Introducing a New Service! Damaged Fingerprint Guestbook Reproduction

We would like to think that all of the guests at your wedding will be perfectly behaved angels and that that the fingerprint guestbook concept is fool-proof.  But, in reality, people are human and sometimes it doesn't go all as planned. The vast majority of guestbooks we send out do turn out fantastic, but when they don't, we have a new solution to help you out! This sister of the bride had some trouble with their guestbook balloon at the wedding. A pen got dropped on it on one corner, a few stray thumbprints were wiped in another and someones drink dripped on it and smudged the text. She was devastated that it was not perfect, but I'm so glad we were able to help!

 

She sent us the original damaged guestbook art, after the wedding, and we had it professionally scanned, then edited it remaking what was damaged and preserving the most important parts (the fingerprints and signatures of her loved ones). We thoughtfully reproduced the poster on the same beautiful fine art paper the original was made on, matching each color, that you would never be able to tell that it had been reprinted.

Maybe you weren't happy with the results of your special artwork after your guests marked it all up or maybe you are just worried that your guests might mess it up. Rest at ease knowing that it can always be fixed! Just send us what you have and we will make it beautiful and new. The service is just $35 plus the cost of return shipping to you (prices vary based upon country mostly).

Contact us if you think you might need help cleaning up a mess.

Why we dont do canvas with fingerprints

For many reasons, we do not offer any of our fingerprint designs on canvas.

First is that the texture of canvas makes getting detail of the beautiful delicate lines of our drawings nearly impossible.

Second: While doing a fingerprint in wet paint on canvas may work, stamp ink does not stick well to canvas. Wet paint is messy and hard to deal with for a wedding and lots of people (think dry time...) and may turn out to be a disaster. The dye based stamping ink we offer dries quickly and works well off of skin. Trust us, weve done A LOT of testing all sorts of ways to do this.

Thirdly: While a stretchered canvas may be nice because its ready to go and you don't have to frame it, its much more expensive to mail than artwork rolled in a tube.

Four: The give of a stretched canvas makes it hard for the average non-artsy Jo to make neat marks. It is helpful to have a hard surface behind the artwork for people to stamp their fingers and write their names without give.

All that said, if a guestbook fingerprint art is what you are looking for, we recommend you do it on paper and not canvas.

All of our designs are both drawn and printed onto an artist grade watercolor type paper. It is thick enough to be substantial and thin enough to roll (for shipment). Archival and made to stand the test of time, just dont spill your drink on it;)

Visit our shop today and see our full selection of original drawings on PAPER.

Online Frame Deal and other framing ideas

People are always asking us where to get frames for their drawings. I wish it was easier to ship a frame, otherwise we would offer that to go with our products. But its probably best for you to pick out your own, individualized, frame for your guestbook drawing that fits your style.

Almost all of our product sizes are standard frame sizes, that can be found pre-made. Lots of people like to have this special keepsake professionally framed, either before or after their special event.

Others are looking for an online frame source for pre-made frames. I stumbled across a deal through Fab.com this week with 11x14"(our size extra small) and 18x24"(our size medium) recycled plastic frames for $15 and $20. Pretty good deal. Just something simple to keep your work of art safe and on the wall. It says that its only for this week, but since they are made my fab.com, I imagine they will offer them again.

Follow the links for black, and white, frames. Happy Framing!

*Another wonderful resource for beautiful custom wood and metal frames, with a variety of options online, is metroframe.com. Although not steal of a deal, you can customize your frames down to every last detail including wood type, finish, joining, matting and size.  These frames are used in galleries and museums alike, so its very high quality. The unfinished ash wood with cut to size joining is the least expensive option, but you can mess around with lost of options and see the price update as you chose. Add a custom mat too, if you like, and it automatically updates the proper size of the wood frame. Pretty nifty. Allow time for production, dry time and shipping and feel free to call them if you have any questions about your order. http://www.metroframe.com/Products/Exhibition.php?Show1st=Standard

Don't leave your fingerprint art unattended!

The unique guest log fingerprint drawing is a great way to capture the memory of your loved ones on your special day in a work of art. You will have it up in your home together forever and will be a cherished keepsake.

It's also a fun way for your guests to do something different and feel involved at your wedding or event. Sort of like a clean craft time. Don't worry about them getting a little ink on their finger, it can be how you know who has signed and who hasn't;) The ink dries super fast and is not going to get on anyone's clothes, especially if you provide wipes for them. It may leave a little tinge to their finger though (depending on the color).





Some guests, or crashers, feel particularly inspired to be creative in front of this work of art. You want to make sure they don't go too far and know what to do. This is a simple fix. Enlist a friendly relative, cousin or friend not in the wedding party, to stick by the guest book table (or have a few take shifts so that everyone can enjoy the party). They can encourage people to participate so that you can get as many guests as possible to make their mark. They also clue people in and explain the concept of the fingerprint tree or balloon, even direct where the best place to put their fingerprint would be to make it nice and even. This is especially important for the balloons! Since its not a traditional guest book, you want someone to direct them with the stamping and wiping and signing.

You would not believe the stories of guests stamping right next to your birds, over your initials on the tree trunk and crossing things out, putting their baby's entire footprint on the tree (!!), or testing their fingerprint on the edges of the paper! If someone is watching over this future heirloom of yours, you should be able to prevent disasters like these from happening.

Displaying your custom work of momento art

Since storing tons of frames and shipping giant picture frame boxes out of our small studio would be a nightmare, we only see our artwork on paper and ship it in a rolled tube.  Framing is definitely a matter of style and taste and best to leave up to you to decide what you want in your home together.

