Stationery printing?

As a fellow designer, I would look at someone like printed.com and look at what they offer then design to fit your theme. For example, they do a multi-page order of service, which you could base a passport-style design on it. An 8 page A6 works out at £30 for 50

Vistaprint have a 40% sale on right now, you can upload your own designs. I know they do standard invites but not sure if they offer some other paper formats that might help you!

Printing is always more expensive than you think! I thought that I would save money by designing my own stationery, but unless you are comparing it with very expensive bespoke designed invites, you really don’t pay much for the design element. In the end, I am having my invites printed onto fabric by Spoonflower and will cut and assemble them myself. My other elements are from a variety of suppliers, as I shopped around to get the paper stock/ prices I wanted. (Hello print, printed.com, dox direct, world of envelopes, hatch print, eco-craft)


I suspect that an A6 single page booklet, as mentioned above, might be the most cost effective for your passport idea, but I also suggest you break things down into components and cost them separately - i.e. folded A6 card, A5 sheet. If you’re willing to do it, it might be cheaper to have A4 sheets printed and cut them yourself.
Passports are normally stitched, so if you’re willing to hand stitch along the spine of each one I think that would really elevate them, and you could easily DIY that bit.
With the ticket envelope idea, I think you would be best having that printed on A4 to cut out and fold yourself. Dox Direct are great for plain A4 printing, although they don’t have a huge selection of paper types. For the actual ticket, Printed.com will do a 1/3 A4 print with rounded corners. For a real plane ticket feel, you could buy a guillotine or rotary cutter with a perforation blade to mimic the tear-off part.
Let us know how you decide to do them - it sounds very exciting!

View quoted message Hey Sally, thanks for the advice! That’s a really great cost, will definitely have a look thank you

View quoted message Oh interesting! Yes I haven’t looked at what other styles they do, could be a good idea! Thanks

View quoted message Oh yes! It’s shockingly expensive. We’re thinking of just doing invites not save the dates and having a website with more info to save on printing costs where possible but it’s still expensive.


Wow, what will your invites be? Fabric is such an interested idea.
Those are such great ideas! Thank you so much! Yes I have done hand binding for books before so hand stitching them would be no worry at all. The idea of cutting and putting them together myself is a great suggestion. I had considered that but was thinking that it wouldn’t work out much different, if I cut myself too it may well be cheaper though! Thanks, now I just need to decide which to do!! ?

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For my invites, I will just mount the fabric onto kraft card, so nothing too exciting, but it gives a really interesting texture at a much more affordable price than paying for fancy paper!

We are doing save the dates, and those are cork coasters with heat transfer vinyl applied - I have a cricut machine so I'm using that to cut the vinyl (and also to address the envelopes). Unfortunately the coasters are 5.5mm thick, which takes me into 'large letter' category, so watch out for that - it added £11.50 to the total postage cost, and (more annoyingly!) the bigger stamps look most disproportionate on the 100mm square envelopes!!

View quoted message Oh wow that sounds lovely! I’m surprised customer print fabric is cheaper, I know how expensive fabric is!
Your save the dates sound lovely! Feel free not to answer but I wondered what your budget is for stationery?
I have a cameo silhouette, not used it in so long. Am getting a new mat and need to get used to using it again but hoping to use it for some of our DIY too. Are you DIYing a lot of your wedding?

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My budget is £350, and I'm on track with that unless we decide to have order of services - it's a civil ceremony, so we don't really need them, but that will be another £50 if we do.

That does include everything else though - envelopes, envelope liners, the save the date coasters, custom stickers for the back of the coasters and sealing the envelopes, information sheets, little business card maps to the venue, RSVP cards, stamps, table plan, menus, place cards...

The fabric worked out cheaper because my invites all fit onto one yard of fabric, and it comes in at under £20. I could have had plain card invites for cheaper, but as soon as I started looking at fancier papers the prices shot up!

I am DIYing a lot for my wedding! I'm sewing my own wedding dress and outfits for my six bridesmaids, plus ties and pocket squares for the groom and ushers, I'm planning to have a naked cake (from Fiona Cairns, not homemade!) which my friend will help me decorate with fruit and edible flowers, I'm making cake toppers, garment carriers for my bridal party, some sort of entertainment pack or area for the children, envelopes for the confetti, little bottles of flavoured gin as favours, and the table decorations...

I'll also add vinyl personalisation to my bridesmaids robes, and the blankets we are putting out for standing round the firepit, but those feel quite minor compared with everything else!

Perhaps I should start a photo thread for all my DIY bits

View quoted message More than mine, wondering if I’ve been too tight with mine! You’re so organised! You seem to have worked out so much of this and be so on the ball! I feel no where near as informed.
Wow, I wish I could sew. I have something specific in mind that I would love but it would have to be custom and I don’t know how/ how to afford it! Your so lucky you have those skills.

I’m planning to do the kids packs, gowns, hangers, table plan, centre pieces etc. myself. Mum who’s done Beauty course to do hair/ make up etc. But the big costs list hair, dress, printing etc. are currently still eluding me!