Blank Wedding Invitation Card: Design & Ordering Guide

So You Want Blank Wedding Invitations

Okay so blank wedding invitation cards are honestly one of those things I wish more couples knew about because they can save you SO much money but also give you complete creative control. I’ve been doing this since like 2009 and I still get couples who don’t realize this is even an option.

Basically you’re buying the physical card stock – the actual paper or cardstock – without any printing on it. Then you add your own text and design either by printing at home, taking them to a print shop, or doing calligraphy by hand. Summer 2021 I had this bride who was absolutely convinced she needed to spend $8 per invitation from a fancy stationer and I showed her how to do blanks with her own printer and she ended up spending like $1.50 per invite including envelopes and it looked gorgeous.

Why Even Consider Blank Cards

The main reasons people go this route are budget and customization. If you’re crafty or you have decent design skills or honestly even if you just know how to use Canva, blank invitations let you create something totally unique without paying designer prices.

You can also control your timeline better. No waiting 3 weeks for proofs and then another 2 weeks for printing. You order your blanks, they show up in a few days, and you can print whenever you’re ready. Changed your ceremony time? No problem, just reprint. With traditional custom printing you’d be paying for a whole new order.

The thing that annoyed me though – and this still happens – is when couples buy blanks thinking they’ll save money but then they don’t factor in the cost of ink cartridges or the TIME it takes to print 150 invitations on a home printer. I had a groom in spring 2023 who called me absolutely panicking because his printer kept jamming and he’d wasted like 40 cards already and the wedding was in 10 days.

Types of Blank Invitation Cards You Can Buy

There’s actually a ton of variety which is cool. You‘re not stuck with boring white rectangles.

Flat Cards: These are your standard single-panel invitations. Usually 5×7 inches but you can find them in 4×6, A7, square sizes, whatever. They’re the easiest to work with for home printing because they feed through printers pretty smoothly.

Folded Cards: These are like greeting cards – one fold in the middle. You can print on the front panel and inside. A bit trickier for home printing because you gotta figure out the layout so text doesn’t end up upside down, but they look more formal and substantial.

Pocketfold Invitations: These have a pocket built in where you can tuck RSVP cards, details cards, all that stuff. You usually buy these as blanks and then print separate inserts. They’re gorgeous but definitely more expensive as blanks go.

Gatefold or Tri-fold Cards: These open like doors or fold in thirds. Very dramatic. Very annoying to print on unless you have a good system figured out.

Postcard Style: Honestly underrated for casual weddings or save-the-dates. Super easy to print, no envelope needed, cheaper postage.

Paper Types and Weights

This is where it gets kinda technical but it matters for how your invitations feel in people’s hands.

Cardstock weight is measured in pounds (lb) or GSM (grams per square meter). For invitations you typically want 80lb cover weight minimum, but 100lb or 110lb feels more substantial and luxurious. Anything under 80lb feels flimsy for a wedding invite honestly.

Then there’s the finish. Matte is classic and easy to print on – ink doesn’t smudge. Glossy looks really elegant but can be tricky because some inkjet printers don’t play nice with glossy surfaces and you get smearing. Linen or textured cardstock has that fancy ridged feel but again, home printing can be hit or miss. The texture sometimes means ink doesn’t absorb evenly.

Shimmer or metallic cardstock is beautiful but I gotta warn you – it’s the most difficult to print on at home. The metallic coating can cause ink to pool or not dry properly. If you’re going this route, definitely do test prints first.

Where to Actually Buy Blank Invitation Cards

Alright so you’ve got options ranging from dirt cheap to pretty pricey.

Amazon and craft stores like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby have basic blank invitation kits. These usually come with matching envelopes which is convenient. They’re fine for simple designs but the paper quality is usually just okay. Good for budget weddings or if you’re doing something casual.

Paper Source has really nice quality blanks with fun colors and textures. Their prices are mid-range. I like them for couples who want something a little special but not crazy expensive.

