Printing Tips

People ask me all the time what my printing secrets are.  So here you go...

Invitations will come in a JPEG form which means image.  The cheapest way to print these is through Costco or Sam's Club.  I thought everyone printed pictures here but I was wrong!  DO NOT print these at Kinko's or Office Max, you will pay more than you need too.  Most invitations you purchase off Etsy will come in a 5"x7" form.  Upload it on to your preferred store website, under the photo page.  Print them just like normal photos.  Also, be sure that the auto-correct is off.  I didn't do this the first time when I printed Charlotte's invites for her last birthday party and the colors were nothing like what my computer screen showed.  I reprinted them selecting the auto-correct OFF, and they turned out great. Another tip, choose LUSTRE not glossy.  5"x7" envelopes can be purchased at most craft stores and you can use your 40% off app coupons to save even more on cost.

For the rest of the party package, this should be printed on white cardstock, for best results. If you have a printer with a lot of ink, go ahead and use that!  If you do not want to use your ink, print at Kinko's or Office Max/Depot.  This can add up, I will warn you.  But for one party, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.  If you bring in your own cardstock, they will only charge you for the price of printing on normal computer paper.  Signs that will be in frames, use normal computer paper.  You don't need them to stand alone.  You can even get away with water bottle wrappers and cupcake toppers on computer paper.  Things like thank you tags, signs that will hang, and tent signs (for food) need to be more firm.  Call ahead and ask what the prices are and add it all up before you go to fit in it your party budget!

Sometimes you can wait a very long time to have things printed.  Ask ahead of time if there is an email address you can send your documents to, to have printed.  I have learned that my OfficeMax has a specific email address for the printing department.  I send them the documents with very detailed instructions of what I need printed (i.e. pages) on what kind of paper.  Since I go in all the time, they are really good about doing everything perfect.  There have also been surprises where they had coupons I could use or surveys to take to save some money!

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask!  Chances are, someone else is wondering the same thing!