Some of the most popular customer questions have to do with how to print your own invitations at home. Most people are perfectly comfortable printing 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper but feel anxious about printing on different sized sheets and card stock, like an invitation card.
We’re here to assure you that printing invitations at home can actually be quite simple because most home printers are fully capable of printing different paper sizes. In this printing video, we’ll clearly explain the 5 steps to printing invitation cards at home.
Start by using a ruler to measure the height and the width of the card you are printing.
You will need to know the dimensions of your card for two reasons:
Create your printing template using your favorite page layout or word processing program such as Microsoft Word.
The document on the screen now matches the measurements of your invitation card and you are ready to type in and format your wording.
Note: In the video learn tricks and shortcuts like using free, downloadable Microsoft Word printing templates.
When your invitation card document appears on screen how you would like it to print out, load a single card into the manual feed tray of your printer as a test.
Note: Depending on the make and model of your printer, and whether it is a laser or an ink jet, the location of your tray will vary.
Adjust the plastic guides so that the card fits securely in the tray.
In this step, you will be communicating to your print driver that you are printing on a custom sized card, not a standard 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of copy paper.
Every print driver is different, but just poke around the properties of your print driver until you find a place to enter custom dimensions.
In most cases, this will be under a menu labeled something along the lines of paper size, paper handling, or quality and media.
If your test print was successful, you can print the entire run.
We recommend loading no more than 20 cards into your printer at a time. When that batch has printed, the printer will pause and you can load another batch.
After you try this method, it will become second nature. You’ll find that you are able to print a wide variety of card sizes and in many cases, depending on your printer, those cards can be as small as a response card and as large as a tri-fold invitation. Enjoy the new skill you’ve learned!
I was struggling to find an inexpensive way to do my own programs, this really helps a great deal and even though it should be me and my bridesmaid doing them, it has been an enjoyable experience for me and my fiancé. This website is a lifesaver indeed. This will make our day even that more special.
Thank you so much I was finally able to print out my daughters sweet 16 invitations after 3days of wasting paper and ink. I purchased my invites elsewhere and they were no help at all. I know where to go next time.
If you’re looking to print your own invitations at home on “normal” card-stock paper, you’ll notice something. Your printed invitations are dull! Because I make party decorations, I am always looking for the best paper to print invitations, as well as welcome signs, food signs, and banners. And if you’ve read about The Best Printer to Print Heavy Cardstock, then you know I’m well versed in this whole “printing thing”. However, when I used regular card stock paper – even on my amazing printer – the printed invitations weren’t as vibrant as I would like. So let’s talk about The Best Paper to Print Invitations at Home.
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As mentioned, I love creating invitations and other printed items for parties! And I create a LOT of them! However, in this digital world, people are looking to print your own invitations by purchasing digital invitations online. For example, they might buy a digital invitation from my Etsy shop or with one of my custom parties. Therefore, people are then faced with the perplexing question of where and how to print your own invitations. So I wanted to share with you The Best Paper to Print Invitations and other prints at home.
Side note: I did a Facebook Live on this VERY topic, so if you’d rather watch the video, it’s right here! 🙂
Do you think that printing invitations at home – or any other item you plan to print – has something to do with your printer? Even though I have written blogs like, The Best Printer for Cardstock Invitations, I have a big secret for you that will make you so excited to print your own invitations at home!
It’s not your printer! It’s your paper! ::GASP!:::
That’s right. The secret is out people. The right paper for printing invitations is EVERYTHING! So let me tell you about the best paper for printing invitations and enlarged prints.
Before your get started printing invitations at home, there’s one thing to check. Firstly, check that your printer does a little thing called ‘borderless printing’. This means that you can print invitations all the way to the edge of the paper. This is important when printing invitations where the design goes all the way to the edge. If your design doesn’t go all the way to the edge, then after you read this blog about the best paper, make sure to head over to How to Print Invitations Without a Borderless Printer.
First, for those of you who do have “borderless printing”, you can most definitely print your own invitations on 5 x 7 sheets of paper.
Let’s talk light cardstock. You may know that most printers don’t print on heavy cardstock paper. However, if you don’t know, feel free to read The Best Printer for Cardstock Invitations for more information. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a special printer, you won’t be able to print on heavy cardstock invitation paper. If that’s the case, I have the perfect light cardstock paper for your invitations.
