Vistaprint Wedding Invitations: Online Printing Service

Vistaprint Wedding Invitations Overview

So Vistaprint is basically one of those online printing companies that’s been around forever and honestly they’re kinda the go-to for couples who need wedding invitations but don’t want to spend like their entire honeymoon fund on paper. I’ve used them with clients since like 2015 maybe? And they’re reliable in that corporate big-company way where you know exactly what you’re gonna get.

The platform is pretty straightforward. You go to their website, pick from their templates or upload your own design, customize it with their editor, approve a proof, and they ship it to you. Nothing fancy about the process itself but that’s actually the point for most couples who just need something done without a million decisions.

What They Actually Offer

Their wedding invitation selection is honestly massive. Like too massive sometimes because I had this bride in spring 2023 who literally spent three hours just scrolling through templates and then had a breakdown in my office because she couldn’t decide between two nearly identical floral designs. We ordered coffee and I basically had to be like okay we’re picking the one on the left and moving on with our lives.

They’ve got:

• Standard flat invitations in different sizes
• Folded invitations
• Pocket invitations which are those ones with the little folder thing
• All-in-one invitations with the tear-off RSVP cards attached
• Seal and send invitations that fold into their own mailer
• Postcard invitations

Plus all the matching stuff like RSVP cards, details cards, thank you cards, programs, menus, table numbers. The whole suite basically. They really want you to buy everything from them which makes sense from a business standpoint but can get expensive fast if you’re not careful.

Paper Quality and Printing

Alright so this is where people get confused. Vistaprint uses digital printing not letterpress or fancy stuff like that. The paper quality is decent. Not amazing but decent. Their standard paper stock is 120 lb cardstock which is thick enough that it doesn’t feel flimsy but you’re not gonna impress anyone who knows paper.

They offer different finishes like matte, glossy, and their pearl shimmer which I actually think looks pretty nice for the price point. The pearl shimmer has this subtle sheen that photographs well. I used it for my cousin’s invitations and her photographer actually commented on how they looked good in the detail shots.

One thing that annoyed me though is their color matching is inconsistent. Like you’ll approve a proof online and the colors look one way on your screen obviously but even accounting for that the printed version can be off. I had a client with a very specific coral color scheme and the invitations came back more salmon than coral and we had to reorder. Vistaprint did reprint them which was good but it put us behind schedule and the bride was stressed.

The Design Process

Their online editor is pretty basic. You can change text, move things around a bit, swap colors, add photos. It’s not gonna give you the control that working with a graphic designer or using actual design software would but for most people it works fine.

You can also upload your own design which is what I usually recommend if you have any design skills or know someone who does. Just make sure you follow their template guidelines exactly because they will print whatever you send them even if it’s gonna look weird. Their customer service isn’t really set up to catch design errors for you.

The templates themselves are hit or miss. Some of them look dated like they were designed in 2010 and never updated. But they do add new designs pretty regularly and some of the newer ones are actually on-trend. They’ve been adding more minimalist and modern options which is good because that’s what like 70% of my couples want these days.

Customization Options

You can customize pretty much all the text and they have different font options though the selection isn’t huge. You’re not gonna find a lot of fancy script fonts or really unique typography. Mostly standard wedding fonts that you’ve seen everywhere.

For photos you can add your own engagement photos or whatever. The image quality comes out okay if you upload high resolution files. I tell clients to use at least 300 DPI images because anything less will look pixelated.

They also let you choose different trim options like rounded corners or scalloped edges which can make a standard invitation look a little more special. The rounded corners are nice actually and don’t cost that much extra.

Pricing Structure

So here’s where Vistaprint can be really affordable or can add up depending on what you pick. They always have sales going on. Like always. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone pay full price for Vistaprint invitations. They’ll email you 40% off or 50% off constantly.

Basic invitations start around like $1 per invitation or less during sales. But that’s just for the most basic option. Once you start adding upgrades like better paper, backer layers, envelope liners, different finishes the price goes up fast.

A full invitation suite with invitation, RSVP card, details card, and envelopes might run you anywhere from $2 to $5 per invite depending on options and sales. Which honestly is still pretty reasonable compared to boutique stationers who might charge $8 to $15 per suite or way more.

One thing to watch out for is they try to upsell you on everything. Like you’ll add invitations to your cart and then they’ll be like don’t you want matching envelopes? And then don’t you want envelope liners? And addressing? And it keeps going. You gotta know what you actually need going in or you’ll end up with stuff you don’t really want.

Quantity Minimums and Ordering

Their minimums are pretty low which is nice for small weddings. I think you can order as few as 25 invitations for most designs. Good for intimate weddings or if you’re doing different invitation designs for different guest groups which some couples do though I usually advise against that because it gets complicated.

They also offer sample packs where you can order printed samples of designs before committing to a full order. This is actually really useful and I always tell clients to do this. It’s like $10 or something and you get to see the actual paper quality and how the colors look printed. Way better than guessing from your computer screen.

Umm the turnaround time is usually pretty fast. Standard is like 3 to 5 business days for production plus shipping. You can pay extra for rush production if you’re in a hurry. I had a couple in summer 2021 who decided to move their wedding up by three months because of COVID concerns and we needed invitations fast. Vistaprint got them done in like a week total which saved us.

Envelope Options

They include basic envelopes with most invitation orders which is standard white or ivory. You can upgrade to different colors or printed envelopes with designs on them. The printed envelopes are kinda fun for casual weddings but might look too informal for black tie events.

