MATCHING TYPEFACES

CUSTOM COLOR MIXING

BESPOKE INVITATIONS

ENVELOPE ADDRESSING

ESCORT AND PLACE CARDS

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Truly fine calligraphy is more rare than anything you will purchase for your special event. It is more rare than a beautiful couture gown, a fabulously designed cake, a dazzling invitation or a superb gourmet meal. The first image of the event your guests will see are the envelopes carrying their invitations to your event. If they are elegantly hand inscribed your guests will feel honored that time and great care were taken to make a wonderful presentation to them. There will be no doubt the invitation is to a very special affair.

A passion for making letters is what brought Mary Anne Wolfe to the study of calligraphy. To her this magnificent art is like “dancing on paper”. Every style has its own rhythm and unique movements and is expertly executed with great discipline and grace. It takes the human hand to bring letters to life. No machine could ever match the exquisite beauty of fine calligraphy executed by a highly skilled hand.

Mary Anne maintains the very highest standards. Her skills are truly extraordinary as she has developed many styles over the years since 1987 when her calligraphy business began. When you view the style galleries on this site you will see that her work ranges from the highly structured to the loose and spontaneous. She is by no means limited to the styles here but is very likely able to match almost any typeface with calligraphic qualities. The extensive training she received developed her keen understanding of letter forms to a high level. Her creative skills are exceptional both in terms of developing new styles and problem solving. And attention to the smallest detail is paid on every piece of work she inscribes. She has extensive knowledge of materials and typefaces being familiar with most that are commonly used in invitations. She insists on using the best materials including stick ink which she grinds daily like scribes of centuries past.

Among her many clients are American Academy in Rome, Rolex, Westminster Kennel Club, Restaurant Daniel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Columbia University, Metro North, The Commonwealth Fund as well as many other companies and private individuals. Her clients are very happy with not only the quality of her work but the service she provides. She offers sound advice to people who are new to the process by making suggestions regarding style, where to purchase particular papers, invitations, escort cards and so forth. With a BA in Fine Arts she has served on the Board of Governors of the Society of Scribes for five years; three of them as president. In the fall of 1999 she was the Managing Director of the major exhibition, “Artist & Alphabet: 20th Century Calligraphy and Letter Art in America” held at the American Institute of Graphic Arts in New York City. It is difficult to find a calligrapher more experienced and talented. If quality is your top priority Mary Anne is the scribe to contact.

Style Gallery I

You can click on each thumbnail to view a larger sample.

Flourished Copperplate

Script

Bickham Swash

Bickham

London Script

Zaner

Royal Script

Venetian

Rook

Citadel

Smythson Script

Sloop

Carpenter

Flemish

Edwardian Script

Snell

Casual Script

Cezanne

Gestural Script

Bakers Script

Style Gallery II

You can click on each thumbnail to view a larger sample.

Flourished Italic

Italic

Simple Italic

Sans Serif Italic

Finer Hand

Ex-Ponto

Corsivo

Zapfino

Florens

Avalon

Pointed Italic

Bookhand

Roman

Sans Serif Capitals

Society Script

Zapf Chauncery

Papyrus

Tagliente

Petras

Wiesbaden Swing

Price List

• Handwriting styles at lower prices are available upon request. They are monoline versions of Venetian, Casual Script and Sans Serif Italic. There is a $300.00 minimum order for handwriting styles.
• Prices are based on writing on standard non-opaque stock which is white or ivory and translucent enough to see a guide sheet through it on a light box.
• The finish of standard stock is smooth or slightly textured matt on which the pen can move at a reasonable speed. Techniques used to write on unusual papers may result in an additional charge.
• Prices are based on envelopes, escort cards and place cards being a standard size and shape.
• Envelopes between 4 and 7 inches high and 5 and 10 inches wide and are rectangular or square in shape are considered standard.
• Escort or place cards which are plain stock (no designs or writing on them) and are between 2 and 4 inches high and between 3 and 5 inches wide and are rectangular or square in shape are considered standard.
• If an envelope is lined or opaque require guide lines to be drawn and erased. For domestic residential addresses the charge is $.75 per envelope or envelope set (no charge for drawing lines on inner envelopes), for escort cards the price is $.50 and place cards $.25 each.
• Envelope prices are based on residential domestic addresses with no more than two name lines. Extra long addresses will cost between 25% and 50% more.
• Escort card prices are based on a one name line (Mr. John Smith or Mr. and Mrs. John Smith). If there are two separate names (Ms. Sally Jones centered over Mr. John Smith) there is an additional charge of $1.00 to $1.50 depending on the style.
• Prices are based on the writing in black. All other colors need to be custom mixed to match which is a one time $50.00 fee. For metallic colors there is an additional charge of $.50 per envelope or envelope set and $.25 for escort and place cards.
• Additional charges for a rush job, special techniques, on-standard calligraphic styles, extra long consultations, extra services, etc. Please inquire.
• When you book my time it will be for a specific period of time. Please be as certain as possible as to when you want the work done. A deposit may be required to hold the time.
• If you have a project other than envelope addressing or escort and place cards please call 212-772-2344 to discuss the details. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 5:30.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Helpful Information

The following information will help you prepare for your calligraphic project whether it is having envelopes addressed, place cards written out, designing an invitation or a special project and help insure that you will be happy with the results and service.

