Printing DIY Wedding Invitations: Tip #1

I’m the first to jump in to a project thinking I’ll figure it out as I go – learn by doing, right?

But, after getting 3 phone calls on Saturday from 2 brides and one groom desperately trying to figure out how to get their DIY wedding invitations printed (these are not Invitesite DIY wedding invitation kits, we offer full support) – I figure this must be happening to many couples across the country.  You don’t want to waste your money and your time: both are way too valuable.

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  Sofia DIY Printable Wedding Invitation: Laser Printing

  Before you buy any paper or any kit from any supplier, you need to figure out how you are going to get your invitations printed. Unless you’ve been trained as a graphic designer, it’s usually not something you’ve had to think about. Most invitation kits are designed to be printed desktop – your laser or your inkjet. You have to check the settings on your printer driver to see if you can print odd shapes.

Some general info about home printers:

• if it prints in color, it is most liking an inkjet printer. If your inkjet printer is only for printing photos, it may not work for printing your wedding invitations. This is because there are default settings hardcoded into the machine. One clue is that the printer will not let you print a regular #10 envelope. Test your printer to see what it’s capable of.
• Inkjet printers spray ink through tiny nozzles in the printer head. There are usually a few settings. Test your paper for which setting works best. Photo quality shoots a lot of ink and it’s formatted for special photo papers that are made with a layer of gel. So unless you are printing on photo paper, you may want to avoid this setting. Cotton papers absorb more ink than wood pulp papers. So, you are going to want to experiment.
• If your printer only prints in black and white, then it most likely is a laser jet or laser printer. Laser printers will do a good job but the printer may be fussy about the thickness of the stock you are using. So TEST TEST TEST — and you’ll figure out what your printer can or can’t do.
• Click here for  more advice for printing wedding invitations desktop.

Getting a Commercial Printer to Print your Invitations for You:

• If you have a printer you already have a relationship with, then do ask their advice. Commercial printing presses are fussy and technical creatures – when they give you what you want, they are things of beauty. When your job breaks their press — it can cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars. So, if a printer turns you away, don’t be offended. He or she is protecting both of you. Most wedding invitation jobs are best handled by an old fashioned offset press, run by a grumpy, old style printer. Or — a new print on demand digital press that accepts a wide range of papers. But, they may not be able to print your envelopes for you. That is why most DIY wedding invitation jobs are best done at home, on a desktop printer.

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