How to Print Wedding Invitations at Home

Printable wedding invitations are a great option if you’re planning a wedding on a budget and trying to save some money. They are also easy to make – you just need to print and cut them and then you can move to the next wedding-related task. We know that the idea to print wedding invitations at home can be a little overwhelming. Don’t worry – just follow these easy steps and you’ll have your beautiful invitations printed and ready for sending in no time!

How to Print Wedding Invitations at Home

Size

  • First of all, you need to know the size of a card you will print. Most invitations are 5×7 inches – that’s a standard size for the invitation. There are several sizes of enclosure cards – most common ones are 3.5×5 and 4×3 inches. Signs are usually 8×10, but some of them can go up to 24×36 inches.
  • You can print one invitation per paper. Purchase the pre-cut cardstock in the appropriate size and print the individual cards. Because of their size, signs are always printed like this – one per paper.
  • If you prefer to print several cards per page and then trim the edges, you’ll need to purchase the 8.5×11 cardstock. You’ll be able to print two standard-size invitations per paper. 3.5×5 cards will print four per paper. 4×3 cards will print six per paper.

Paper

  • Use cardstock paper to create invitations with high quality look. The same goes for signs and enclosure cards. Don’t try to save money on paper – you don’t want to end up with stationery that looks cheap.
  • Also, consider your paper preferences. Do you want 100% cotton paper? Or 100% recycled one? Should your paper be textured? What about color? Most standard invitations are printed on cream or white cardstock. But, there are several different shades of those two colors – bright white, eggshell, light cream, ivory tone. Feeling overwhelmed again? Don’t worry – check out our post about paper types and how to choose the best one for your invitations.
  • Purchase paper samples. This will allow you to estimate paper weight, texture and color.
  • Purchase at least 20-25% more paper than you need. You’ll have to print several test copies, you’ll make some mistakes, your printer will eat some of the sheets. Better safe than sorry!
  • While purchasing paper, don’t forget to buy envelopes in a complimentary color!

Test

  • Run a test print. Play with different printer settings until you find the one that works best for you. Print on different types of paper. How will your printer feed on different types of paper? Will some types create paper jams? Also, print on different paper colors. Does your invitation look better when printed on white or cream stock?
  • Print test cards on ‘Draft’ or ‘Fast’ setting – this will save you ink and money.

Print

  • Purchase extra printer ink. You don’t want to print half of your invitations and then realize that you have to run to the store to get more ink.
  • Adjust the printer guides. Cards should fit securely in the tray, but leave a tiny bit of wiggle room between the cards and the guides (if it’s too tight, printer won’t be able to grab the cards).
  • Don’t put too much paper at once. Load no more that 20 sheets of paper into the printer. When that batch is printed, load more paper.
  • Sit by the printer while the invitations are printing. The printing process may take a while. If you are printing a lot of invitations, give it a couple of hours. Be patient!
  • Print extras. You’ll make some mistakes, you’ll need spare invitations – it’s easier to print them now (when you have everything set up) than to do it later.
  • If you’re not using a laser printer, be sure to allow drying time. Dry invitations individually, don’t stack them.

Cut

Use trim marks to cut your cards down to the size (you have to cut the cards only if you’ve printed several of them on a single sheet of paper). Don’t use scissors, even if you have just a few cards to cut. Purchase a paper-cutter.

All done!

See? It’s not hard to print wedding invitations at home!

For wedding invitations, signs and other items, check out our SHOP!
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