Here are the sizes we carry as a reminder of what you will be getting:

Extra Small guest book drawings 11x14" (generally for 15-30 guests)
Small* guest book drawings 15x20"(generally for 30-90 guests depending on the design)
Medium guest book drawings 18x24"(generally for 80-150 guests)
Large guest book drawings 20x28"(generally for 150-200 guests)
Extra Large guest book drawings 22x30" (generally for 200-300 guests)
XXL guest book drawings 24x36" (for 300-400 guests)
Please contact us for events with more than 400, it can be done on a case by case basis.

Framing tips:
You will either want to get a frame size bigger with a mat that fits the size of your paper, or frame it without a mat. Sometime just having a mat cut to fit a piece of artwork to a pre-made frame can be much less expensive than having the whole thing custom framed.

If you are having your artwork framed make sure the framer leaves the glass out and doesn't paper the back prior to your event.  After everyone has made their mark on your lovely guestbook you can take it all out, put the glass back in and close it up to hang in your home. Some framers may be willing to do this for you so you dont have to tote a loose piece of glass or plexi. Make sure the glass or plexi-glass you choose protects the piece from harmful rays.

Medium and smaller guestbook drawings display fine flat on a table but having it in a frame at the wedding does keep it from getting crinkled or dinged. Also, if you have it in a frame you have the display option of using an easel for it to stand up. Just make sure it is a sturdy easel, as people will be pushing on it.

Some people want to have their work dry-mounted onto form core board then frame that later. While this is not a bad idea, its not the best idea. You want to make sure whoever is doing it really knows what they are doing and uses an archival (and possibly removable) adhesive. Dry-mounting is usually permanent and can be damaging to the paper.

*all of our paper sizes match standard pre-made frame sizes that you can buy locally, excepting the size small paper

How to get wrinkles out of paper

Paper is made up of a delicate layer of fibers that can easily be torn or wrinkled. While we do our best to package our papers (which are of the highest quality) with safely, sometimes they will get a little wrinkle in them. Good news! Just as with fabrics made from cotton, wool or synthetic fibers, paper can be repaired. To remove wrinkles from paper, simply use the same techniques you would for removing wrinkles from clothes, but take greater care, so as not to damage this fragile material.

Pressing : Place the wrinkled paper on a clean, hard surface, such as a mirror, table or smooth countertop. With a lightly damp kitchen towel, apply dabs of clean water to the wrinkled area of the paper. A spray bottle set at a fine mist will work, too. Just be sure to mist the paper from a distance, so that only a small amount of water settles on the paper. 

Water relaxes the fibers in the paper, but you don't want to over do it and cause the paper to disintegrate or warp. Tap water will stain the paper if it has a high mineral content or is rusty. If this is the case with your tap water, use bottled water, preferably distilled water.

After moistening the creases, place the paper between two flat surfaces, such as two books or two pieces of clean wood. Leave the paper to dry for a day or two. When you return, the paper should be restored to an unwrinkled state.

Steaming: If the wrinkles are stubborn, try spreading the paper out on a dry, flat surface in the bathroom (outside of the tub or shower). 

Shut all the windows and doors to the room and run a hot shower. The room will fill with steam, relaxing the paper fibers. After 10 minutes or so, turn off the shower and move the paper to another room. Press the paper between two hard, flat objects until dry.

Ironing: Ironing wrinkles out of paper works well too, but be careful not to scorch the paper (too much heat will yellow the paper or burn it). We iron paper a lot as it is the quickest option. First, lay the paper on a hard surface and relax the creases with a small amount of clean water as described above. I like to slightly wet a paper towel then wring the water out of it so that it is evenly damp.Warm an iron to the lowest setting. Then, place a lightly damp cloth over the paper to protect it from the heat of the iron. (It's a good idea to iron another piece of paper as a test first and adjust the heat if necessary.)

Lightly run the iron over the wrinkles in your paper. This will relax the fibers in those areas so it might be best to iron the whole sheet so it relaxes evenly. Do not let the iron stay on the paper for any length of time. Keep it moving. When finished, move the paper to a flat surface to cool. You can also press it after this point, for good measure.

Read more: How can I get wrinkles out of paper? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1905184#ixzz1I2E0PdHH

All pens (and inks) are not created equal

So you just got your guest log drawing in the mail (or it is on its way and your thinking ahead). It is fresh and clean and empty, ready for your loved ones to fill up.

The ink we provide for sale through our online shop is acid free and archival. We have found that pigment based inks, though harder to find in the store in nice colors, work better with skin. A chalk based ink (which is what you might use a lot if your a scrap-booker) stamps fingerprints all blotchy and dry. No good. If you are going to get your own ink for the fingerprints, please test it out ahead of time to make sure its good.

For your guests to sign over or next to their prints, any archival, fine art or scrapbooking pen will be good. Just dont use regular or fine point sharpies. Here are some pens that are BDT approved (from high to low in price)



Fine art drawing pens:
Copic Multiliner SP in .3
Faber Castell Black Superfine nib
Micron Pen in Black Size 03

Scrap-booking pens:
Memory Marker, two sided F and M in Limo Black
Precision Pen .03 point in black
Zig Memory System Millennium Pen in .03
Point 88 Fineliner Pen in black, also come in an array of colors


On the big day, I suggest having a white box (or two if you are having a big crowd) of baby wipes on hand at the table with the guest log, so that the guests can wipe the ink off of their fingers before signing their name, and before it dries. It looks nicer if you peel the stickers off and is helpful if you cut the wipes in half ahead of time so they arent huge pieces.

Finally, framing before or after the event is up to you. If your ordered a medium drawing or smaller, it might be ok for it to be unframed on a table top. For a larger piece you might want to have it dry-mounted at your local framer or place it in a frame without the glass, so it keeps the edges safe and provides a hard surface beneath it. A piece in a frame is nice to display on a sturdy easel sometimes.