Cards & Pockets is where I send a lot of my clients. They specialize in DIY wedding invitation supplies and have a massive selection. Pocketfolds, gatefolds, every color you can imagine. Quality is solid and prices are reasonable for what you get.

LCI Paper is another good one specifically for wedding DIY stuff. They have lots of pre-scored and pre-cut options so you don’t have to worry about trimming.

Envelopes.com – weirdly enough they sell more than just envelopes. Lots of blank card options and you can order envelopes in matching colors which is super helpful.

Etsy has tons of sellers offering handmade or specialty blank invitations. You can find really unique stuff here – like invitations with pressed flowers embedded in the paper or hand-deckled edges. More expensive but gorgeous.

My cat just knocked over my coffee while I’m writing this so excuse me if this gets scattered… anyway.

Printing Methods for Your Blank Cards

So you’ve got your blank cards, now what?

Home Inkjet or Laser Printer: This is the most common DIY method. Inkjet printers work better for photos and colors, laser printers are better for crisp text. Make sure your printer can handle the paper weight you bought – check your printer specs because some can’t handle anything over 80lb cardstock.

You’ll need to set up your design in Word, Canva, Photoshop, whatever you’re using, and make sure the dimensions match your card size exactly. Do test prints on regular paper first to check alignment. Then do one test print on your actual cardstock before you print all 150.

Feed cardstock one sheet at a time through the manual feed tray if your printer has one. This reduces jamming. And honestly? Plan for this to take way longer than you think. Printing 150 invitations at home is like a 4-5 hour project minimum.

Professional Print Shop: You can design your invitations at home but then take the blank cards and your design file to a local print shop like FedEx Office or a specialty printer. They’ll print on your blanks for you. This costs more than home printing but way less than custom printed invitations from scratch, and the quality is better than most home printers.

Make sure you call ahead and confirm they can print on your specific cardstock. Some shops won’t print on customer-provided paper because if something jams and breaks their printer, it’s a whole thing.

Calligraphy or Hand Lettering: If you’ve got good handwriting or you know someone who does calligraphy, blank cards are perfect for this. You can print a light template or use a lightbox to trace guidelines. This obviously takes forever but it looks incredibly personal and special.

Rubber Stamps: Kinda retro but it can work for a casual or vintage-themed wedding. You can get custom stamps made with your names and wedding details. The issue is getting clean impressions – it takes practice and good quality ink pads.

Designing Your Invitation Layout

If you’re not a designer this might feel overwhelming but it’s really not that complicated.

Start with the essential information: your names, the date, time, venue name and address, and how to RSVP. That’s it. Everything else is optional.

Use a template if you’re not confident. Canva has a million free wedding invitation templates you can customize. Just make sure you adjust the canvas size to match your actual card dimensions. If your cards are 5×7, your Canva design needs to be 5×7.

Font choices matter more than you’d think. Stick to 2-3 fonts max – one fancy script font for names, one clean serif or sans-serif for details. Make sure text is readable. I’ve seen so many invitations where the font is so swirly and decorative that you can’t actually read the venue address and… what’s the point then?

Leave margins. Don’t put text right up to the edge of the card because printers can’t print edge-to-edge and also it looks cramped. At least a quarter-inch margin on all sides, preferably half an inch.

Envelope Considerations

Don’t forget about envelopes because your gorgeous invitation needs something to arrive in.

Most blank invitation card sellers offer matching envelopes but sometimes you have to buy them separately. Make sure you get the right size – your invitation should fit comfortably inside with a little wiggle room.

You can print addresses directly on envelopes using your home printer or you can handwrite them or hire a calligrapher. If you’re printing, do a test run because envelope printing is notoriously finicky. The envelopes have to feed through the printer in a specific orientation and it’s different for every printer model.

Envelope liners are a nice touch if you wanna get fancy. You can buy blank envelopes and add your own patterned paper liners – there are tutorials all over YouTube.

Cost Breakdown Reality Check

Let’s talk actual numbers because this is what people always ask me.

