Here is why I believe this is an important issue in making your own printable invites for birthday parties, wedding showers, and any other type of party you are planning. When the invitation arrives in the mail, the quality of the invitation sets the tone for the upcoming party. A large part of that invitation is the quality of the paper.
When I am creating invitations, one of my favorite things to do is shop for paper. There are a few places you can go for this, but the best place to go is to a scrapbooking store. You will find hundreds and hundreds of designs. If you don’t have a scrapbook store, then go to a big Walmart, Hobby Lobby, or other craft store.
The weight of the paper, in my opinion, is very important. You don’t see Hallmark creating their cards on 20lb paper. I go for no less than 24 lb, and if I can get to 60lb that is all the better. Generally, 24lb or a bit thicker is more than enough.
Another thing that is just as important as the weight of the paper are the colors you choose. I like my colors vibrant or to contrast so they stand out. When a guest pulls their invitation out of the envelope, I want it to grab their attention. I want it to “pop!”
For example, there was a group of us who were going to do one of those fancy “How to Host a Murder” parties. It was formal, where a suit or dress, dinner, and then the game. They asked me to create the invitations for this. I chose both 24lb and 60lb paper for this. The card was all black and white. It was almost like a tuxedo. The words were in black on the white part of the card. Then, down in the bottom right corner of the card, on the black paper, was a small knife with a drop of red fingernail polish on it. It was great. The contrast of the black and white, along with the shiny silver and drop of red.
I had a friend send my son a Batman party invitation. It was very creative with the folding, great paper. It was in black except for the batman logo in yellow and black. Very nice!
The primary thing I am saying is that you will need to think ahead. You cannot procrastinate. Get to your craft store and find the paper you need. If you check out the video on this page you will see vivid colors in the circus or dollhouse invitations. I really like those. You will hear compliment after compliment, and it all begins by taking that visit to the craft store to get the right paper.