Custom Engagement Invitation Cards
Custom engagement invitation cards on heavy card with foil, deboss and matching envelopes, boxed if you want them to arrive as a gift, from 100 sets. Proof and price the same working day.
An invitation is the first thing guests hold from the wedding
- Board
- Cotton 600–700 gsm; coated 350–400 gsm; textured; kraft; duplexed
- Formats
- A5, 5 × 7 in, square 148 mm, custom; matching envelopes
- Finishes
- Hot foil, blind deboss, edge paint, colored core
Get a price for Engagement Invitation Cards
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Card stocks that feel like an occasion
| Cotton card, 600–700 gsm | Soft, thick, takes a deboss deeply; the letterpress feel |
|---|---|
| Coated white or ivory, 350–400 gsm | Crisp full color; foil sits bright; the cheaper route |
| Textured or laid card, 300–350 gsm | A visible grain; suits one or two colors |
| Kraft, 300–350 gsm | Rustic; white ink and gold foil read well on it |
Foil, deboss and the edge
Foil and deboss dies are made once per design and kept, so the same monogram can run on the save-the-dates, the invitations and the thank-you cards without new tooling.
- Hot foil in gold, rose gold, silver or a color — the names and the date, usually.
- Blind deboss for a monogram or a border, deepest on cotton card.
- Edge painting in a color or gilt on thick cotton stock — seen when the card is picked up.
- Duplexed card, two sheets bonded with a colored core, for a thicker card with a colored edge.
Sizes, envelopes and postage
A5 and 5 × 7 in are the standard invitation sizes; square 148 mm reads as more formal and costs more to post in some markets. Envelopes are supplied to match — C5, A7 or square — in a matching or contrasting stock, with a printed liner if wanted. Check the postal thickness limit before choosing a duplexed card; a thick card with a wax seal can move a letter into a parcel band.
Send the guest list count plus 10%. Invitations are always short by a few, and a reprint of ten costs more than ten extra.
Boxed invitations
For a formal engagement the invitation arrives in a box: a slim rigid box with a ribbon, the card on a platform, sometimes with a wax seal or a dried flower. The box is sized to the card plus a few millimeters and posted in a mailer. Our slim boxes built around a card are the construction used, sized up to A5.
Proofing a piece that cannot be reprinted in time
Names, dates and addresses are proofed on the dieline and read back before press. A printed sample of the card with the foil is available before the run, and for an invitation it is worth the day it adds: the difference between gold and rose gold on ivory is not visible on a screen.
Engagement Invitation Cards — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Board
- Cotton 600–700 gsm; coated 350–400 gsm; textured; kraft; duplexed
- Formats
- A5, 5 × 7 in, square 148 mm, custom; matching envelopes
- Finishes
- Hot foil, blind deboss, edge paint, colored core
- Extras
- Envelope liners, belly bands, wax seals, rigid presentation boxes
- Proof
- Dieline proof of all text; printed sample with foil on request
- Tooling
- Foil and deboss dies kept across the stationery suite
- Minimum
- 100 sets
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. Both sides as standard on cards, tags and leaflets.
- Color
- CMYK with spot colors for a brand match. Uncoated and cotton stocks print noticeably lighter than coated ones.
- Tolerance
- Trim plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut. Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding.
- Tooling
- A die only where the piece is shaped, perforated or drilled, made once and kept. A plain rectangle needs none.
- Food contact
- Food-safe inks on menus and counter print that will be handled where food is served.
- Sustainability
- Uncoated and unlaminated stocks recycle without separation, and FSC papers are available across the range.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build engagement invitation cards on
Sheet print is judged in the hand more than a box is: the weight, the surface and whether a pen works on it. These are the stocks we run for cards, folders, leaflets and stationery.
Coated card 300–400gsm
The workhorse. Sharp full-color print, matte or gloss, laminated where it is handled. Does not take a pen unless the finish is matte.
300–400gsmUncoated card
No clay coat. Colors read softer and warmer, a deboss goes deeper, and it writes on with anything. Photographs lose punch.