The cardstock paper I recommend, for example, for your invitations is this InkPress Media 5 x 7 paper. This cardstock paper prints vibrant colors and is what I typically use to print my invitations.
Now believe me, I have tested other paper for printing invitations and party decorations and it definitely doesn’t compare. In fact, I have run out of this paper before when printing party invitations and tried to use regular card stock paper from the craft store. It was an epic fail.
Let me prove it to you. Here’s a side by side. Below are invitations that I printed at home on two different kinds of 5 x 7 paper. The regular card stock paper is on the top, while the The 5 x 7 Inkpress paper that I recommend is on the bottom. Pretty clear difference right?
Comparing Printed Invitations:There are a few upsides to printing your invitations on 5 x 7 paper. The most obvious one is that there’s no cutting! Just print your invitations at home, and you’re done! The other upside is that you don’t need any special envelopes. I personally use these white 5 x 7 invitation envelopes on Amazon.
However, if you don’t have the ability to print borderless prints for your invitations, that’s okay! You can still print invitations at home easily and beautifully. Not to mention, you’ll probably save money on your invitations! Why? Because you will use 8.5 x 11 paper to print two-to-a-page. Follow this blog about How to Print Borderless Invitations Without a Borderless Printer, and then continue reading below for the paper to use.
When printing invitations on 8.5 x 11 paper, I recommend two options. Firstly, printed invitations look great on this InkPress Media 8.5×11 paper. It can definitely be a little more pricey than other matte cardstock you’ve seen. But believe me, it’s worth it! If that paper is out of stock when printing your invitations, you’ll want to check out or compare this Epson 8.5×11 paper for printing your invitations.
Both kinds of paper that I am recommending have the same matte consistency of the 5 x 7 paper. They both print gorgeous and vibrant colors when printing invitations and other items.
There are a few things to quickly note about this paper for printing invitations and other items you plan to print at home. First, this paper is not super thick. Therefore, if you’re looking for a heavier cardstock to print your invitations, make sure you head over to The Best Cardstock Paper for Invitations after you read through this blog. Then, make sure you read about the paper weight your printer can actually print over on The Best Printer for Heavy Cardstock Paper.
Next, I mentioned that this paper is “matte”. This means that it’s like presentation paper – NOT glossy like a regular photograph. This paper is also perfect for printing photos to frame in your home that you don’t want to have that glossy look. You might also be printing items for your party, like a welcome sign, food table sign, Happy Birthday Sign, and more. In that case, you might want to grab the 8 x 10 version of this paper. Just remember though, that will only work for people who have the option for borderless printing.
Additionally, the other thing to note about this paper for printing invitations is that most of it is one sided. Meaning that you can’t print vibrant prints on both sides of the paper. If this isn’t a big deal, then no worries. However, if you plan to print on both sides, make sure you get the paper that is the same on both sides. (From my experience, the 5 x 7 paper is double sided, however, the other sizes are not.)
As mentioned above, if you don’t have borderless printing, you will have to cut your invitations down to size. Therefore, Below I have included a few cutters that I recommend for cutting your printed invitations at home.
These Fiskars cutters are great for those of you with small projects and/or a small office. They’re great for people who don’t have a dedicated craft room or office. Once the blade starts to get blunt, you can buy these replacement Fiskars blades on Amazon.
You may also want to consider a larger cutter if you plan to do this often and it’s more than just a one-time project. These cutters that I’ve included below are a great upgrade option if you have the budget and space. I have the Wescott Cutter that seems to do a great job.
Alternatively, you you might be printing invitations that aren’t 5 x 7! Maybe your printing invitations are shaped like a gumball machines or a jars of bugs, like those below?! If that’s the case, you could try cutting these invitations with scissors. But let’s be honest, that won’t look super precise. Therefore, head over to How to Make Invitations with Your Cricut.
I can’t wait to hear about how beautiful your printed invitations from home turn out! Leave a comment or a picture below when you do!
Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read about how to print invitations at home! I hope this gives you some ideas about how to easily print beautiful prints and invitations at home! Tell me below what you thought! I love to help you celebrate life through party decorations and beyond. Above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat, or continue celebrating your life with The Celebration Effect.
xoxo
Lindsay
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