Bonus Material

8. Baby Announcements. Read about the most affordable sources for baby announcements, including options for adopting parents.


Baby announcements

Announcements

Getting Started:
When Do You Need This Stuff?

Most printers take between five days and two weeks for delivery of standard baby announcements. (A good tip: most printers can provide the envelopes early so you can get a head start on the addressing). You’ll want to begin shopping for your design in advance, preferably when you’re six or seven months pregnant. If you know the sex of your baby ahead of time, you can pick just one design. If it’s going to be a surprise, however, you may want to either select two designs or one that is suitable for both sexes. When the baby is born, you phone in the vital statistics (length, weight, date, and time), and it’s off to the printing presses.

Parents in Cyberspace:

What’s on the Web?

Stationers abound on the web, but we’ve discovered a few that specialize in birth announcements.

Babies N Bells

Web site: www.babiesnbells.com

What it is: Low cost stationery site.

What’s cool: Here’s a site that offers online samples of all their birth announcements. You can search their designs by themes (Noah’s Ark, Sports) or by sex (Baby Boy, Baby Girl). Online ordering is available, the company will send free samples and they offer free proofs of your order. A reader raved about their “wonderful customer service.”

Needs work: Unfortunately, there is no listing of actual manufacturers’ names. The designs are all coded—what’s the secret? We also found the navigation somewhat cumbersome. The samples are sometimes fuzzy as well.

Celebrate Invitations

Web site: www.celebrateinvitations.com

What it is: A discount birth announcement source.

What’s Cool: One of the few sites that specializes in discounting high quality printers like Encore, William Arthur, Checkerboard and many more. They offer a free price quote on brands and have added retail prices to their price sheets. Be sure to note that Celebrate offers a 5% discount on the prices you see if you order on the web or by fax. A search option is also available.

Needs work: Since our last edition they’ve added samples (thumbnails and expanded views) to their site making it easier to get an idea of what you want. They’ve also posted prices on line—a huge improvement in our opinion. The tough part is finding the one you want. We recommend shopping around before you use this site so you know which brands and styles you want. The quality of the on line samples is not as good as what you see in a store.

Stork Avenue

Web site: www.storkavenue.com, see Figure 1 on the next page.

What it is: Affordable designer quality announcements resource.

What’s Cool: Cute and affordable announcement cards for a mere $1.14 to $1.40 each. For only 15¢ more per card they’ll add return addresses to the envelopes. They also offer free priority mail on all on line orders and 24 to 48 hour turnaround. We saw 27 different options for announcements from bears with balloons to antique toys to a big yellow crescent moon.

Needs work: It’s a bit confusing to use the graphics on the home page. The rollovers aren’t as clear as we’d like (you don’t even know that’s what you’re doing at first), but once you get into the site, it works well with clear and simple graphics.

* Other sites to consider: EInvite.com offers a unique baby announcement option. They have a limited assortment of print-at-home announcements. A box of 100 runs about $15 to $18. Announcements by Jeannette is online at www.announcingit.com and offers six collections of announcement stock. The categories range from  “elegant” to “doo-dads.” What makes this site cool is you can order the cards printed or blank.

The Fairy Godmother (www.thefairygodmother.com) carries some impressive designs from such manufacturers as Blue Mug. Prices are a bit higher than other sites at about $2.50 each.

AlphaBit Soup (www.alphabitsoup.com) is another site with beautiful options, both photo and regular announcements. Look for pretty bows and even vintage backgrounds on these affordable (about $50 for 50) announcements.

Afrocentric announcements can be found on Celebrating Children’s web site (www.CelebratingChildren.com). Both custom designs and fill-in-the-blank options are available as well as terrific articles on different holidays and special occasions like Kwanzaa, Christmas, baby showers and even Grandparent’s Day.

Money Saving Secrets

1 Order 10% to 20% more than you need. Odds are you will forget that long lost friend or relative. Going back for additional announcements will be very expensive—most companies have minimums of at least 25 pieces. Ordering 75 announcements at the outset will be about 50% cheaper than ordering 50, forgetting some relatives, and then going back for another 25.

2 Check your local newspaper for sales. Many stationers have periodic sales with 10% to 20% discounts.

3 Look for discount stationers in your area. Discount Bridal Service, a company we review in our wedding books, has 500 reps across the country. While their main business is selling bridal apparel, DBS reps often have a discount invitations and baby announcements business too. You can find discounts of 20% to 40% off name brand manufacturers like Elite, Encore, William Arthur, Chase and many others. Call (800) 874-8794 for a dealer near you.

4 Compare mail-order prices. At the end of this section, we list a couple of catalogs that offer affordable options for baby announcements.

5 Laser it yourself. Consider ordering a box of 100 sheets of specialty laser paper, designing the announcement on a computer, and then printing it out on a desktop printer. Paper Direct catalog (800-272-7377; www.paperdirect.com) has a wonderful selection of appropriate stationery. We like the “Sweet Dreams” (order #DT3041) design, with its adorable bear and toy border. Price: $24 for a box of 100. Coordinating envelopes are $19 for 50. All in all, there are a half dozen designs that would be appropriate. This requires a little more effort than the standard baby announcement but might be a fun project if you’re so inclined. Another source: Kinko’s copy shops sells laser compatible papers you could use for birth announcements. The cost is 19¢ per sheet and each sheet has two or four post-card size announcements. Matching envelopes are 10¢ each. With a little effort, you could do all of your baby announcements for under $10.

