Printing Your Wedding Invites: A Step-By-Step Guide

Printing your own wedding invitations is a great way to save money and add a personal touch to your special day. The process can be straightforward, especially with the many downloadable templates available online. Couples can choose between traditional and casual invitations, with the former including several enclosures and the latter often directing guests to a wedding website. Before printing, it is essential to select the desired paper and envelopes, design the invitations using word processing or design software, and determine whether to use a home printer or a printing company.

Invitation Design Software

Printing your own wedding invitations is a great way to save money and add a personal touch to your special day. There are many invitation design software programs and tools that can help you create beautiful, professional-looking invitations without breaking the bank.

Adobe Creative Cloud is a popular choice for invitation design, with programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Express, and InDesign offering various features and capabilities. Photoshop and Illustrator are ideal for creating graphics and manipulating images, while InDesign is a powerful layout tool perfect for creating text-heavy documents. Adobe Express is a free online tool that provides templates, customisation options, and drag-and-drop editing, making it a user-friendly choice.

If you're looking for a more straightforward option, Canva is a free graphic design platform with thousands of templates, images, graphic elements, and layouts to choose from. It's easy to use and allows for dynamic text and graphics, audio and video integration, and app integration.

For those who want a simple, desktop publishing solution, Microsoft Publisher might be a good option, as it's likely already installed on your PC.

Other software options include Inkscape, a leading open-source vector graphics program with excellent design features, and Edraw, a vector graphics program with a user-friendly interface and numerous templates.

When choosing invitation design software, consider your needs, budget, and level of design experience. These tools offer various features to help you create beautiful invitations, so you can decide based on your preferred level of customisation, complexity, and ease of use.

Invitation Paper and Envelopes

The paper you choose for your wedding invitations is important. Firstly, you want to avoid regular thin printer paper. Instead, opt for cardstock with a weight of at least 92 lb. to give your invitations a luxurious feel. A linen or felt texture can also elevate the look and feel of your invitations.

If you are printing your invitations at home, it is recommended to test several paper options on your printer to ensure you get a good fit. You can purchase cardstock paper from Amazon, Costco, or specialty stationery stores.

When it comes to the design of your invitations, a minimalist approach with more white space and a lighter color background will not only look better when printed at home but will also save on printer ink. If you want to incorporate color, consider using colored cardstock or backing your invitations with patterned paper.

Envelopes are another key component of your wedding invitation suite. It is important to choose envelopes that are slightly larger than your invitations to allow for easy insertion and removal. Don't forget to include RSVP card envelopes as well. You can find envelopes in a variety of colors and sizes at stores like LCI Paper and on Amazon.

If you want to add a touch of elegance to your invitations, consider using envelope liners in metallic or patterned paper. You can also dress up your envelopes by adding a custom printed envelope liner or a belly band.

Finally, don't forget to factor in the cost of envelopes and postage when creating your wedding invitation budget.

Printing Costs

Printing your own wedding invitations can be a budget-friendly alternative for couples. The costs of printing your own wedding invitations can vary depending on several factors, including the quantity of invitations, the degree of customization, decorative elements, and mailing costs. Here is a breakdown of the costs involved:

Invitation Quantity

The cost of printing wedding invitations is typically determined by the number of invitations required. The larger the guest list, the higher the cost per card, as invitations are usually priced per card. Therefore, it is advisable to trim down the guest list to stay within budget constraints.

Degree of Customization

Custom-designed wedding invitations tend to be more expensive due to the time, labour, and consultation involved in their creation. This includes bespoke elements such as a custom logo, monogram, illustration, or hand calligraphy. The more unique and tailored the invitations are, the higher the cost will be.

Printing Methods

Different printing methods can significantly impact the overall cost. Basic digital printing, where a digital file is printed from a standard printer, is usually the most affordable option. In contrast, more intricate and centuries-old printing methods like letterpress, thermography, or engraving can be significantly more expensive due to the specialised equipment, materials, and manual labour required.

Paper Type and Quality

The type and quality of paper chosen can also affect the cost. Cotton paper, which is the most common and traditional choice for wedding invitations, tends to be more expensive. Other options like linen paper, heavyweight cardstock, bamboo paper, and recycled paper can vary in price, with some specialty papers carrying a higher price tag.

Decorative Elements

Decorative elements such as foil printing, embossed monograms, rounded corners, and recycled paper will increase the cost per invitation. These additions enhance the overall aesthetic of the invitation but can quickly add up, so it's important to consider their impact on the total budget.

Mailing Costs

Mailing costs, including postage and envelopes, should also be factored into the overall printing costs. Postage rates depend on the weight and size of the envelope, with heavier invitations and unusual sizes requiring additional postage. Envelopes with decorative elements, such as envelope liners, custom stamps, or calligraphed addresses, will also contribute to the final mailing costs.

Assembly

Once you've printed your wedding invitations, it's time to assemble them. This is a great opportunity to involve family and friends in the wedding preparations. Provide a completed invitation as an example for anyone helping you.

If you've purchased an invitation suite, the assembly process may simply involve putting the printed invitations in their envelopes. If you've printed your invitations on cardstock, you might need to mount the printed invitations onto blank invitations, add enclosures and embellishments, and then place the invitation suites in their envelopes.

If you're using embellishments like ribbon or paper strips, wrap a single ribbon around the invitation suite and secure it with a piece of tape along the back of the invitation. You can also use patterned strips of paper or fabric instead of ribbon to add a pop of colour.

If you're including enclosures, such as RSVP cards, make sure you have envelopes for your guests to mail them back. Some couples choose to use both outer and inner envelopes. The outer envelopes are addressed, while the inner envelopes protect the invitation and enclosures. If you're using both types of envelope, be sure to order the correct quantities and sizes.

Postage

When it comes to posting your wedding invitations, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, the weight, shape, and size of your invitations will affect the cost of postage. If you've chosen a funky shape, thick cardstock, or included extra embellishments, your invitations may be heavier than average and require additional postage. It's a good idea to take a fully assembled invitation to your local post office to have it weighed and to get advice on the correct postage. This is especially important if your invitations are non-rectangular or include three-dimensional details like wax seals.

The type of stamps you choose is also important. You don't need special wedding stamps, but you may want to choose stamps that fit your wedding theme or colour palette. You can find vintage or themed stamps online or at your local post office. Just be aware that vintage stamps may be more expensive and may require more individual stamps to make up the correct postage value.

Another thing to consider is hand-cancelling. This is when the post office marks your stamps with a black ink stamp to prevent their reuse, but it can also add a nice touch to your invitations. Hand-cancelling is often done for bulkier envelopes to prevent damage, and it will cost an extra fee per envelope.

Finally, don't forget to include postage on your RSVP envelopes, especially if you're sending invitations internationally. Most countries will not accept foreign postage, so it's best to provide your guests with the correct postage for their responses.

Frequently asked questions