Frequently Asked Questions

About Printing Your Own Wedding Invitations

What are the advantages of doing my own wedding invitations or wedding stationery?

The biggest advantage is saving money! Wedding invitations are very expensive, and they're usually thrown away! How many are you going to need? Once you start working on you guest list, it's very common to discovery you need more that you thought--more expense!

If you decide to have your invitations printed, that's not the end of it. You're still going to want or need wedding programs, menus, thank you notes, Save the Date cards, CD-ROM labels, place cards--all of which are an additional expense.

If you print your own, you can have as many as you want when you want them. You can say what you care to say, and in the case of Save the Date and Thank You cards, you can personalize what you want to say by typing, not writing it.

Let's face it--printing your own wedding stationery is definitely more time and trouble than just walking into a store, placing an order, and writing a check--what else is new? Printed stationery has gotten so expensive, though, that it's now worth the time and trouble it takes to do your own.

Is it possible? Yes! Is it easy? Yes--if you have some guidance.

How is an invitation, wedding program, wedding menu, or other types of cards worded?

If you have decided to let us typeset your card, you will receive an email with samples of the various kinds of fonts, as well as samples of the proper wording for these. The invitation samples, for instance, have titles like: "Both parents are hosting," and, "Bride and Groom are hosting." Send your selections back to us, and you can expect your template back in DOC format, ready to print, within 36 hours--often sooner than that.

If you have decided to fill in the card yourself, that is, you have decided to order a template, the proper settings have been made for you in Word, and a sample has actually already been filled out to keep the space. Backspace over the place-holder, change to the font you want, and start typing! You will receive, in addition to the template, the fonts featured on the page, and you may select those you want. You will receive an additional DOC file (used in Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect) with the correct wordings for different cards and situations.

Both typeset and template orders receive complete printing instructions.

I'm afraid that this stationery will look "home-made."

It very well could look homemade if you do it entirely yourself! We've spent a great deal of time, money, and expertise putting together our stationery templates so that they will look professional. Our exclusive collections are created by a staff member who is a commercial artist, and creates collections for several companies that do wedding printing.

Will my printer produce the raised lettering I've seen on some wedding invitations?

No, an ordinary laser or inkjet printer is not capable of that, but what an inkjet and some laser printers are capable of is printing in color! It is quite possible to produce a high-quality invitation on ordinary inkjet and laser printers. The most ideal printer is a color laser printer followed by an inkjet printer, then by a black and white laser printer. Color laser printers are expensive, but you may have one at work you can use.

You need to be careful, though, that the invitation will actually go through the printer without "skewing" sideways 1/2 way through. It's a result of the rollers on the printer not being close enough together so that there's actually only one roller on paper that's 5 x 7, whether it's an invitation or photo. We've just run into the problem with some brand-new HP inkjets and laser printers, and a representative of HP told one of us that is a known issue with some of their new printers. The older HP printers of all kinds have no problems with it.

If you're planning to print your own wedding stationery and you suspect your printer might have a problem, send for a sample before you buy anything. The best results have been obtained with "top feeding" printers--that is, printers that feed their paper from the top print, and eject from the bottom. Examples of those kinds of printers would be Canon and Epson printers--and the price of the printer is not a factor. We've gotten beautiful results from a Canon printer that cost far less that $100!

Can I be sure that I will be successful?

No, there are no guarantees. It will depend on your patience and your abilities, however, we've done all we could in providing an already set-up template that will save your hours. You must know a little bit about Word to select your font and font colors, though.

Why should I buy a wedding stationery template, when you provide free templates with your blank wedding stationery?

Good question! The templates we provide for our blank wedding stationery have no art and it's only one template, specifically designed for that invitation, place card, RSVP card, etc. Any template you obtain for free, including from Thinkwedding, may or may not fit the blank card stock you have purchased--and you are right back where you started. Our purchased templates are professionally created, and fit all standard sizes of invitations, RSVP cards, place cards, etc. In addition, if they don't fit your particular stationery, as part of your purchase price--we will adjust the template so that they do. The professional artwork has already been inserted, giving your handmade wedding invitation a "finished" look--not a homemade look!

If you purchase a preprinted wedding program, what you are really purchasing is a cover with professional artwork that you could just as well print on your inkjet or laser printer at home--for far less. Why not just buy the template, type in the words, and print it yourself?

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Engraved Bridesmaid Gifts

Engraved Groomsman/ Usher's Gifts

Personalized Memorial Unity Candles

Personalized Unity Candles & Tapers

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Keepsake Marriage Certificates

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