6 Get creative. Check out that do-it-yourself maven, Martha Stewart for ideas. On a recent visit to her web site, www. marthastewart.com, we saw several cute birth announcement samples. For example, we thought the diaper pocket idea was great. Using a template (downloaded from the site), you take leftover wallpaper from baby’s room (or wrapping paper) and create a diaper shaped pocket. Then you slip a card with the vital info into the diaper pocket.

Other ideas can be found on craft sites like Michaels (www.michaels.com) and Hobby Lobby (www.hobbylobby.com). Or check the articles archives on baby sites like Parent Soup (www.parentsoup.com).

7 Try something sweet yet simple. How about sending your friends and relatives a chocolate bar announcement? You can order wrappers to fit a regular Hershey’s candy bar that say “He” or “She” in blue ink. Moosie Wrappers offers 175 to 200 wrappers for 90¢ each. (check their web site at www.mooisewrapper.com). Another company, Carson Enterprises (800-995-2288; web: www.carsonenterprises.com), sell the candy bar and wrapper for $1 per full size bar with a minimum of 24 bars per order. Miniature bars are 45¢ each (minimum 70). Finally, Angel Bars (www.angelbars.com) sells wrappers as well.

The Name Game:

Reviews of Selected Printers

While dozens of companies print baby announcements, we think the six companies reviewed in this section are the best of the best. We should note that these printers do not sell directly to the public—you must place your order through one of their dealers (usually a retail stationary store). Call the phone numbers below to find the name of a dealer near you.

Carlson Craft For a dealer near you, call (800) 328-1782 (web: www.carlsoncraft.com). Carlson Craft can deliver your baby announcements in as little as seven days (although expect a 10-day wait for most orders). They cost on average $49 to $89 for 50 announcements. Carlson Craft has wonderful designs; we saw die-cut bunnies and border designs with cartoon baby clothes scattered about.  Rating: B+

Chase For a dealer near you, call (508) 478-9220. Chase’s baby announcements include cute cartoons, twin announcements, and more—at very reasonable prices. Prices range from $42 to $92 for 50 announcements. The only negative: Chase takes a whopping three weeks for delivery. Rating: B

NRN Designs For a dealer near you, call (714) 898-6363. California-based NRN Designs offers a unique option for baby announcements. While the printer doesn’t have fancy die-cut designs, embossing or ribbons and bows, they do offer wonderful graphic designs. We were especially impressed with their Noah’s Ark announcement—a hard-to-find design. Some of the envelopes even have coordinating graphics, creating a complete look from start to finish. NRN’s prices aren’t cheap, but you can buy them in any increment so you don’t have to waste money buying more than you need. You can purchase as few as 25 announcements with coordinating envelopes for $3 each. Rating: A-

William Arthur For a dealer near you, call (800) 985-6581, (207) 985-6581 (web: www.williamarthur.com). No discussion of birth announcements would be complete without the classic look of William Arthur. These higher quality card stocks feature sophisticated type styles, linings, ink colors and bows. One particular standout: a Beatrix Potter design in the palest of colors, suitable for boy or girl. Although 50 of these were $98, prices start at $75. One note of caution: if you choose the pink parfait ink, select a heavier type style. This ink is a bit too pale for delicate type styles. Rating: A

If I had a million dollars . . .

Looking for a unique announcement? Is money no object? Consider checking out Elite (800) 354-8321) and Encore (800) 526-0497 (web: www.encorestudios.com). These printers have fabulous designs with real ribbons and beautiful embossing—we even spotted a die-cut baby shoe with real laces.

Encore’s prices start at $73 and range up to $435 for 50 announcements. They require a minimum 50-piece purchase. Elite’s designs are priced from $74 to $389 for 50, with a minimum order of 25.

If you don’t have a million dollars but want announcements that make you look like you do, consider a stationery discounter. Our recommendation: Marcy Slachman of Invitation Hotline (800-800-4355; web: www.invitationhotline.com). With discounts up to 25% on brand names like William Arthur, Encore, Elite and more, this is one cool place to shop.

Do it By Mail

Heart Thoughts

To Order Call: (800) 524-2229; Fax (800) 526-2846.

Web: www.heart-thoughts.com

Shopping Hours: 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday, Central .

Or write to: Heart Thoughts, 1711 S Longfellow, Wichita, KS 67207.

Credit Cards Accepted: MC, VISA, Discover, AMEX.

Heart Thoughts offers affordable baby announcements in over 100 different styles. Their recent catalog included “classic” birth announcements with black and white line drawings, formal cards with ribbon details, and the usual cutesy, cartooned designs. All are available with quick shipment—just two business days, depending on the design (add an extra day if you want ribbons tied onto the cards).

Heart Thoughts’ announcements are very affordable. At the bottom of the price range are the “classic” designs ($35 for 50 announcements); at the top are the “Ribbons & Lace” cards ($90 per 50). Included in the price are colored inks and ribbons, as well as a choice of eight typefaces. Heart Thoughts will even address them for you, plus print your return address on the back flap for an additional cost. Ribbon tying is also available for as little as $9 for 50. Shipping prices are reasonable: for example, it costs just $10 for next day air delivery.

In addition to announcements, Heart Thoughts also carries parenting books, pregnancy exercise videos, and other gift items. Although they do have a web site, at the time of this writing they did not have their catalog on line.

Adoption Announcements

Sure, standard baby announcements are cute, but what if you adopt? Many sites and manufacturers we review above offer announcements appropriate for adoptions. Here is a recommended web site specifically for adoption announcements:

* Adoption World Specialties, www.adoptionstuff.com. They have several fill-in-the-blank cards for $7.50 per eight invites.