Gatefold Cards for Wedding Invitations

This is very much down to personal choice - but here are a few pointers to consider & bear in mind, out tips and techniques, will help you achieve great results that will not cost a fortune:

Gatefold Cards:

A classic popular choice, these are our ultimate best seller.

They are very simple to use, and can look very professional.
Gatefold cards come in various sizes: A6, Large Square, Small Square, DL (tall) and A5. Before you go racing off and purchasing all your cards, there are a few things to consider when purchasing.

1) Are you going to want print on them?
If yes, then firstly check that they come flat packed, and pre-scored, ready for printing on, if they come pre-folded, this will make the job of printing on them a little more difficult. Although all our cards come flat packed and pre-scored, there are many shops out there that sell them pre-folded, and this is an important factor to consider if you need to print on them. If you are intending on using a home pc printer, you should also check that your printer will accept the size, and the weight of the card you are going to purchase.

2) Will you be using ribbon to close the gatefold?

If you do fancy using ribbon around your gatefold cards, you will need to decide whether you want the ribbon to tie around the whole card, or will you want the ribbon to tie through holes in the centre closure where they join when closing. You will then need to work out how much ribbon to purchase, make sure this is plentiful and will be available to buy in large quantities. The last thing you want is to run out of ribbon. Some of our gatefolds come with pre-punched holes, but these are a little bit more expensive than buying gatefolds without pre-punched holes. If you want to keep the cost down, you may want to consider purchasing a hole punch, and making the holes yourself.
3) Using & Printing on Gatefold Inserts

Again, you need to check your pc printer will accept insert sizes, this makes sense, as the inserts for gatefold cards will need to sit in the centre of the gatefold, so you will be printing on smaller inserts than standard sizes. Generally most printers can take different dimensions, most will accept square and smaller sizes, its normally just a case of adjusting your printer tray guides.

Wallets & Pocketfold Cards

Wallet Cards:
A lovely distinctive choice, classy, yet a very simple design, these will look very professional. These cards are a wallet style cards, where an insert slides into the closed wallet.

1)Are you going to want to print on the outer wallet?
If yes, this is definately possible, our wallet cards are supplied flat packed and unglued, and pre- scored, so this will allow you to add your text to the front of the wallet. It will look fantastic to personlise them. If you are intending on using a home pc printer, you should check that your printer will accept the open flat sizes. But some stores only sell pre-glued wallets, so this is something that should be considered before purchasing. Buying un-glued wallets, gives a lot more flexibilty when making and designing your wedding invites.
2)Glueing the Wallet Cards
All our wallet cards, are supplied, unglued and flat packed, you will need to be very careful when glueing them. Make sure you use either a nozzle pva glue, and apply only thin amount so as not to warp the card, or a very strong double sided tape.
3) Printing on Card Wallet Inserts
Again, you need to check your printer will accept insert sizes, this makes sense, as the inserts for wallet cards will need to slide into the outer wallet card, so you will be printing on smaller inserts than standard sizes. Generally most printers can take various size cards, including square, DL, and smaller sizes. It is normally just a case of adjusting your printer tray guides. You might want to consider using overlay paper on the card wallet insert, this will definately make printing easier. You could even print on A4 paper, then trim to size, then adhere onto the card wallet insert. This will look very professional, especially if you leave a nice border edge to show the wallet insert card.

Pocketfold Cards:
Just Stunning, if you want that extra bit of WOW factor, these are definately worth thinking about. Our stunning blank invitation pocketfold cards, are made from double sided luxury pearlescent card. This beautiful stylish pocketfold incorporates a pocket for you to add more information. Ideal for making stunning, distinctive wedding invitations. We supply our range in two ways.
A) Sold in a complete matching set. Each pocketfold wallet set contains: x1 Outer Wallet (250gsm) x2 Pearl card inserts (250gsm) x2 Ivory or white overlay paper inserts (100gsm) x1 Ivory or white envelope (100gsm) (insert overlay paper & envelope colour are perfect matching)
B) Each pocketfold wallet contains: x1 Outer Wallet (250gsm) this is supplied flat packed, and unglued, with no inserts or envelopes, thus allowing you to be creative, mix and match and make your own design inserts. Available in 4 sizes: A6, DL, Lg Square & Small Square.

