Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post
If you are unhappy with the choices out there for announcements, invitations, or any other type of stationary, you have other options…
I recently ran into a huge problem with my daughter’s birth announcements. She turned two months yesterday and I finally just enveloped and stamped them to send out. When looking through my usual favorite sites to order them, I couldn’t find one that I thought was perfect. I wanted to format both the front and back, and I had ideas as to what shape and sizes I wanted for the photos due to the orientation of the professional shots that I had done.
While looking for one, and being utterly disappointed, I decided that I could just make my own. The same thing had happened when I did (A)’s birthday invites and thank you cards and thought while looking at the sites that I could make some that I would like way better than what was out there. Since I had just been through this I thought it would be no big deal. I would use publisher and get everything that I liked about the announcements that I saw online and still get the formatting that I wanted.
It started really well, the design process took about a week, and I even used her bedding pattern as the background for the design. Then I went to print it. I went to Staples and bought the heaviest card stock I could find (110lb). I brought it home and printed it. Too flimsy, I wanted the feel of the announcements that came from the other companies. Nowhere local sold paper that was heavier stock. Online it was difficult to find. Office Depot only had 110lb, and when I went to a local printing company their printer was so good that my work became pixelated. I ended up going back online to my favorite invitation printers and looking for a premade announcement all over again. I still didn’t like them, I wasn’t happy with my options.
I went to a specialized paper website and purchased 125lb paper and brought my design to Staples. Although, when I was there it printed fine, when I left them with the paper and went home their printer became clogged each time they tried it. Finally one of the employees called me and suggested that we use the matte paper that they use for their business card printing etc.
I received my announcements the next day and they are great. Staples not only printed them for me but they also cut them down to the size that I needed. I purchased the envelopes at AC Moore and they are out!
In the end I am so happy with them and really glad that no one will ever have the same announcements that I used. (E) has one of a kind announcements that I made for her.
IMPORTANT!
- If you choose to do this, save your file as a PDF otherwise their system may change your long worked for formatting (this I found out after my third trip to Staples).
- Ask for a proof while you are there to approve.
- If you are not comfortable with your abilities to design them, you can find electronic files that you can download and personalize on sites like etsy.
- Cost wise it was comparable to having them created on your favorite stationary sites.
