Articles: personalisation

23 articles about print where every copy is a little different. Personalisation is usually reduced to a name on an invitation, while in practice it holds far more, both at family celebrations and in a company setting.

What can change on each copy

• A name and surname on the invitation, the place card and the thank you note.
• A table number and seat, instead of a separate list at the entrance.
• A time or an address, when some guests join at a different point in the day.
• A short line written to one person, in thank you notes and gift sets.
• Company details: an employee name on a gift, a surname on a certificate.

A matching set rather than separate pieces

Most of these texts circle around occasion stationery: the invitation, the menu, place cards, thank you notes and the sleeve for a disc or a USB drive full of photos. The same typeface, the same colours and one repeated motif make the whole set read as a single piece. There is also a recurring thread on stationery matched to the season, and on keeping a light touch when a photograph of a child or of the couple appears in the design.

What to keep in mind with such orders

It all starts with the list of names, ideally in one file, with the spelling checked and agreed. It also helps to decide early how much room the longest surname needs, because that is what shapes the layout. In a company the same idea works on gifts and packaging: a printed band, a sleeve or a sticker with a name turns an ordinary product into something prepared for one person.

A good starting point is the piece on planning a matching set of stationery, and then picking the elements you genuinely want to personalise.