The question we at TextStyle Designs get asked most often is "Can I print my invitations myself?". Of course you can!
It is sometimes difficult to know what colors to choose, what fonts to choose and what sizes to make your inserts - but we are here to help. This page is a complete guide for the client that wants to order beautiful papers, but make their invitations more affordable by printing themselves.
To the left you will see various color combinations that we have put together to assist you in creating your design. They are mostly 4-color palettes, but you can see how using 3 of the colors shown will also work equally well. Make sure to take advantage of our complimentary swatch program by using this link to submit your
Complimentary Swatch Request. This page will allow you to order up to four swatches at no charge. As computer screens can vary it is always helpful to see your colors in person before making a decision. If you do not see your color scheme in the photos to the left just e-mail us with your information and we are happy to make suggestions to you.
We have also compiled below the answers to popular questions asked by our DIY customers.
What are the weights of the various products?
The Envelopments line of paper is high quality and wonderful for your invitation. Many people are worried about the weight of the heavy cardstock going through their printer. Most of the C1 cardstock is an 80# Cover weight (with a few only 65#) which is fine for almost all printers. When you get to the metallic cardstock the weight ranges from 89# Cover to 105# Cover. If you have your original guide to your printer it will tell you what your printer is rated for. Paper weights are 80# and 80# text, Vellum weights are 17-21# text for sheer, 28-29# for medium and 29-30# text for colors. Envelopes are the same as the weight of the papers (80# text for classic white or classic ecru, 80-81# text for metallic envelopes depending on color).
Can I use paper weight for my printed invitation instead of cardstock?
Certainly you can if you choose to. However, we recommend the cardstock weight for almost all uses. The difference between the paper and cardstock weight is generally pennies. The cardstock gives your invitation a more substantial feel and is also easier to assemble. We do not suggest paper weight for insert cards as they do not stand well on their own. Paper weight is fantasic for inserts of programs, less expensive menu cards, or bands to hold inserts together or tie around a Pocketfold or Envelopment.
How do I know if I can use a certain paper or cardstock on my printer?
We have thousands of brides that successfully use home printers to make beautiful invitations. Since each printer is very different, we certainly suggest that you order 10 pieces of your cardstock first to do a few tests on your own machine. We can not guarantee every stock on every printer but have very few reports of problems from the thousands of customers we deal with.
What size should I order my paper?
You will need to check the specifications of your printer to see what is the smallest and largest size it can handle. Many home printers may not accommodate stock as small as a 3 1/2 x 5 rsvp card and envelope. If you are able to do a little layout work, it is certainly less expensive to print multiple images on sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper and cut down afterwards. We have many clients that have taken printed material to a place like FedEx/Kinkos or a local print shop where they get their sheets cut down after printing for a very nominal fee.
What type of program should I use for my design?
We use professional software programs for our design, but our clients report great success with something as simple as Microsoft Word, or even programs like Photoshop or Illustrator.
What products should I use to assemble my invitation?
We recommend double sided tape (like the ATG Tape Gun and Dispenser on our website) for attaching all cardstock layers. For small items like ribbon knots or any type of buckle or bead we recommend Glue Dots products. Please feel free to e-mail us at sales@textstyledesigns.com for our complete guide to assembly products and tips.
We will share a few things from experience:
1) Most smooth cardstocks work well on either laser or ink jet printers
2) Textured papers tend to work better on ink jet printers; sometimes the heat mechanism in laser jet printers does not allow the ink to stick very well and you may experience flaking
3) Keep in mind that colored stock may effect the way your ink appears - for instance a navy ink color will look different on Green Tea stock than it will on Classic White stock
4) Vellum papers do take a bit longer to dry - so if you are printing on vellum with an ink jet printer it would help to move them to table one at a time and allow them to dry a few minutes before stacking them. We have also had many reports (and our own experience) of the sheer vellum curling a lot during printing and assembly and we therefore recommend the medium weight vellum instead
5) Paper weights and envelopes in metallic colors tend to work better on laser printers. As the paper weight is less pourous we have had some reports of bleeding on ink jet printers (although some successes as well).
6) If you have back door on your laser printer keep it open when printing cardstock. This will keep the paper flat instead of having it turn through the rollers the last time. This will avoid the bending of the paper and decrease the risk of smudging. You may need to stand nearby to remove the papers one by one, but you will end up with a better finished product.
If there are any questions you have that have not been answered above we invite you to e-mail us at
sales@textstyledesigns.com and it would be our pleasure to assist you.
Roll your mouse over the Envelopments logo in the green task bar above to see the drop down menu with links to the Envelopments color page, blank stock price page, size page and much more. To see examples of Envelopments designs we have created go to the Sample Gallery link in the task bar.
Some color suggestions are provided by EnvelopmentsŪ
