Printable Birthday Invitation Sizes and Printing Guide
Two questions come up with almost every printable invitation order: what size should I print, and should I print at home or take it to a shop? This guide answers both with our actual sizes and the printing steps from our printing help page.
What size our invitations and signs are
Our invitations are 5 by 7 inches (12.7 by 17.8 cm), portrait, and many designs include a matching back for two-sided printing — the product page says whether yours does. A finished 5x7 card fits a standard 5¼ by 7¼ inch (133 by 184 mm) envelope. Our welcome signs and posters come in larger sizes starting at 8x10 inches, running through 16x20, 18x24, 24x30 and 24x36 inches depending on the design. The exact sizes for each design are listed on its product page — check there before you order, rather than assuming a design will scale to a size it does not list.
What you download
You receive a JPEG and a PDF, both at 300 DPI, the resolution a print shop expects for a sharp card or sign. Use the PDF for a print shop, because it keeps the size exact. Nothing is posted to you: card stock, envelopes, postage and printing are yours to arrange.
Printing at home
Print on card stock rather than ordinary paper — something in the region of 200 to 300 gsm (about 80 to 110 lb). Ordinary paper is fine for a quick proof, but it feels flimsy for an invitation. Print one copy first, check the wording, size and colours, then run the batch. If your printer cannot print to the edge of the page, trim the card along the edge of the design with a trimmer or a sharp blade and a steel ruler.
Printing at a print shop
Send the shop the PDF and the exact size from the product page, and mention the file is already 300 DPI. For anything larger than A4, a print shop or online poster printer is usually cheaper and better than a home printer. For a big order, ask for one proof copy first. Expect the print to look a little softer and deeper than on your phone — a screen glows and printed ink does not, and that is normal, not a fault in the file.
The one setting that ruins prints
Set the printer or the shop to the exact size listed, and turn off any "fit to page", "scale to fit" or "shrink to fit" option. Those settings quietly resize the design and change the finished dimensions. This is the most common cause of an invitation that comes out the wrong size.
How our templates reach you
Most of our designs are editable templates: after you order, a personalised link is emailed to your checkout address and arrives shortly after the order is placed. If it seems slow, check spam first, then contact us and we will resend it. Templates stay open for 90 days, and if you need to come back after that, just message us; we regularly extend access when asked. Each product page says what you can change for that design; artwork, colours, size and orientation are fixed. A smaller number of designs are ready-made files you print as they are — the product page says so plainly, and those files download automatically. Our editing help page walks through the whole process.
Find your design
Browse the birthday invitations collection or the baby shower invitations collection to find your design, and check its product page for its exact sizes before you order.