Cheap Wedding Invitation Printing: Budget Printing Services

Budget Printing Services That Actually Work

Okay so you’re looking for cheap wedding invitation printing and honestly this is something I deal with constantly because like half my clients think they need to spend $800 on invitations when they absolutely don’t. Last spring I had this couple who were convinced they needed letterpress everything and then found out it was gonna cost them more than their photographer and I was like… no. Just no.

The big secret nobody tells you is that cheap doesn’t mean ugly anymore. I mean it used to, back when I started doing this in like 2012 or whatever, but now? There are so many online printing services that do incredible work for literally a fraction of what traditional printers charge.

Online Printing Services You Should Know About

Vistaprint is the obvious one and yeah I know everyone kinda rolls their eyes at it but honestly their quality has gotten so much better. I used them for a client in summer 2021 who had a $300 total invitation budget for 150 guests and the invitations looked amazing. They were doing this sage green and gold theme and we found a template, customized it, and the whole thing cost like $180 including envelopes. The cardstock was thick, the colors were accurate, and they arrived in like 5 days.

The annoying thing about Vistaprint though is you gotta wait for their sales. They’re always having sales but if you order at full price you’re basically throwing money away. Sign up for their email list, wait like two days, and you’ll get a 40% off coupon. I promise.

Catprint is another one I use all the time. They’re a bit more expensive than Vistaprint but still way cheaper than going to a local print shop. Their customer service is actually real people who answer the phone and I’ve called them at like 9pm before when a client was having a meltdown about color matching and someone actually picked up. They do really good work on heavier cardstock and their turnaround is fast.

Minted is where things get interesting because they’re kind of expensive but also kind of not? Like their designs are gorgeous, really high-end looking, and they have this thing where you can get free recipient addressing which saves you SO much time. But then you look at the price and it’s like $400 for 100 invitations and you’re like okay maybe not. But here’s the trick – they have sales all the time and if you can snag 30-40% off, suddenly they’re competitive with everywhere else. Plus their paper quality is just *chef’s kiss*.

The Digital Printing vs Offset Printing Thing

Most cheap printing services use digital printing which is basically like a really fancy printer. Offset printing is the traditional method and it’s what you get with letterpress or fancy boutique printers. For wedding invitations honestly you probably can’t tell the difference unless you’re like really into printing or something.

I had this client once who insisted she could tell the difference and made me order samples from like 8 different companies and then she couldn’t actually pick out which ones were offset vs digital in a blind test so… yeah. Don’t stress about this too much.

Templates vs Custom Design

Using templates is gonna save you hundreds of dollars. I know everyone wants their invitations to be completely unique and represent their special love story or whatever but like, templates exist for a reason and they look good. Most printing services have hundreds or thousands of templates you can customize with your colors, fonts, and wording.

If you absolutely need custom design, you can hire someone on Etsy or Fiverr to create a design for you for like $50-150, then take that file to a cheap printing service. This is way cheaper than having a designer do both the design AND the printing. Just make sure you get the file in the right format – usually PDF with crop marks and bleed.

I did this for a wedding in spring 2023 where the bride was a graphic designer herself and created her own invitations but didn’t have access to commercial printing equipment. She sent me her files, I uploaded them to Catprint, and we got 200 invitations printed for $220. They were stunning and everyone thought she’d spent like a thousand dollars on them.

Paper Weight Actually Matters

Okay so this is something I didn’t know when I first started and it makes such a difference. Paper weight is measured in pounds (lb) or GSM if you’re looking at international sites. For invitations you want at least 80lb cover stock (that’s about 216 GSM). Anything lighter feels flimsy and cheap.

Most budget printing services offer different paper weights and the upgrade from standard to heavy is usually only like $20-30 for a whole order. Always upgrade. Always. The difference between 65lb and 100lb cardstock is the difference between “we printed these at home” and “wow these are nice invitations.”

Some services also offer different finishes – matte, glossy, or uncoated. I usually recommend matte or uncoated for invitations because glossy can look a bit… I dunno, like a flyer? But that’s personal preference.

Where People Waste Money

Okay this is gonna sound harsh but I see people waste money on the dumbest things. Envelope liners are pretty but they’re like $1-2 per envelope and nobody actually cares about them. Your guests are gonna open the envelope, look at the invitation, and throw the envelope away. I’m not saying never get envelope liners but if you’re on a budget they should be the first thing to go.

Belly bands, wax seals, ribbon ties… all that stuff adds up so fast. A simple invitation with an RSVP card and details card in a nice envelope is completely sufficient. My cat literally knocked over a box of wax seals I had for a client last week and I wasn’t even mad because I think they’re kind of unnecessary anyway.

What actually matters is good design and good paper quality. That’s it. Everything else is just… extra.

