Tips for Printing Your Own Invitations

If you want to print your own invitations yourself for a party or event, it can be cost-effective and easy. Even wedding invitations can be done this way, saving you hundreds of dollars. Some basic tips can help you create professional-looking invitations custom tailored to your event.

Choose the Paper. Get the right paper for the final printing. A heavier-weight stock in a suitable color or pre-printed pattern sets the mood for the invitation. Gear the colors toward the type of event. Bright colors mean a festive event, and muted pastels are more formal. Some papers have a subtle swirl effect or pattern. Be careful not to get a design that will be distracting, though, and be sure that you have space for printing all of the information you need to get on the invitation.

Decide on a Size. Some invitations are a half-sheet, some are folded and some are a quarter-sheet size. Choose your paper according to the size of invitation you want. Perforated paper choices are available for a few dollars more, and you can print on them easily using a template in a word-processing program.

Color or Black and White? Copies can be made in color or black and white at a copy center, or you can print them in color or black and white on a home printer. When making this decision, consider the paper you are using first. Is it in color? If so, it may not be necessary for the text to be printed in color. Then consider the number of invitations. A large number may use up the ink in your printer. Ink for a printer is more expensive than getting a large number of copies made at a copy center. Color copies are more expensive than black-and-white copies, whether you are printing the copies on a home printer or getting copies made at a copy center. Keep this in mind when choosing a design and paper.

The Font Choices. When making the invitation on the computer, you have many choices of fonts to use to make the lettering look special. Always be sure that the font size is not too small or too tight to be read easily. Fancy lettering looks artistic, but it can be hard to read. Limit this type of font to spare the reader the effort of deciphering it. Too much bold, as well as too light of a font, can also be distracting.

The Information. Be sure that all of the information about the event is included. Use Who, What, Where, When and Why as a guide, and include RSVP information as well. Most people want the information presented simply. However, a wedding invitation may have more formal wording than a birthday party invitation.