The Best Paper Options to Print at Home

If you're planning a birthday party and want to print some invitations, you'll be probably wondering how much you will spend in printing your invitations. Although a professional print shop will offer you the best results, that doesn't mean you can't print at home to save some money (Remember you can also send your invites via tex/message to save even more).

First things first, if you're printing at home I would recommend choosing an invitation and printables with white background to save on ink. Most of our designs have a version with white background to save ink when printing at home. Yay!

Best options on paper? These are the most common options:

1. White Plain Cardstock Sheets
Make sure you pick a cardstock thickness that is suitable with your printer. The thicker the better! Usually, home printers take up to 100lbs like this product from S Superfine Printer: https://amzn.to/2HufMAb

As the manufacturer says, it is mostly compatible with Inkjet, Laser, and multi-function printers and copiers but please consult your printer's manual before ordering to make sure it can handle 100lb cover (270 gsm) cardstock.

2. Photo Paper
If you prefer a glossy finish, regular photo paper may be the best option for you. It doesn't feel as thick as cardstock but it's a reasonable thickness.

For example, this pack of HP paper: https://amzn.to/2JQFel2

If you prefer the glossy photo paper option, you can also use 5x7 sheets but I only recommend this if you have experience with your printer settings and if your printer can print without margins. If not, just use 8,5x11 pages and cut your cards out.

Here you can see the thickness diference between regular HP Photo Paper and 100lbs cardstock, see how it bends:

HP Glossy Photo Paper:

100 Lbs White Matte Cardstock:

These are the most common options used to print invitations, of course you can try different options. I strongly suggest that you always print a proof first before printing all your invites! That way you make sure that your printer and inks are working properly and you avoid wasting paper.

I hope you find this post useful. Have fun!

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