Basic blank flat cards with envelopes: $0.50-$2.00 per set depending on quality. Fancy pocketfolds or specialty paper: $3-$8 per set.

Ink cartridges for home printing: Figure roughly $0.10-$0.30 per invitation depending on how much color coverage your design has. Black text only is way cheaper than full color designs.

Professional printing at a print shop: Usually $0.25-$1.00 per card depending on complexity.

So for 150 invitations, if you go with mid-range blank cards at $1.50 each and print at home, you’re looking at around $240-$300 total. Compare that to custom printed invitations which can easily run $500-$1200 for the same quantity.

Common Mistakes I See All the Time

Not ordering extras. Paper gets jammed, you mess up the printing alignment, someone spills coffee on a stack – it happens. Order at least 10-15% more than you need.

Not doing test prints. I cannot stress this enough. Print on cheap paper first, check everything, then do ONE test on your actual cardstock before you print the whole batch.

Choosing a paper weight your printer can’t handle. Check your printer manual. If it says maximum 80lb cardstock, don’t try to force 110lb through it.

Designing in RGB instead of CMYK if you’re taking files to a print shop… actually you know what, most couples don’t need to worry about this but just know that colors can look different on screen vs printed.

Not accounting for time. If your wedding is in 3 weeks, DIY blank invitations might not be the move unless you’ve got a lot of free time or help.

Supplies You’ll Actually Need

Beyond the cards and printer, here’s what makes the process easier:

A paper trimmer if you’re cutting anything down to size. The rolling blade kind, not scissors.

Good quality ink cartridges – don’t cheap out and use off-brand refills because the color quality can be terrible.

A bone folder if you’re working with folded cards. It creases the fold cleanly.

Tweezers or a lint roller because cardstock attracts dust and you’ll see every speck on dark colored cards.

A flat, clean workspace. Sounds obvious but you need room to lay out cards as they print and dry.

Timeline for Ordering and Creating

Order your blank cards at least 6-8 weeks before you need to mail invitations. Gives you buffer time for shipping delays and mistakes.

Plan to spend a full weekend (or several evenings) on printing if you’re doing it at home. It’s not a quick project.

Factor in drying time if you’re using inkjet – at least a few hours before you handle the cards much or the ink can smudge.

Address envelopes can be done while cards are printing or drying. Efficiency!

Assemble everything – stuff invitations in envelopes, seal them, add stamps – at least a week before your mail date so you’re not rushing.

When Blank Cards Maybe Aren’t the Best Choice

Look, I love blank cards for DIY but they’re not always the right answer.

If you’re having a formal black-tie wedding, you might want the crispness and precision of professionally printed invitations from a stationer. There’s a certain level of polish that’s hard to achieve at home.

If you have zero time and you’re already stressed about planning, adding a DIY printing project might push you over the edge. Your sanity is worth something.

If your design is really complex with lots of colors and gradients and photos, professional printing will look way better than home printing.

And honestly if you’ve never done anything like this before and you’re not crafty at all, the learning curve might be frustrating. There’s no shame in just ordering pre-printed invitations.

My Actual Recommendation

For most couples, I suggest a hybrid approach. Buy nice quality blank cards, design your invitation yourself or use a template, but then take everything to a local print shop to have them printed professionally. You get the cost savings and customization of blank cards but the quality of professional printing. Best of both worlds and it’s still way cheaper than fully custom invitations.

Or do blank cards for your main invitation but order pre-printed RSVP cards and details cards. Mixing and matching is totally fine and it reduces the amount of printing you have to do yourself.

I had this couple last fall who did letterpress blanks – they bought blank cards that already had a letterpress border design, then they just printed their text in the center. It looked like they spent a fortune but it was actually pretty affordable and printing just text is way easier than printing graphics.

Anyway the main thing is to be realistic about your skills, your time, and your budget. Blank wedding invitation cards can be an amazing option but they do require some effort. If you’re gonna do it, start early and don’t try to print 200 invitations the night before they need to be mailed because that’s when everything goes wrong and you end up crying over your printer at 2am. Trust me on that one.