Envelope liners are available as an add-on and they do make the invitations look more polished when guests open them. They’re these printed paper sheets that go inside the envelope. Not necessary but a nice touch if you have room in the budget.

You can also pay for addressing services where they’ll print guest addresses directly on the envelopes. It’s convenient but it’s expensive per envelope and honestly it looks pretty obviously printed. If you want that hand-calligraphy look this isn’t gonna do it. For that you’d need to hire a calligrapher or use envelope printing that looks more… I don’t know my cat just jumped on my desk and stepped on my keyboard sorry… anyway that looks more elegant which Vistaprint doesn’t really offer.

DIY Addressing vs Professional

Most of my couples just print labels at home or hand write their envelopes to save money. Vistaprint sells address labels too if you want everything to match but labels can look cheap. I usually say either hand write them if you have nice handwriting, print directly on the envelopes with your home printer if you can figure that out, or hire a local calligrapher.

There’s also digital calligraphy services now where they create a font from handwriting and print it so it looks hand done. That’s a middle option that’s not as expensive as real calligraphy but looks better than standard printed addresses.

What Works Well With Vistaprint

Vistaprint is honestly perfect for certain situations. If you’re having a casual wedding or a backyard wedding or you’re just not that into stationery and want something simple and affordable they’re great. The quality is good enough that guests aren’t gonna be like wow these invitations are cheap unless they’re really snobby about paper goods.

They’re also good for:

• Couples with tight budgets who need to prioritize other wedding expenses
• Short engagement periods where you need invitations quickly
• DIY brides who want to design their own invitations without paying designer fees
• Destination weddings where you’re already spending a ton on travel
• Second marriages or older couples who don’t want super traditional formal invitations
• Any wedding under like 50 guests where you just need something functional

I’ve used them for probably 30% of my clients over the years and most people are happy with them. You’re not gonna get that luxury stationery experience but that’s not what you’re paying for.

Design Styles That Work Best

Simple modern designs look best on Vistaprint. Clean layouts with good typography and not too many design elements. The more complex your design is the more you’re gonna notice the limitations of their printing.

Bold colors work well. Their printing handles solid colors pretty nicely. Gradients can be iffy depending on the color transition. Lots of text is fine. Photo backgrounds can work if the image is high quality.

What doesn’t work as well is anything that needs really precise color matching like if you’re trying to match a very specific brand color or your bridesmaid dress color exactly. Also designs with metallic elements don’t translate well unless you pay extra for their foil options which honestly at that price point you might want to look at other printers.

The Foil and Premium Options

So Vistaprint does offer foil stamping now which is that metallic printing technique. It’s an upcharge obviously. The foil options are gold, silver, rose gold, and maybe a few others. It does look nice and more elevated than their standard printing.

The thing is once you start adding foil and premium paper stocks you’re getting into a price range where you might want to compare with specialty wedding invitation companies. Vistaprint is best when you’re using their standard options. The premium stuff isn’t necessarily a better value.

They also have letterpress-style options which aren’t real letterpress but printed to look like it with a texture. It’s fine I guess but if you really want letterpress you should go to a letterpress printer because the real thing looks so much better. The texture and impression just can’t be faked that well.

Specialty Finishes

The pearl shimmer finish I mentioned before is probably their best specialty option for the price. It adds visual interest without costing a ton extra. The glossy finish can look cheap on some designs so I usually steer clients toward matte or pearl.

They have textured paper stocks like linen which adds a subtle texture. That’s nice for traditional formal invitations. Makes them feel more expensive than they are.

Backer layers are when they mount your invitation on a second layer of colored cardstock so you get a border. This is an easy way to make invitations look more substantial and custom. I use this trick a lot with Vistaprint orders.

Ordering Process Step by Step

Okay so when you’re actually ready to order here’s what you do. First browse their designs or if you have your own design ready go to the upload section. Pick your size and format. Most wedding invitations are 5×7 inches which is standard but they have other sizes.

Customize your design using their editor. Change all the text to your actual wedding information. Double check spelling especially names and dates because I’ve seen so many typos get printed. Like so many. Check the date format especially. Some people write out the full date some use numbers just be consistent.

Pick your paper stock and finish. For most weddings I recommend the 120 lb cardstock with matte or pearl finish. Choose your quantity. Order extra invitations beyond your guest count for keepsakes and mistakes. I usually say order 10% extra so if you need 100 invitations order 110.

Add envelopes and any other pieces you need like RSVP cards. Make sure your RSVP date is at least 3-4 weeks before your wedding so you have time to get responses and give final counts to vendors.

Review the digital proof really carefully. This is your last chance to catch errors. Check spelling, dates, times, venue names, website URLs if you included one. Check that everything is aligned and looks how you want. Click around and zoom in because sometimes things look fine at normal size but weird when you look closer.

Order a printed proof if you want to see it in person before ordering the full quantity. I recommend this for anyone who’s particular about colors or using custom designs. It’s a small extra cost but worth it for peace of mind.

Complete your order and wait for production. They’ll email you updates about the status. Once they ship you’ll get tracking information.

After Your Invitations Arrive

When your box shows up open it right away and check everything. Make sure the quantity is right, the printing looks good, no major color issues or defects. Vistaprint is usually pretty good about quality control but mistakes happen. You have a limited time to report problems so don’t wait.