• When you call or email please advise when the work needs to be done in order to determine availability.

ENVELOPE ADDRESSING

• Please look at the price list on this site.
• If you’re interested in a style that is not included in either style gallery please send an example of that style.
• Please advise if you have envelopes that are unusual regarding color (anything other than white or ivory), that are lined (with anything other than white or ivory tissue), have an unusual surface (other than a smooth or slightly textured matt finish) or are unusually heavy.
• Size or shape. An envelope that is within the range of 4 to 7 inches high and 5 to 10 inches wide and is a horizontal rectangle or square format is considered standard.
• It is recommended that you call to consult before you’ve purchased envelopes of an unusual paper quality.
• It is also recommended that that you call to consult before you commit to a typeface that you want matched calligraphically.
• Very important. Please provide between 10% to 20% additional envelopes. If you order additional envelopes when you place your original order the cost is minimal. If you need to order more later it can be very costly.
• If you want the writing to be in a color that matches your invitation please provide a copy of the actual printed invitation as a color reference. Return addresses are not adequate color references.
• When preparing the list of addresses please use a Word document or a file where the addresses appear (one line under the other) as they will on the envelope. Spread sheets are a problem to work with. Please make it in at least a .12pt size type in a roman typeface with serifs (sans serif typefaces make some letters hard to read).
• If you wish to have inner and outer envelope sets where the name of the guest is on the inner envelope – it is not necessary to state what is to be written on the inner envelope unless you’re adding “and Guest” or children. Young children are written by first names only under their parents names. Adult children should receive their own invitation.

Example of Inner Envelope:

Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Jeffrey and Caroline

• A very good idea is to number each address or have it in alphabetical order or both. That way it’s easy to refer to a specific address when necessary.
• If you have additions or corrections after you’ve given me the list please give them to me separately in an email rather than sending a revised list.

ESCORT AND PLACE CARDS

• Please look at the price list on this site. If you’re interested in a style that is not in either style gallery please email an image of that typeface so it can be determined if the style can be matched and how much it will cost.
• Many escort cards are unsuitable in terms of the design or the paper quality. Please call for advice regarding the best cards to purchase.
• You can have an escort card for each person or you can put couples on one card. If you prefer the latter please remember when you calculate the number of insert cards couples count as one; it’s the number of envelopes to fill and not the number of people that need to be considered. A table of five couples will need five table number insert cards and a table of ten single people will need ten table number insert cards.
• Place cards have the name of one guest only written on it and it is set at the place setting when you have assigned seating at each table. A tent or flat card is usually used.
• Both with escort cards and place cards extra stock. Please provide 20%-25% extra escort cards and place cards.
• When preparing a list of names to be inscribed on escort or place cards or both a spread sheet format is a good idea. If you’re doing both escort and place cards and you have the seating plan set please write the table number at the top of the column and then list the guests as they should appear on the escort card under the table number heading. Couples with different last names should be grouped together so it’s clear they are on one card. Next to the escort card names write the names as they should appear on the place cards if you’re doing them. If you don’t have the seating plan ready please submit the names in alphabetical order and later submit the table numbers.

Table 4

Escort Card

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith

Ms. Jane Brooks
Mr. Matthew Johnson

Dr. and Mrs. Charles Drake

Mr. Jeffrey Franklin

Place Card

John Smith, Sally Smith

Jane Brooks, Matt Johnson

Chuck Drake, Susan Drake

Jeff Franklin

OTHER PROJECTS

• There are many other kinds of work offered by Calligraphy by Mary Anne including writing out entire invitations individually (a wonderful idea for a small party) or preparing a calligraphed invitation for reproduction, inscribing names on certificates, table number signs, etc. For these projects the price depends on the specific details and it’s best to call for a consultation.

Please contact me at 212-772-2344 Monday through Friday 10:00 to 5:30 or email maryanne@calligraphybymaryanne.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Contact

phone: 212-772-2344
Monday – Friday
10:00 – 5:30

email:  maryanne@calligraphybymaryanne.com

Mailing Address:

Mary Anne Wolfe
Cherokee Station
Post Office Box 20140
New York, New York 10075
please advise if you are sending to the post office box