Blank Wedding Card: Design & Ordering Guide

So You Want Blank Wedding Cards

Okay so blank wedding cards are honestly one of those things I wish more couples knew about because they give you SO much control over your wedding stationery without having to design everything from absolute scratch. Like, you get a beautiful pre-designed card but the inside is blank so you can print whatever you want or handwrite it or… whatever.

I had this bride back in spring 2023 who was absolutely losing her mind because she’d ordered fully custom printed invitations and then her venue changed last minute and she had to scrap like 150 invitations. It was a nightmare. If she’d gone with blank cards and printed the details herself, she could’ve just reprinted the inserts for like $20 instead of reordering the whole thing. That’s when I really started pushing blanks more aggressively with my clients.

What Actually Are Blank Wedding Cards

They’re basically wedding cards that come with a designed exterior—could be the envelope, could be a decorative cover, could be a fancy border—but the main message area is left blank for you to fill in. Some have a little design element that carries onto the inside but leaves space for text. Others are completely blank inside.

You can use them for:

• Save the dates
• Invitations (though you’ll probably need to add printed inserts)
• Thank you cards
• Programs
• Menu cards
• Place cards
• RSVP cards

The beauty is you’re not locked into one specific wording or layout. You can change your mind up until the moment you actually print or write on them.

Design Styles You’ll Find

When you’re shopping for blank wedding cards, you’re gonna see a bunch of different styles and it can get overwhelming fast. Here’s what’s typically out there:

Bordered cards: These have a decorative border around the edge but the middle is blank. Super classic, works for formal weddings. They look expensive even when they’re not.

Illustrated covers: The front has artwork—florals are huge right now obviously—and the inside is blank. These are great if you want something pretty but still need flexibility with your wording.

Foil-stamped blanks: A little fancier, these have foil details on the front or around the edges. The inside stays blank. I love these for thank you cards especially.

Letterpress blanks: You can find blank cards with letterpress borders or designs. They’ve got that gorgeous texture but you add your own text. Fair warning though, they’re pricier.

Completely plain: Just high-quality cardstock in white, cream, or soft colors. No design at all. Perfect if you’re gonna print your own full design or if you want a super minimalist look.

Paper Quality Matters More Than You Think

This is something that annoyed me SO much when I first started out… couples would buy these cheap blank cards thinking they’d save money, and then when they tried to print on them at home, the ink would bleed or the paper would jam in the printer. You can’t just grab the cheapest option and expect it to work.

Look for cardstock that’s at least 80lb (pounds) if you’re printing at home. 100lb is better. If you’re doing professional printing, you can go heavier—like 110lb or even 130lb for something really substantial.

The finish matters too. Matte cardstock is easiest to print on. Glossy or shimmer finishes look gorgeous but they’re trickier—some inks don’t adhere well and you’ll get smudging.

Where to Actually Order These Things

Alright so you’ve decided you want blank cards, now where do you get them? I’ve ordered from basically everywhere at this point and here’s my honest take:

Etsy: This is where I send most of my DIY-inclined couples. You can find independent designers selling blank card templates or physical blank cards. The quality varies like crazy though, so read the reviews. Look for shops that specifically mention the paper weight and whether the cards are printer-friendly. Some sellers will even send you a sample for a couple bucks.

Paper Source: They have a decent selection of blank cards in-store and online. The quality is consistent which I appreciate. You can touch and feel them before buying if you go to a physical location. Their prices are kinda middle-range—not the cheapest but not luxury pricing either.

Minted: They actually have blank card options that coordinate with their designed collections, which is smart if you want your save-the-dates to match your invitations but need flexibility. The paper quality is excellent. Downside is they’re definitely on the pricier end.

Cards & Pockets: This is more of a wholesale/bulk option but they have tons of blank cards, pockets, envelopes in different colors and styles. Great if you’re doing a big wedding and want to save money buying in larger quantities.

Amazon: I mean, yeah, you can get blank cards on Amazon. The selection is huge but honestly it’s hit or miss. I’ve had clients get beautiful cards and I’ve had clients get flimsy garbage. Always check if it says “inkjet compatible” or “laser printer compatible” depending on what you’re using.

Ordering Samples First

Don’t skip this step even though I know you’re gonna want to. Order samples. I cannot stress this enough. That card that looks perfect online might feel weird in person or the color might be off or it might not fit through your printer.

Most good companies offer sample packs for under $10. Just do it. You’ll thank me later when you’re not stuck with 200 cards you hate.

Printing on Blank Cards

This is where it gets real. You’ve got your beautiful blank cards, now you gotta actually put words on them.

Home Printing

If you’re printing at home, test print on regular paper first. Like multiple times. Get your layout exactly right before you touch the actual cardstock.

Set your printer to the highest quality setting. Use the “cardstock” or “heavy paper” setting if your printer has it. Feed the cards one at a time—I know it’s tedious but trust me, feeding multiple cards at once is how you get jams.

Inkjet printers are generally better for cardstock than laser printers, but laser gives you crisper text. Pick your battles. My inkjet at home has handled everything I’ve thrown at it but my cat knocked over a glass of water near it last month and now it makes this weird grinding noise… anyway.

Print in small batches. Do like 10 cards, check them, then do another 10. Don’t print all 150 at once and then realize there’s a typo or the alignment is off.

