Has anyone else done DIY invitations? I went looking for cardstalk today to get going on the process of printing, cutting and putting all the pieces together. So we found some great paper we like. One with some texture to it and one with a little shimmer to it. But when we took it to Kinkos to see if they could print on it...they said the texture and the slickness of the shimmery one would both make it impossible to print on!!!!
What are my other options for printing???? If you know of any places or any particular types of printing stores that could do that, I would love your help.
You can print the info on vellum and then layer that over your paper -- tie it at the top with a ribbon. Have you tried running the paper through your own printer to see what happens?
I haven't tried that yet...it is on the list of possible solutions. I will definitely consider vellum as well. But I also need to print maps and response cards....which can't ALL be vellum.
they can't print on that stock because they would be printing with a laser printer. YOU can print on that stock with a high quality (think photo) ink jet printer. The trade off is that they will smudge if you get them wet...but you weren't really planning on dunking them in water anyway, right?
Many laser printers can handle Stardream or other shimmery paper — Kinko's just won't do it because they don't want to chance it with their machines and they have to follow the rules (because you know if one bride said they had Stardream paper printed at Kinkos, every bride and her mother would be lined up wanting that service!). I don't know the exact machines we have at my office, but they are high quality laser printers and we print Stardream probably 70% of the time.
If you call a smaller, independently owned copy shop or printer in your area, they may be able to help you. Or, perhaps they can offer you some other options for paper that they have.
I bet a Gocco would be able to print on this paper. You might have to wait a little longer for ink to dry, but I bet it would work better than a printer.
Where are you? Maybe some nearby DIY fellow bride would be willing to show you how to use the machine and lend you the use of the it. You'd have to buy your own supplies, which would take a few days to ship to you, so if you need these done asap, this might not be very doable.
Have you tried putting a sheet through your own personal printer to see if it would work?
I'm printing Stardrea text weight (not the heavy card stock) in a laser printer and I've also done some sheets on ink jet.
I suggest the laser if possible. Don't use card stock for all your layers, only the backing peice. It's not needed and impossible to print on thicker paper anyway. Not to mention it will up the cost of your postage (due to weight)
If you do use and ink jet, be prepared to lay out the paper sheets to dry over night as they can and most liekly will smudge if stacked or cut or whatever. But it's not a huge deal really, I did it here for my stardream envelopes and I will for my programs as well.
Hey I printed my own save-the-dates and used a pearlescent metallic paper i got from http://www.paperandmore.com/ that Kinko's also said they would NOT print on. However I went to Office Max and they printed them and CUT them for me and they turned out great! I had 50 sheets printed with 5 custom cuts per sheet and it cost me $10.50!!! I'll be going back to have my matching invitations printed!!! I had considered printing them myself at home with my injet which does work, however any moisture makes it smudge so I was determined to find someone with laser printers that would do it!
I did try them at home on my own printer and it totally worked. I will keep that as a last resort but I think I will look into office max and other printing places. Thanks for the ideas girls!!!
Hey girls,
Has anyone else done DIY invitations? I went looking for cardstalk today to get going on the process of printing, cutting and putting all the pieces together. So we found some great paper we like. One with some texture to it and one with a little shimmer to it. But when we took it to Kinkos to see if they could print on it...they said the texture and the slickness of the shimmery one would both make it impossible to print on!!!!
What are my other options for printing???? If you know of any places or any particular types of printing stores that could do that, I would love your help.
Thanks so much!!!
posted by hroper22 5 days agoYou can print the info on vellum and then layer that over your paper -- tie it at the top with a ribbon. Have you tried running the paper through your own printer to see what happens?
posted by caliocteach 5 days agoI haven't tried that yet...it is on the list of possible solutions. I will definitely consider vellum as well. But I also need to print maps and response cards....which can't ALL be vellum.
posted by hroper22 5 days agothey can't print on that stock because they would be printing with a laser printer. YOU can print on that stock with a high quality (think photo) ink jet printer. The trade off is that they will smudge if you get them wet...but you weren't really planning on dunking them in water anyway, right?
posted by corn 5 days agoMany laser printers can handle Stardream or other shimmery paper — Kinko's just won't do it because they don't want to chance it with their machines and they have to follow the rules (because you know if one bride said they had Stardream paper printed at Kinkos, every bride and her mother would be lined up wanting that service!). I don't know the exact machines we have at my office, but they are high quality laser printers and we print Stardream probably 70% of the time.
If you call a smaller, independently owned copy shop or printer in your area, they may be able to help you. Or, perhaps they can offer you some other options for paper that they have.
posted by cupcake 5 days agosorry....I should have clarified. The textured stock, depending on how textured it is, can not be printed with a laser printer.
posted by corn 5 days agoTry a Gocco!
I bet a Gocco would be able to print on this paper. You might have to wait a little longer for ink to dry, but I bet it would work better than a printer.
Where are you? Maybe some nearby DIY fellow bride would be willing to show you how to use the machine and lend you the use of the it. You'd have to buy your own supplies, which would take a few days to ship to you, so if you need these done asap, this might not be very doable.
Have you tried putting a sheet through your own personal printer to see if it would work?
posted by SandpaperTongue 5 days agoI'm printing Stardrea text weight (not the heavy card stock) in a laser printer and I've also done some sheets on ink jet.
I suggest the laser if possible. Don't use card stock for all your layers, only the backing peice. It's not needed and impossible to print on thicker paper anyway. Not to mention it will up the cost of your postage (due to weight)
If you do use and ink jet, be prepared to lay out the paper sheets to dry over night as they can and most liekly will smudge if stacked or cut or whatever. But it's not a huge deal really, I did it here for my stardream envelopes and I will for my programs as well.
posted by Sweeney2Be 5 days agoif you do want to go the gocco route...i have one and i'm in orange county, i'd be happy to help you out with it, it's fairly straight forward.
private message me if you're interested, the gocco is a great print method...i'm doing cream ink on navy cardstock, and it works great!
posted by JoieDeVie 5 days agoHey I printed my own save-the-dates and used a pearlescent metallic paper i got from http://www.paperandmore.com/ that Kinko's also said they would NOT print on. However I went to Office Max and they printed them and CUT them for me and they turned out great! I had 50 sheets printed with 5 custom cuts per sheet and it cost me $10.50!!! I'll be going back to have my matching invitations printed!!! I had considered printing them myself at home with my injet which does work, however any moisture makes it smudge so I was determined to find someone with laser printers that would do it!
posted by courtz0383 5 days agogocco them! It's so easy, and you'll be very satisfied with the outcome!
posted by vailbride 5 days agoI did try them at home on my own printer and it totally worked. I will keep that as a last resort but I think I will look into office max and other printing places. Thanks for the ideas girls!!!
posted by hroper22 4 days agoYou might want to try a solid ink printer (such as a xerox). It worked quite well on stardream paper
posted by nikkolec 4 days ago