Want: Classic yet stylish

Try: Novia and Baskerville

Two elegant fonts mingle in this letterpressed invitation suite. The fancy script (Novia, originally created in 2007 for our magazine) interspersed among lines set in the time-tested serif font (Baskerville) gives the suite a traditional but relaxed feel, while the unexpected palette of aubergine and dove gray -- as well as the quirky, off-center decorative frames -- keeps it au courant.

Stationer: Dauphine Press

The Petaluma, California, company is known for its "vintage-meets-modern point of view," says owner Trish Kinsella.

Want: Graphic, chic, and swanky -- with a dash of moxie

Try: Didot and Pistilli

There's nothing quiet about this stationery suite, inspired by the larger-than-life fonts used in 1950s fashion magazines. At the same time, there's nothing gauche or loud about it, either. Combining big-statement designs (oversize ampersand and quotation marks) with understated, elegant colors (deep teal and burnished-gold engraving) is the key to pulling off this luxurious and infinitely cool look.

Stationer: Gryphon Stationers

The Web-based invitation-design company in San Francisco "creates classic invitations with a modern bent," says co-owner Erik Olsen.

Want: Fun and fresh

Try: Avenir

Get the message across audaciously and cheekily with a letterpressed invite that isn't afraid to push the envelope or sample the color wheel. The capitalized letters rendered in simple, unpretentious Avenir and scaled large give the suite a carefree, youthful vibe.

Stationer: Enormouschampion

Brooklyn co-owner Jordan Provost says, "We find inspiration in our collective interests and transform them into our designs." Their muse here? The Gershwin song "Love Is Here to Stay."

Want: Modern and clean

Try: Akzidenz Grotesk

Everything about this striking letterpressed collection is nontraditional, from the shapes (note the long, lean invite and the square seating cards) to the colors (unladylike orange tempered with charcoal gray) to the type (set asymmetrically). And the Akzidenz Grotesk font, while a classic, is a paragon of modernism and radical simplicity. Hand-circled table numbers add a warm touch and humanize the sleek, minimalist design.

Stationer: Precious Bugarin Design

The owner of the eponymous boutique design firm in Portland, Oregon, describes the font she employed here as "timeless, functional, and honest." The same can be said for her thoroughly modern and urbane sensibility.