Professional Printing

If you’re not confident about home printing—or you just don’t wanna deal with it—take your blank cards to a print shop. FedEx Office, local print shops, even some Staples locations can do this.

Bring your cards and your digital file (PDF is best). Tell them what paper you have and ask them to do a test print first. It’ll cost more than doing it yourself but way less than ordering fully custom printed cards.

I had a groom in summer 2021 who insisted he could print 200 invitations himself the night before they needed to be mailed and… yeah that went about as well as you’d expect. He ran out of ink halfway through, panicked, and ended up at FedEx at 11pm begging them to finish the job. Just plan ahead.

Handwriting Them

For thank you cards especially, handwriting on blank cards is totally appropriate and actually feels more personal. Get a good pen though—not a ballpoint. A gel pen or a fine-tip marker gives you cleaner lines.

Practice your handwriting on scrap paper first. Write out the full message a few times until you’re comfortable. Then write on the actual cards.

If your handwriting is terrible (no judgment, mine’s a mess), you can hire a calligrapher to address envelopes or even fill in the cards. Or you can do a hybrid—print the main text and handwrite a personal note at the bottom.

Design Software and Templates

You’re gonna need software to create what you’re printing unless you’re going fully handwritten. Here are your options:

Canva: This is the easiest for people who aren’t designers. They have tons of wedding templates and you can customize everything. The free version works fine but the Pro version gives you more fonts and design elements. You can set custom dimensions to match your card size.

Microsoft Word: Yeah I know it seems basic but you can absolutely design wedding card text in Word. Just set your page size to match your card dimensions and use text boxes for placement control. It’s not fancy but it works.

Adobe InDesign or Illustrator: If you or someone you know has design experience, these are professional-level tools. Way more control but also way steeper learning curve. Probably overkill for most people.

Template Monster or Creative Market: You can buy pre-made templates that you customize with your own info. They’re usually like $5-20 and can save you a ton of design time.

Common Mistakes People Make

Let me save you some headaches. These are the things I see couples mess up constantly:

Not measuring correctly: Your card is 5×7 but you design for 5.5×8.5 and then nothing fits. Measure twice, design once.

Forgetting about margins: Don’t put text right up to the edge. Leave at least a quarter inch margin on all sides, preferably a half inch. Printers can’t print to the very edge and you’ll get weird cutoffs.

Using fonts that are too small: What looks readable on your computer screen might be tiny on the actual card. Nothing smaller than 10pt for body text, 12pt is safer.

Choosing the wrong color mode: Design in CMYK if you’re printing, not RGB. The colors will look different otherwise and you’ll be disappointed when you print.

Not ordering enough: Order extras. Like at least 10-20 extra. You’ll mess some up while printing, you’ll forget to mail to someone, your dog will step on one (true story from my own wedding).

Waiting until the last minute: Printing 150 cards takes longer than you think, especially if you’re doing it yourself. Give yourself at least a full day, preferably a weekend.

Cost Breakdown

So how much is this actually gonna cost you? Obviously it varies wildly but here’s roughly what you’re looking at:

Basic blank cards: $0.50-$2.00 per card depending on quality and design

Fancy blank cards with foil or letterpress: $3-$6 per card

Envelopes: Usually included but sometimes separate, add $0.25-$1.00 per envelope if not

Printing at home: Cost of ink (maybe $30-50 for cartridges if you need new ones) plus your time

Professional printing: $0.10-$0.50 per card depending on the shop and complexity

For a wedding with 150 guests, you’re probably looking at somewhere between $75-$300 for blank cards plus printing, compared to $400-$1000+ for fully custom printed invitations. The savings are real.

Envelope Addressing

Oh right, you also gotta address the envelopes. I almost forgot to mention this even though it’s kinda a huge part of the whole thing.

You can print directly on envelopes if your printer can handle them—most can but test it first with a cheap envelope. Set up a mail merge in Word or use Canva’s envelope templates.

Or you can print on labels. Get clear labels so they look less obviously like labels. Avery makes templates that work with Word.

Or handwrite them which looks the most personal but takes forever. Or hire a calligrapher which looks gorgeous but costs extra.

For return addresses, you can get a custom stamp made for like $20-30 and just stamp all your envelopes. Way faster than writing it 150 times.

Timing Everything Out

Work backwards from when you need to mail things. If you’re sending invitations 8 weeks before the wedding, here’s a rough timeline:

10 weeks before: Order your blank cards and samples if you haven’t already

9 weeks before: Finalize your design and wording, do test prints

8 weeks before: Print all cards, address envelopes, assemble everything, mail

That gives you buffer time for mistakes or delays. If you’re doing everything yourself, honestly give yourself more time. Life happens, printers break, you get busy with work…

Assembly Tips

If you’re doing invitations with multiple pieces—the main card plus RSVP card plus details card—blank cards make this easier because you can print each piece separately.

Set up an assembly line. Lay out all your pieces in order. Put on a podcast or Netflix show and just go through them methodically. Don’t try to do it all in one sitting though, your back will hate you.

Use a bone folder to make crisp creases if your cards fold. Get ribbon or belly bands if you want to wrap everything together—these make blank card assemblies look way more expensive than they are.

I usually tell couples to recruit friends for this part. Make it a party, order pizza, everyone helps stuff envelopes. Goes way faster and it’s actually kinda fun… or at least less boring than doing it alone.