The Art of the Letter.
In the day of the e-mail, IM, text message and Post-It, Gentry's Christine VanDeVelde longs for a good old-fashioned letter. Thanks to a savvy group of stationers with bespoke capabilities, the letter is making a comeback.

Remember the Sex and the City episode in which Carrie's boyfriend Berger ends their relationship with a hastily scrawled "Sorry" on a Post-it note stuck to her laptop screen? Have you ever received a mere "Thx!" via instant messenger or email in response to a birthday gift, a letter of recommendation for someone's nephew, or the four dozen cookies you baked for the third grade because the lead parent rep who was supposed to do it was at Rancho La Puerta that week? Does it make you long for the days when people took the time to elaborate on their feelings via pen and paper, that "primitive means to a civilized end" as someone once described it? If so, you're in good company. From Miss Manners and Emily Post to Oprah Winfrey and style bible Vogue, it's agreed -- things always go down better with a heartfelt handwritten note.

Because it conveys a necessarily personal expression of thanks, congratulations, condolences or best wishes, the handwritten note is simply more charming, more thoughtful, and infinitely more tasteful than Post-its, phone messages or any kind of electronic communication. The stationer Crane & Co. which provides social stationery for the White House, as well as papers for Tiffany & Co. and Cartier, once ran an advertising campaign featuring a woman clutching a letter to her chest with the tagline "To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever cherished a fax." These days, when most of my correspondence is apt to be deleted, a personal note can sit on my desk for days as a reminder of the sender's kindness. Then I file it away in an archival box so I can be reminded of that person, gift or event months or years from now.

According to Emily Post's Etiquette, "Everyone should have one box of good quality paper in a conservative color and size…" Traditionally, such writing paper was engraved with your monogram or full name and sometimes your address. Hard-liners might still insist on the use of dark blue or black ink and that the paper used by women measure just 5 ½ x 6 ½" as opposed to the 7 x 10" size reserved for men. But really what is wonderful in the renaissance that has occurred in personal stationery is that it has never been easier for people to design their stationery to reflect who they are. As Jack Tanowitz, owner of the superb stationer Jax at Santana Row, says "Today, it's all about personal expression."

"Customers want their personal stationery to project their interests, personality and experience," says Gwen Crawford of Palo Alto's Letter Perfect. Social stationery has become a lifestyle product and the options for creating a distinctive look are almost infinite. You can choose archival quality papers in tangerine, lime green, Hapsburg blue or raspberry. You can have your monogram printed in teal or chartreuse ink or have your own doodle or sketch embossed on your calling cards. You can have your name printed in typefaces as various as classic Baskerville, modernist Helvetica and new-age Meta or even in your own handwriting. Then, you can choose from an array of motifs to top off your correspondence cards from a single ripe strawberry or stiletto heel to the Eiffel tower or a tiny Tyrannosaurus rex.

When personalizing their social papers, traditionalists will usually opt for engraving, which Tanowitz calls "the gold standard." The precision and perfection of engraving produces the finest line and connoisseurs believe it possesses the most warmth and elegance. Virtually unchanged since the sixteenth century, engraving involves acid-etching your text onto a copper plate which is then coated with ink and pressed onto the paper, creating a raised impression and a telltale "bruise" on the reverse side. Engraving can be detected by running your finger over the text or the slight indentations on the back of the paper. The copper plates created and used in the process belong to the customer and can be used for a lifetime.

In the last year, however, the bespoke stationery business has seen classic engraving challenged by a revival of letterpress printing. Used to print the very first book, the Gutenberg Bible, letterpress is today's "hottest" technique, according to Kendra Gjerseth, co-owner of Los Altos stationer Birch. In letterpress, type made from metal, wood or plastic is inked with a roller and then pressed into the paper. The ink doesn't sit on the paper, but is absorbed into it, creating a color-saturated, distinct design. As a result, the imprinted monograms and motifs often feel old-fashioned or nostalgic. The repertoires of letterpress printers include sea creatures, architectural drawings, city profiles, Art Deco design, horseshoes, the nine planets and even the best recipe for chicken soup. The ability to make an intensely personal statement with letterpress has made it the preferred choice for high-end brides in particular, says Tanowitz. Chicago stationers Snow & Graham designed a blue invitation bound with ribbon for the wedding of a member of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer family. Even the venerable Crane & Co. is now offering letterpress.

And if having a monogram on your writing paper isn't personal enough for you, how about a private watermark for your social stationery? Used since the 13th century to certify and protect documents -- the new $100 bill has a watermark of Ben Franklin -- watermarks are made while newborn paper is still wet. So a private watermark places your monogram, name, family crest or favorite icon into the very fibers of the paper, the ultimate level of prestige in custom stationery and the most personal of statements for your next thank you note.

Finding Paper Perfection

You'll find hundreds of ways to say thank you, congratulations, happy birthday and more at these three posh paper boutiques.

Letter Perfect  Owner Gwen Crawford has been providing her Peninsula customers with custom papers that mark the passages in their lives for more than twenty years -- from holiday cards and birth announcements to wedding invitations and calling cards. Her charming Palo Alto store reflects her passion for paper, its aisles lined with elegant, whimsical and cutting-edge greeting cards, as well as journals, gift wrap, address labels, phone pads, party invitations and photo albums. You'll also find every kind of fine stationery here from all-important letter-sheets to classic ecru socials and the popular long, slim buck slip cards from custom letterpress and engraving printers like Claudia Calhoun, Julie Holcomb, and, of course, Crane's, as well as boxed papers from B designs, Vera Wang, and Jonathan Wright and Company. Letter Perfect, 384 University Avenue, Palo Alto, 650.321.3700.

Jax on Santana Row  Known for his creativity and can-do attitude, Jack Tanowitz has been designing and delivering invitations and social stationery for more than 25 years for socialites and soccer moms, as well as corporate clients like Apple Computer and Stanford University Medical Center. His jewel box of a store features cards and gifts, but the real treasure trove is in the sweeping selection of options for custom printing, including the popular Lallie, letterpress printers like Elum and Oblation, the terrific modern designs of traditional engraver Jamie Ostrow, the Jansson line of thermography, favorites William Arthur and Crane & Co. and the exquisite new papers of Vera Wang. Jax on Santana Row, 377 Santana Row, Suite 1035, San Jose, 408.423.9900.

Birch  Co-owners Kendra Gjerseth and Gwen Francis offer custom design services in letterpress, offset lithography and engraving for everything from wedding invitations and stationery to baby announcements and bat mitzvah celebrations. Their Los Altos store is an airy atelier filled with boxed stationery, embellished journals and photo albums from Kathleen Takushi, Wooster and Prince shopping lists, smashing wrapping paper for every occasion, and cards, cards, cards from their own GFDG Studio as well as Bay area letterpress designers Pancake and Franks, mish & indy, Hello Lucky and Twig & Fig. The owners' also offer their own letterpress wedding invitation collection, a lovely --and clever -- "wedding paper trousseau" featuring everything a bride and groom need from a Save the Date card through thank you notes and their first social stationery. Birch, 357 Main Street, Los Altos, CA, 650.948.5800.

Copyright 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Christine VanDeVelde. All rights reserved.