Formal Pointed Pen

Copperplate

This style is characterized by thick downstrokes and hairline upstrokes. The contrast of thick to thin and the graceful oval shape of the letters is what makes this formal alphabet beautiful.

Style 1 - This flourished Copperplate style looks very dramatic on large envelopes.

Style 2 - This shows Copperplate with a Rook style capital "M" and looped ascenders and descenders. The capitals can also be written without the loop on the "M"'s and other capitals.

Style 3 - This Copperplate style shows slightly condensed lowercase letters, with less weight on the downstrokes and no loops on the ascenders.

Style 4 - In this envelope layout, the titles "Mr. and Mrs." appear on the first line, and the full name appears on the next line in larger letters. This style works well for small or square envelopes.

Style 5 - This style has large flourished capitals for the first and last lines in the address. The middle line has smaller capitals. The lowercase letters are written small and with less formality than the other styles of Copperplate. 

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Spencerian 

Less shading appears on the lowercase letters than in Copperplate. Great for a vintage look, especially when done in Sepia ink.

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Contemporary Pointed Pen

Pointed Pen Variation

This variation is a "bouncier" style of Copperplate. 

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Italic

Style 1 - This is an italic style written with a fine broad-edged nib. 

Style 2 - This is a "contemporary" version of Style 1 written with greater pen manipulation. 

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Monoline  or "Handwriting" styles 

These two styles are written with a monoline tool (i.e., fine or medium point gel pen). They are a less expensive option to pointed pen or broad-edge pen lettering. 

NOTE: Monoline styles are only available in black ink.

Copperplate

This sample shows a flourished "M". However, it can be written with the flourishes toned down a bit or eliminated.

Spencerian

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One way to address envelopes is to indent or stagger the lines as shown in the samples above. Addresses can also be written flush left or centered. Centering is more difficult to do, so additional flourishes may sometimes be added to the left or right of the address to balance the look of the envelope.

You can request to have the zip code written on a separate line below the city and state. The numbers can be spread out evenly underneath the city/state line for an interesting effect.

How can I order hand calligraphy services?

If you would like to inquire about our availability for hand calligraphy, please submit a Request for Quote form or call us at (281) 558-7856 or toll free at (866) 476-6788.