The studio starts printing as soon as it receives the details. Even so, allow one to two weeks for:
- preparing the printing plate;
- printing on our Heidelberg presses, and drying time;
- any finishing touches;
- final trimming and checking by hand before packing.
Other parents, a little overwhelmed by the first weeks with their new little one, prefer to have their birth announcements printed later, once the nights are a little less short.
What should you include on a birth announcement?
Some details are essential, others are up to you:
- the baby’s first name and date of birth, of course;
- the time and weight, if you wish;
- the first names of the parents and of any brothers and sisters;
- your family name, so everyone knows exactly who it is from.
And why not add a drawing, a phrase, a few words that set the tone? Tender, funny or understated: it is up to you to find the wording that suits you.
A birth announcement that reflects who you are
Beautiful paper, lettering printed in relief, a colour you took the time to choose: these are details you don’t necessarily notice at first glance, but they make all the difference between an announcement that is kept and one that gets lost.
At le typographe, every announcement comes off our Heidelberg presses, printed in traditional letterpress: a process that literally presses the letter into the paper rather than simply laying ink on it. You can almost feel your child’s name with your fingertips. You can also add:
- embossing, to highlight a shape;
- hot foil, for a more precious touch;
- a custom die-cut;
- a coloured edge, a surprise when the envelope is opened.
You choose the paper, the typeface and the colour; we take care of the rest, right through to the finishing. See some of our work on our birth announcements page.
The right words, a lasting keepsake
A birth announcement is, after all, just a small piece of paper. But it is also, often, the first printed object bearing your child’s name. It may well be worth composing it with a little care: the paper takes care of the rest.
Would you like a letterpress birth announcement? Visit us at our studio-shop in Brussels or our shop in Nantes, or tell us about your project to get it started.
See also: Birth announcements and our craft
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