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We used my Cannon inkjet and it did a fantastic job. We bought precut cardstock, but I cut the paper and the vellum with a paper trimmer (it's a razor on a guide). For cardstock and pocketfolds, I'd recommend ordering a few samples first so you can try and peice together exactly what you're looking for, then order the rest. I went with something that I originally didn't consider.
Here's my supply list:
PaperAndMore.com : 12X12 Vellum - it printed very well with the Cannon
LCIPaper.com: Pocketfolds and envelopes - I went with them because I liked the shape!
CardsAndPockets.com: Precut cardstock mats - they had the shade of blue I was looking for.
Paper Source: Two sizes and colors of cardstock mat for the rehearsal dinner invitations that need to be sent out this weekend. I guess I'd better get started.
Office Depot or Target or whereever: Double Sided Tap. Lots and lots of double sided tap.
Some extra advice: Start early and give yourself a schedule. Then shift that schedule up a month to give yourself even more time. Try to do just one thing (taping cardstock to the pocketfold) every day or so, then it won't feel like such a huge project.
Meduzagirl: Great info! Do you happen to have any pictures of your creation? Did you end up saving a lot of money by DIY?
Heh, I didn't take any pictures, but I've got a few extras at home. I'll take some pictures and post them after work. That's another little peice of wisdom I borrowed from others. Get extras. At least 7% more than you think you'll use. Trust me.
I don't know that I saved any money because I couldn't find what I wanted anywhwere. So going the DIY route was best for me because I got exactly what I wanted.
www.lcipaper.com is great - they are very clear what kind of printer to use for each paper. We are using them for the menus and thank-you notes.
Didn't have more than a month to work on DIY invites; nor did we have any DIY supplies whatsoever. Of course the fact that neither of us had done any similar projects also entered into the equation.
Luckily we came to our non-Martha Stewart senses and were very pleased with the invites on www.evite.com.
I saved a TON of money doing the invites myself. I think they only ended up costing ~$100 for 100 of them. I got all of the supplies from lci paper...super affordable and come in all sorts of shapes/types of paper. I got a great copper color for the invite and then wrapped a cream colored "sash" of paper around the middle of the card. The writing went on the cream paper. So all I had to do was type up the wording the way I wanted it and print out on the cream paper. I got two out of each sheet, so that saved too. Then I wrapped the sash around and used a sticky dot to attach in the back. Simple! The cards came pre-cut and there were matching envelopes as well. I ordered blank response cards with envelopes and printed those on my computer as well. Easy as pie!
We added an extra touch to our invites by embossing our new last name initial "B" on the flap of the envelope. The invites were simple yet classy. Send me your email and I can send you a picture.
Good luck!
Ditto on LCI Paper! Great stuff and great customer service. They have beautiful Japanese papers, which I used with pink vellum, cream cardstock and ribbons. I grommetted (yeah, not a word, right?) and laced up ribbons (sort of a corset look), which was a big PITA, especially when I discovered I had a typo, and had to take everything apart and start all over again, so proof proof proof proof proof and do it again! (It helps to print out a plain text copy if you are using a fancy-schmancy font; that was my downfall.)
Used an ink jet printer for everything. The card stock for the invites and RSVP cards were pre-cut, I just used a corner cutter on them (awesome!) to make it look more finished and pretty. It really adds the extra classy look and makes them appear professional, not homemade. We also did map cards which I cut myself from regular letter-sized cardstock. It's cheaper to buy packs of cardstock in letter-size, but if you want "odd" sizes that don't divide evenly, it's better to buy precut, since there will be lots of waste and extra work. And yes, definitely buy extra of everything and make several extra invites. You'll want them.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll definitely check out LCI paper. I still have plenty of time, and I have an idea of what I want. It seems that the DIY route is the best way to get what you want and to save some money. I just wanted to make sure that I could do this without compromising the quality of the invitations. After all, the invitation kind of sets the mood for the wedding.
sweetart -- i didn't take any pix while in process, but i have some leftovers (hah!) at home; i'll try to shoot one tonight and post it.
Hey all! I added a picture of the wedding invite we made with a brief description to my flickr account. You can check it out here:
We printed ours at www.catprint.bz and they turned out great. They supplied the 11in x 17in paper.
IMO, if you are printing at home, it'd be easiest to print on 8.5 x 11 and then take it to Kinkos and have them cut it.
As for supplie, we designed the invite in Photoshop and then had them printed at CatPrint. No supplies needed! Then, we just perforated, scored and folded!
Here is a really really poor cell phone pic:
We're going the Gocco route because I want our wedding to be very personal and this way my fiance can design the invites! As with a lot of DIY it can be more expensive if you don't plan out your buying ahead of time. It really helps to research prices and buy in bulk if possible. That and see if you can bribe your friends with food and liquor to help with assembly!
I used our inkjet printer. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I purchased Envelopments from oliostyle. (They had free shipping for orders over $150!)
All of the paper (except the card pocket) was 8 1/2x11 and I cut it after printing 2 maps/invites/whatever on a page.
I made the majority of ours with our HP Officejet printer and they looked great, I got most of my supplies from the Paper Source. The little green cards were pre-cut and I cut the white portion with the content on it to size myself. The actual invite was letterpressed through the Paper Source so I can't take any credit for that :)
This invite concept was something I saw in the book Jo Gartin's Weddings, here's how ours turned out:
okay, i've got mine up on flickr too. with short descriptions of where everything is from. (hi MrsNFB!)
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I am still deciding whether I want to do diy invitations, but first I need to know if I can pull it off. Did most people who did diy invitations use inkjet or laser printers? Also, did you buy pre-cut paper or just print the invitation and enclosures on one sheet and then cut them. Also what are your favorite sites for supplies? So far I like: Cards and Pockets, Papersource, Paperandmore, and Impress. Any other suggestions? Thanks!