Printing Invitations At Home A Step
Ok, so youre ready to get printing yay! Heres how to get the best results:
a) Maximise printing quality by tweaking the settings
I use a Canon MP495 and through many test runs, Ive found that the following works best for me:
- Choose photo paper as the paper type .
- Make sure you choose the highest quality color option.
- Before you start make sure you clean the inkjets and printer rollers there should be an option in your printer settings for this
- Choose the right paper size. If theres no exact size option in your printer settings, you can create a custom size within the settings. Tip: save that custom size so you can reuse it for other stationery of the same size at a later date!
Again, youll need to do a bit of trial and error with your chosen paper and design to see what settings work best for your printer.
When To Design Your Wedding Invitations
All the design elements start to fall into place after you choose your venue. Since most locations recommend booking at least a year in advance, you can really begin brainstorming your wedding card design the moment this is locked into place. Give yourself plenty of time to perfect your wedding stationeryincluding things like RSVP cards, bridal shower invitations, and wedding thank you cardsby designing your suite about eight to 12 months before the big day. Though you dont need to order and send your invitations until the two- or three-month mark, allow extra time to make custom invitations that fit your style.
Its also important to keep a few things in mind when timing out your custom invitations:
- For a destination wedding, send save the dates and invitations earlier than traditional locations.
- If you plan to match your save the dates and the rest of your wedding stationery, be sure to design these at the same time in the eight to 12-month window.
- For photo cards, wait until your photographer has delivered your engagement photos.
- Create a wedding website before finalizing your invitations so you can include the URL and specific details there.
- When youre waiting for your invitations, design customized address labels and personalized postage stamps to go with your suite.
Creating Your Other Invitation Pieces
Now that youve got your wedding invitation, you can create a matching RSVP card, directions or info card, wedding programs, dinner menu, place cards, table numbers, and so much more with Canva. Just create a new design for each piece, size appropriately, and follow the same steps to build a cohesive wedding suite for your wedding!
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Get Your Words Onto Paper Write Everything You Think You Will Need
Get a temporary list of recipients, gather your friends, and collaborate with them who you think you should invite. Then put them all in EXCEL. Or some sort of spreadsheet, so you can easily compile their addresses and information together on a single column or row. The key thing here is to ORGANIZE. Ask yourself these questions: ” Who are you sending these to? Do they need special accommodations? ” What are you going to say on the invitation? Are you going to send it through your parents? If so, are you going to type in “Mary and Alex request your presence” or “The families of Mary and Alex…” or “The parents of Mary and Alex…?” ” If you haven’t already, ask When will you have the wedding? ” What are your dinner options? ” When, How will you have your rehearsal dinner? ” How will you accommodate your guests? Where do you recommend they stay for a hotel if they are coming abroad? ” How do you get to the wedding location? How do you get to anywhere you’re telling them to to go? Plan to make at the least: ” The Save the Date card and envelope ” The Invitation, reply card and envelope ” Directions and hotel information and envelope ” Stickers or a bunch of pens or a Stamp for Addresses Optional things are:
When In Doubt Just Customize The Design
If, after reading all this, it turns out youre not as crafty as you thought, remember there are still ways to get creative with your wedding invitations even if you dont go the DIY route.
When you order invites from your local stationery store or sites like Wedding Paper Divas and Minted, you still get to choose the design and colors.
But, unlike with DIY invites, the company takes care of the rest.
Amy Gagnon, for example, used a company called Invitations by Dawn.
I filled out information as to what I was looking for in terms of look, style, theme, etc, she says. They then sent me a folder full of sample paper, color palettes, text samples and so on.
Once shed chosen the perfect combo, she ordered it from the site. It arrived as a single sheet she folded up to mail.
Gagnon loved her invitations, which cost about $1.50 each. My hand touched every part of them, she says. And then these two little hands went out in a snow storm on Valentines Day to send them out because it was cute, darnit.
Thats it! Now you know how to craft your DIY wedding invitations. Now all thats left to worry about is the band, the food, the cake, the dress, the honeymoon
Ready for a glass of wine? I certainly am!
Your Turn: Did you make your own wedding invitations? Was it worth it?
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How To Print Wedding Invitations At Home 5 Tips For Success
02/17/21 | DIY, How To, Stationery Etiquette & FAQs, Wedding invitation, Wedding stationery questions
Want more info on printing your own wedding invites? Well, youre in the right place!
Maybe youve designed your own custom wedding stationery, or youve downloaded some pretty done-for-you printables. Getting them printed professionally is going to be expensive, so youre looking into how to print wedding invitations at home.
Well, the good news is, its not as difficult as you might think. BUT there are a few things that you need to consider to ensure you get the best results.
Note: this guide isnt just for wedding invitations, it applies to all types of wedding stationery: bridesmaid proposals, thank you cards, wedding signs, table names, place cards, menus and tags you name it!
Is It Cheaper To Print Your Own Wedding Invitations
It definitely can be a cheaper option to print your wedding invitations at home, but you need to consider the supplies you need a printer, cardstock, paper stock, ink and any other embellishments. Make sure youve priced those up so that you can better compare against quotes for professional printing.
Even if you think its cheaper to print your own wedding invitations at home, you should still consider the time investment youll have to make. It can be pretty time intensive so be sure that you leave yourself enough leeway before you need to post your invitations . Its also worth seeing if you can rope in some help!
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What Youll Need To Print Your Own Wedding Invitations At Home
a) Cardstock for invitations
In order to determine the best paper to print invitations on, you need to know the maximum thickness of paper that your printer can deal with.