1) Are you going to want to print on the outer pocketfold?
If yes, this is definately possible, as all our pocketfold cards are supplied flat packed and unglued, and pre scored, this will allow you to add your text to the front of the wallet, but great care and patience is needed. They will look fantastic if you fancy personlising them. If you are intending on using a home pc printer, you should also check that your printer will accept the open flat sizes. Consider firstly purchasing just a couple to practise on, then when you are sure you are able to put them through your printer, then head out and purchase a large quantity.
2) How to Glue Pocketfolds?
All our pocketfolds do come supplied unglued and flat packed, so you will need to be very careful when glueing them. Make sure you use either a nozzle pva glue, and apply only thin amount so as not to warp the card, or a very strong double sided tape.
3) Using & Printing on Pocketfold Card Inserts
Again, you need to check your printer will accept the insert sizes, this makes sense, as the inserts for pocketfold cards will need to slide into the outer pocketfold card, so you will be printing on smaller inserts than standard sizes. Generally most printers can take square and smaller sizes, its normally just a case of adjusting your printer tray guides. If you purchase our pocketfold set, you will be supplied with the full set which incorporates the inserts, so you need to check you can print on the finished size. If you struggle to print on the smaller size inserts, you can buy the stand alone pocketfold and consider printing on A4 paper, then trim to size, then adhere onto a card insert. This will look very professional, especially if you leave a nice border edge to show on the insert card.

How to Make An Order Of Service or Mass Booklet

1) First thing to decide, is how many sheets your Order of Service will need. To work out how many pages you will use, you need to write a rough draught, so you will know how many sheets of insert paper to purchase. The longer the service, the bigger the order of service will be. Many brides now also choose to add lots of extra information within the booklet. eg: Naming the bridesmaids, page boys and ushers and thanking family members for thier help, etc.
2) To help determine the size required so you can decide on the layout, it is best to speak to your priest for some information regarding the way order of service is conducted. He may be able to give you some examples of previous services.
3) You can use various sizes of cards, but the most common size is to use is an A5 single fold card. This gives plenty of room to also add that extra info if needed. If you use one sheet of insert paper folded to A5, you have a greater choice of adhering this to the card, but if you need to print on the back page of the insert this may give you difficulty when glueing the insert inside the card, as the text be on the back page, thus making this difficult to adhere. So if you can get away with not printing on the back page it may help you in the long run.
4) Printing tips; most of our cards are suitable for home pc printing, but please bear in mind, this does largely depend on which PC printer you use, as the overall finish can vary. We recommend you try the card to ensure it is to the quality you expect.

To glue insert sheets into the folded card:
We have a a selection of cards and inserts available to purchase to make the order of service easily.
a) Use double sided tape; run the tape near the crease on back page, allowing the page to turn easily, this is ideal if you dont print on the back page of the insert.
b) PVA glue; run a thin line down the crease of the card, this is ok to use if you have printed on the back page, but the page dont quite turn so easily.
c) Use a tape runner pen; run the glue tape alongside the crease on back page, allowing the page to turn easily, this is ideal if you dont print on the back page of the insert. This is a really useful, clean way to adhere the inserts.
d) Ribbon or cord; tie around the spine of the card to hold the insert/inserts in place, this is ideal if your order of service has a few paper inserts.
e) Hole Punch; use a two hole punch, to punch through the paper and card, tie with ribbon or cord and tie into a knot or bow, allowing you to hold a large mass booklet together.
e) Staples; this is not the most appealing way to bind a booklet or order of service together, but it is ideal for large services. You will need to purchase a long arm stapler, available from most large office stationery stores.

Hot Wedding Stationery Trends

Your wedding invitations are the first expression of your wedding theme.

Whether you go for traditional or non-traditional, classic or contemporary, the invitation is a teaser for your guests, so tantalize their taste buds and get them inspired as much as yourself for a truly magical day.

Although your wedding invitation selection comes down to your personal individual taste, knowing what the popular trends are now in 2009 might give you some new fresh ideas. Many of the trends encourage personalization, so you can create DIY wedding invitations that are uniquely “you.”

So, what’s hot in 2009?
Pinstripes and patterns are definitely in – vertical, horizontal, multi-colored, floral, swirls whatever. Use beautiful designs, in anyway: in a border on invitations, on table decor & stationery or throughout the entire wedding theme, use wraps, paper, vellum or pinstripe cardstock.

Get the wow factor with Gems
Jewelled embellishments are also becoming extremely popular, Swarovski crystals and gems are showing up on everything – from clothing accessories: eg: belts, bags & shoes to even the dog collar!! So adding some sparkle and glitz to your wedding theme will truly look a million dollars on your own handmade wedding invitations. You can sprinkle on some tiny rhinestones or mini pearl-toned accent beads, these will also look a million dollars!

Make a statement with Fabric & Flowers
Fabric and paper flower embellishments are making a huge statement, we now have a beautiful assortment of fabric blooms and wired stem flowers, all available in a variety of colour’s.
Definately a break away from the customary engraved floral print. Personalize your invitation with a flourish by adding your distinctive flower and finish with a diamonte gem in the centre, for a truly unique bit of sparkle.
Another interesting trend is the use of white. Not in card stock but in font colour. Choose a bright color card stock (hot pink, bright green or solid black looks great) then finish with your invitation text in white!! White prints beautifully on to pearlescent card stock!! Wow your guests, with something unique!