300–400gsmCotton and textured card
Soft, thick and fibrous. Takes a deep blind deboss and reads as an invitation. Foil sits beautifully; four-color does not.
400–700gsmDuplexed card
Two sheets bonded, often with a colored core, for a very thick card with a visible colored edge. The heaviest thing we print.
600–900gsmText paper 100–170gsm
Leaflets, folder inners and booklet pages. Folds without cracking and takes a full-color print on both faces.
100–170gsmManila and kraft paper
Unbleached, tan, and cheap. One or two colors read well; white ink gives a light mark. Envelopes, folders and tags.
90–300gsmSynthetic stock
Polypropylene sheet for tags and cards that get wet, torn or handled outdoors. Prints like paper and does not soften.
200–400 micronBoard-backed
A printed face laminated to grayboard, for a rigid card, a folder back or a display that has to stand up on its own.
1–2 mm boardNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Sheet print takes the widest range of finishes of anything we make.
Matte lamination
Soft, fingerprint-resistant, and it still takes a pen. The default on anything handled.
Gloss lamination
Maximum color depth. Shows every fingerprint and refuses a ballpoint.
Hot foil
Gold, rose gold, silver, holographic or a color. The block is small so the die is cheap.
Emboss and deboss
Deepest on uncoated and cotton stocks; shallow and prone to cracking on gloss coated.
Spot UV
A gloss shape on a matte laminate. Best on a dark ground where the contrast reads.
Edge paint and colored core
Color on the cut edge of a thick or duplexed card. Only seen when the card is picked up, which is the point.
Soft-touch
A velvet laminate on a cover or a folder. Marks on white; excellent on dark.
Uncoated and textured
No film at all. Writes on, debosses deeply, and reads as considered rather than cheap.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing printed sheets, folds and the grain: engagement invitation cards
A printed piece is specified flat and finished folded, and the difference between the two is where mistakes live. Send the finished size you want and we work back to the flat.
- Finished size
- The size after folding and trimming. A6, A5, A4, DL, US letter and legal are standard; anything else is cut on its own die.
- Bleed and safe area
- 3 mm of artwork past every trim edge, and nothing important within 4 mm inside it. The guillotine drifts by a fraction on every stack.
- Grain direction
- Paper folds cleanly along the grain and cracks across it. We set the grain to the fold, which is why a sheet is not simply cut from the biggest sheet available.
- Fold allowance
- On a roll fold or a gate fold, the inner panels are cut a millimeter or two shorter so the piece closes flat.
- Creasing
- Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding. Without it the fold cracks and the coating flakes along the line.
- Trim tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Engagement Invitation Cards
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about engagement invitation cards? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
What card is best for an engagement invitation?
Thick cotton card if you want a deep deboss and a soft feel; coated card if you want full color and bright foil at a lower cost.
Can I have gold foil?
Yes, in gold, rose gold, silver and colors. The die is made once and kept for the rest of the wedding stationery.
Do you supply envelopes?
Yes, matched to the card size in a matching or contrasting stock, with a printed liner if you want one.
Can the invitation come in a box?
Yes, a slim rigid box with a ribbon and a platform for the card, posted inside a mailer.
What is the minimum order?
100 sets. Order the guest count plus 10%; a small reprint costs more than the extras.
Can I see a sample before the run?
Yes, a printed sample with the foil. Colors like gold and rose gold on ivory are best judged in the hand.
What sizes do you print?
A5, 5 × 7 in and square 148 mm as standard, and any custom size.
Will a thick card cost more to post?
It can. Check the postal thickness limit before choosing a duplexed card or a wax seal.
Can the edge of the card be colored?
Yes, by edge painting on thick cotton stock or with a colored core in a duplexed card.
Do you proof the names and dates?
Yes, on the dieline before press, and we read them back to you.
Can the same design run on the rest of the stationery?
Yes. The dies and the files are kept, so save-the-dates, menus and thank-you cards match without new tooling.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
Same range