Print At Home Options (Proceed With Caution)

I’m gonna be real with you – printing at home usually doesn’t work out the way people think it will. Everyone’s like “oh I’ll just buy nice paper and print them myself and save so much money” and then their printer jams, the colors look weird, they run out of ink halfway through, and they end up spending just as much money plus they’ve wasted 6 hours and are crying at their dining room table.

But if you’re really committed to this, here’s what you need: a good quality inkjet printer (laser printers don’t work well on cardstock), pre-cut invitation cardstock from somewhere like Paper Source or Amazon, and a lot of patience. Print a test batch of like 10 first before you commit to printing all 150.

The one time I’ve seen this work really well was for a super casual backyard wedding where the bride printed everything on kraft paper and it had this intentional rustic vibe. But she also worked in marketing and knew her way around Adobe InDesign so that helped.

Timing and Ordering Samples

Most cheap printing services will send you samples for free or like $5. Always order samples. The colors on your screen are never exactly what you’ll get in print and you wanna make sure the paper quality is what you expect.

Order your samples at least 3 months before you need to mail invitations. Give yourself time to get the samples, decide what you want, order the actual invitations, receive them, assemble them if needed, address them, and mail them. Wedding invitations should go out 6-8 weeks before the wedding so work backwards from there.

Rush printing is available from most services but it costs extra and honestly it stresses me out so much when clients wait until the last minute. Just… don’t do that to yourself.

My Actual Budget Breakdown

For 100 invitations on a tight budget, here’s what you’re looking at:

• Invitations from budget printing service: $100-180
• Envelopes (usually included but sometimes extra): $0-30
• RSVP cards and envelopes: $40-60
• Postage for invitations: $68 (assuming regular stamps)
• Postage for RSVP cards: $66 (you need to put stamps on those too)

Total: around $275-400 for everything. If you skip RSVP cards and do online RSVPs only, you can cut that down to like $170-250.

Services I’ve Actually Used and Liked

Besides the ones I already mentioned, Shutterfly is solid for basic invitations. Their designs are a bit more… traditional? Like if you want classic and simple they’re great. They also have good sales around holidays.

Zazzle has weird designs but some of them are actually cool and their prices are competitive. The interface is kinda clunky though and it takes forever to customize anything.

Costco does printing and if you have a membership their prices are insanely good. The design options are limited but if you find one you like, you can’t beat the price. I think last time I checked it was like $90 for 100 invitations or something ridiculous.

Basic Invite is another one that’s worth looking at – they have this cool feature where you can order a sample of your actual invitation before ordering the full batch, and I think that’s genius. It’s like $5 but then you know exactly what you’re getting.

What Annoys Me Most

The thing that really gets me is when printing companies have hidden fees. Like you think you’re paying $150 for invitations and then at checkout there’s a “processing fee” and a “handling fee” and suddenly it’s $200. Always add stuff to your cart and go all the way to the final checkout page before you commit to a company. See the actual total with shipping and all fees.

Also some companies charge extra for white envelopes vs kraft envelopes or colored envelopes cost more and it’s like… it’s just an envelope. But whatever, that’s the game.

DIY Assembly

If you order separate pieces – invitation, RSVP card, details card – you’ll need to assemble them. This is actually kinda fun if you have bridesmaids or family who want to help. Put on a show (I’ve been rewatching The Office again and it’s perfect background TV), get some wine, and make an assembly line.

You can tie everything together with belly bands you make yourself from cardstock, or just stack everything and put it in the envelope. There’s no rule that says it has to be fancy.

For a wedding I did last fall, we had an invitation assembly party and ordered pizza and it turned into this really nice memory for the bride and her sister. Sometimes the cheap option leads to better experiences anyway, you know?

Online RSVP Systems

Okay so this is gonna save you the most money – skip printed RSVP cards entirely. Use your wedding website for RSVPs. Include a details card with your website URL and people can RSVP there. This cuts your printing costs by like 30-40%.

Some older guests might complain but honestly most people prefer online RSVPs now anyway. It’s easier for everyone and you don’t have to worry about tracking down people who never sent their cards back (which is like 20% of guests, I swear).

The only downside is you need a wedding website but those are free through sites like The Knot or Minted or literally dozens of other services so that’s not really an excuse.

Promo Codes and Timing

Never order without a promo code. Like I said earlier, these companies are always running sales. Google “[company name] promo code” before you order. Sign up for their emails. Check RetailMeNot. You can almost always find at least 20% off and often 40-50% off.

The best sales are usually around New Year’s (everyone’s engaged from the holidays), Valentine’s Day, and Black Friday. But honestly they have sales so often that you don’t need to wait for a specific holiday.

One trick I use is to add stuff to my cart and then abandon it. Like half the time the company will email you a discount code to convince you to complete your purchase. It doesn’t always work but when it does you can save an extra 15-20%.