Use unique Cards & Inserts
Invitation design has become more user-friendly by providing pockets and folds to neatly hold and organize your invitation and cards. We have a fabulous range of Pocketfold Card Blanks, with coordinating inserts, that are perfect for making your own unique wedding stationery! So if you fancy something slightly different that the normal run of the blank single fold card, this could definately be the one for you!

Use unusual materials & embellishments
And that’s not the only new design trend; wedding invitations made of unusual materials such as fabric, stone, sand, shells, wood, plastic, and even acrylic will all give amazing results.

Bold Patterns
All-over patterns are also becoming a huge hit, giving a new twist to invitation design. For instance, if your wedding gown has an intricate pattern, why not try duplicating it on your wedding stationery, for a truly one-of-a-kind creation. The use of patterened printed vellums or textured printed papers will give amazing results, try wrapping your invites in an allover patterened design.

How do I know which Inserts?

For most special occasion stationery an insert is used - this is simply a piece of paper on which the details are printed and is adhered inside the card and gives a more professional look than printing directly onto the card.

Apart from looking better, an insert has the advantage that it can be added at the last minute. So you can make your invitations well in advance, then print and add the inserts just before sending them out. Using insert paper, also allows you time to confirm final details, allowing you some time to also confirm your guestlist with your partner/family.

a) A smooth plain white or smooth ivory paper is usually used for inserts, but vellum (translucent paper) is also popular as are coloured, textured and pearlescent papers.
b) The paper should be good quality, but not too heavy as thick paper can make the card too bulky. 100gsm is an ideal weight for insert paper.
c) If using a special type of handmade paper, it’s a good idea to test it through your printer to make sure the ink doesn’t smudge.
d) Inserts are available in all the regular sizes, these are cut slightly smaller than the card size you use, making the overall look, very professional.
e) All our cards available in the DIY wedding stationery section have matching inserts available, we now also have available inserts gatefold cards.
f) Remember to work out the amount of space needed on the insert, this will help you to decide what size of card to use for the Wedding Invitations & Order of Service. ie:
g) when deciding the card size for the Order Of Service, you will need to determine if you will use one or two paper inserts for the text inside. Firstly this is so you will know how many sheets to purchase. And secondly, you need to decide in which way the inserts will stick on the inside of the order of service.

Which Card Sizes To Use For Invitations

Which size card should you choose for your Wedding Invitations?
This is very much down to personal choice - but there are a few pointers to consider & bear in mind.

1. Choose your envelopes first or at least check the Size of envelopes are available for your chosen card size.
Its usually not a problem if you are going for a nice Ivory or White envelope and a standard size card, but if you want something a little different and more unusual, then check that you can get the envelopes you want in the right size before deciding on your card size. It is relatively easy to cut a singlefold card to fit an unusual size envelope, but envelopes are not so easy to make yourself and unusual envelopes tend to come in a small range of sizes.

2. The difference in the card sizes A5 & A6...
Most people will recognise A4 as the size of paper you put in your printer. A5 is half the size of A4 and A6 half of A5 and so on. Card blanks are usually described in the same way. Remember that the size for card blanks refers to the FOLDED dimensions of the card.

For envelopes you need the corresponding C size - so a C6 envelope goes with an A6 card & a C5 envelopes goes with a A5 card, and so on... The envelopes will be slightly larger all round so they fit your folded card easily.

Which size card to use for Order of Service:
Most people choose a larger size card for an Order of Service so that there will be plenty of room for printing hymns and/or readings etc without using a tiny font size or lots of pages - A4 folded to A5 is the most common size.

Which size card to use for RSVP Cards:
If you are including RSVP cards, you should normally make these smaller than the invitation as you will need to fit the card (and reply envelope) into the main envelope. Or use an unfolded piece of card the same size, A6 postcard style or A7 Size cards are good for RSVP.

Our Suggestions:

Wedding Invitations - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, Square 155 x 155 single fold, Square 155 x 155 gatefold, or Tall(DL) Single fold, Tall(DL) Gatefold

Evening Invitations - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, A6 postcard style, or Small Square Single Fold (130x130), Small Square Gatefold (130x130)

RSVP - A6 postcard style, or A7 Singlefold.

Order of Service - A5 Singlefold.

Menu - A5 singlefold or Tall (DL)

Thank You - A6 single fold, A6 Gatefold, A6 postcard style, or Small Square Singlefold (130x130), Small Square Gatefold (130x130).