You will need to be realistic about the weight/ thickness of the card achievable if you opt for at-home printing. You wont be able to have super-heavyweight invitations, but with a bit of experimentation, you can identify the best quality card-weight that your printer can handle .
Be aware of how printing quality will be affected by the finish of the paper. For example, a glossy card may use more ink and textured paper may be more likely to have bleeding ink. Check a sample of paper youre hoping to use to check how well your printer performs with it.
With all the experimentation youre doing to check the best paper and printer settings, youll definitely end up using more card than you imagine. Toss in a few teething errors in trimming/ cutting card down and you should allow for c. 10-15% extra just in case.
Tip! To get a feel for different types of cardstock, why not try a sample pack of wedding stationery paper? You can nab one for free from or Vistaprint !
b) Ink
Ink will be one of the most expensive parts of printing wedding invitations at home.
Making Wedding Invitations With Cricut
A wedding ceremony is usually an exciting affair, and every couple usually wants things to be perfect. However, perfection also comes with a very expensive price tag as it means going for nothing short of the best. If youve gotten married before or been part of a wedding committee, then you know how expensive it can be to order for wedding cards. Especially if you need quality cards made.
However, if you own a Cricut machine, you can easily make your own wedding invitation cards and save yourself money that can go into other wedding expenses. As you know, weddings arent cheap. The best part of being able to make your own wedding cards is that you are able to custom make it to your own liking and while itll take a bit of time, it wont cost you more.
For starters, you need to settle on your wedding colors as this will help determine what color you will print your cards in. However, if you prefer a different color for your wedding invitations, that is also fine. Next, you will need to choose the wording that you want on your invitation card. These include things such as who will host the wedding, the venue of the wedding, date, reception and any other info that you think should be on your wedding card.
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Three Incredible Diy Wedding Invitations Made On Canva
Need some inspiration? Here are some awesome templates that we recommend.
If youre having a traditional wedding, this template is a great choice! The border has a classy design, and the font is easy to read. Plus, this purple color adds a royal look and feel, which totally elevates the invite. We picture this invitation for a fall wedding inside a church or at an outdoor chapel.
Want something totally out-of-the-box? This brown and gold invite is super cute with the cursive font and fun messaging! The accents are playful, and the black and white photo adds a personal touch. We can imagine this invitation for a New Years Eve wedding.
Go green with this awesome nature-inspired design. The mix-and-match greenery is simple yet romantic. This earthy invitation is a great option for a spring garden wedding or for an outdoor venue.
Choosing Paper For Your Diy Wedding Invitations
Although it might seem unimportant, dont skimp on the paper it can make or break your invitation.
You should try to buy cardstock thats at least 65-pound, though 80-pound is even better.
I would recommend printing on the heaviest cardstock paper you can find and afford,writes Nathey. The thicker the invitation, the better it will look and feel. For her invitations, she used 110-pound heavy cardstock, which resists both bending and bleeding.
If youre printing from home , she says you should make sure your printer can handle whatever cardstock you choose. You can find this information in your printers manual, or by searching online for your printers max paper weight.
You can also choose different finishes for your paper for wedding invitations, popular finishes include cotton or linen, which are beautiful but more expensive.
For her golden snitch invites, Yates used premium linen cardstock. She felt it really added that something special to the wedding invitations, making them look elegant and sophisticated as opposed to normal card paper.
Alternatively, recycled paper is also a popular option especially for rustic or boho invites.
You can order cardstock online at or specialty shops like LCI Paper, Paper and More, Paper Source and Paper Presentation. Or you can go to your local Jo-Anns, Walmart or office-supply store.
That being said, one easy way to keep costs down is to forgo the RSVP card.
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Glassine And Clear Vellum Paper
But sometimes, a negative space speaks spades, and if thats your sensibility, there are options there, too. Glassine and clear vellum paper are the most classic non-opaque forms and are commonly used in layered invitations to provide depth and interest. Both are flexible, translucent, cloudy white materials that are very smooth and very thin, Montgomery explains.
You can use different levels and sizes to create a border, Montgomery says, in addition to muting underlying stock or graphics. However, you can also see glue, so the layers would need to adhere to a grommet or ribbon, which adds assembly, bulk, and postage. Other applications include using this type of paper as accents, such as for belly bands, which hold all of the elements of the invitation package together.
Power It All With The Connected Guest List
Every invitation is connected right into your guest list. That means you can use different wedding invitation wording for specific guests, or send a private invite just for those invited to your engagement party. From plus ones and households to smart tags for your tables and meal choices, weâll track every detail.
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Printing Your Diy Wedding Invitations
Whether youre using a DIY wedding invitation template or designing the whole thing yourself, youre going to need to print it somehow.
The most penny-hoarding option? Print your invitations at home. As long as you have a decent printer and use nice paper this will probably work fine.
Both inkjet and laser printers are up to the job just be sure to select the highest-quality print setting.
To save money, use black ink only if you want a splash of color, use colored paper.
When it comes to cutting out your invitations, try to get the most out of each sheet. If youre using 12-by-12-inch paper to print 5-by-7-inch invitations, heres one brides strategy:
Alternatively, you can get your invitations printed at a local copy shop or office-supply store. Itll be more expensive, but it might be worth it for the time youll save, as they can also cut the invitations for you.
Lauren Lanker, for example, got 200 invitations printed and cut at Kinkos for $32, which seems like a pretty good deal. Just be sure to do a test run, so you dont end up with smudgy invitations like she did!
