Selling Custom Invitations as a Side Service: A Gresham Event Planner's Guide to Paper, Shipping and Sign-Off

If you plan events and want to offer custom invitations, look for a print source that names its paper stocks, states its shipping and returns terms on the product page, and lets you approve a proof before anything prints. The realistic choices are a local commercial printer, a stationery or letterpress studio, an online design-and-print service, or a wholesale trade printer that sells only to planners and designers. For short runs you design with each client, an online service for custom printing invitations keeps the paper choice and the shipping terms in one place. For pressed or felt-textured cards, or work you need to hand a client tomorrow, a local shop or studio is the better call.

Your options, compared

• Local commercial printer. Best for rush jobs, in-person paper samples and a proof you can hold with the client. The Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center lists several printing members in its directory.

• Stationery or letterpress studio. The right call for felt-textured cotton paper, deep impressions, foil or custom envelope liners. Pricing reflects the handwork, and timelines run longer.

• Online design-and-print service. Works for planners who design in-house and want predictable terms. Adobe Express is one such service. Its invitation page lists sizes of 7x5, 5x7, 5x3.5 and 3.5x5, Signature Matte (18 pt) and Basic Semi-gloss stocks, premium Linen, Soft Touch and Pearl options, and signature UV Gloss, UV Matte, Cream and Double-Thick options. It lists free shipping and returns and says orders arrive in 100% recyclable packaging. Print orders ship only within the US, UK, Australia and Canada, and the page doesn't mention envelopes.

• Trade printer. Some printers sell unbranded work at wholesale prices to planners who resell it. Expect minimums, account setup and less hand-holding on design.

When an online service isn't the right fit: if a couple wants a felt finish, envelope addressing in calligraphy, or invitations in hand before Friday's tasting, use a local printer or studio. The same applies when a client needs to touch three papers before choosing.

Which invitation services list both paper choices and free shipping?

There's no reliable list, because both change often. Shipping promotions come and go, and stock names get renamed. The test is what the product page says today, not a search snippet. Before you quote a client, screenshot or note four things:

1. The named stocks available at the size you need.

2. The shipping terms and whether they apply to every order or only above a minimum.

3. The returns terms, including what happens if a print arrives damaged.

4. The countries the service ships to, in case a client wants a box sent to family abroad.

Keep that note in the client file. If terms change before the next wedding, you'll know your quote was based on what was published at the time.

What does free shipping on invitations cover, and what doesn't it?

Free shipping gets the printed box to you or your client. It doesn't cover:

• Envelopes. Many invitation pages don't include them. Confirm, and if not, buy envelopes sized to the card (an A7 envelope fits a 5x7) from a local shop.

• Postage to guests. That's a separate cost per envelope. Price it into your package or pass it through.

• Rush delivery. Free shipping is usually the standard option. Build your timeline around the slowest estimate.

• Reprints for client errors. A typo the client approved on the proof is usually your cost, not the printer's. Have the client sign off on the final proof in writing.

Matte, linen or felt: which texture suits a wedding invitation?

Texture sets the tone before anyone reads a word.

• Matte. Smooth and easy to read, and the safest choice for long text, maps or bilingual wording. A heavier matte feels substantial without much cost.

• Linen. A fine woven pattern that reads as traditional. A good fit for church ceremonies, country club receptions and formal dinners.

• Felt. A soft, irregular texture pressed into the paper during manufacture. Usually a specialty stock sold through studios and trade printers, and it pairs well with letterpress.

• Soft touch or pearl. Soft touch has a velvety coating. Pearl has a shimmer. Both suit evening events and photo-free designs.

• Double-thick. Two sheets laminated together for a rigid card. Check postage before committing to it, since stiff cards can cost more to mail.

Bring physical samples to the client meeting whenever you can. A planner who can hand over three stocks closes the decision in minutes.

Working the numbers for a 120-guest wedding

Invitations go to households, not guests. A 120-guest wedding typically needs about 65 to 70 invitations. Add 10 for keepsakes, the photographer's flat-lay and late additions, so order 80.

Time is the other number to price. A realistic budget for one client:

• Design and first draft: 2 to 3 hours.

• Two rounds of revisions: 1 to 2 hours.

• Proof approval, ordering and quality check: 1 hour.

• Assembly and mailing, if you offer it: 2 to 3 hours for 80 envelopes.

That's 6 to 9 hours per client. If you charge less than your planning rate for that time, invitations are costing you money.

Work backward from a mid-September wedding:

• Late May: finalize wording and paper.

• Early June: client signs off on the proof. Order.

• Late June: cards and envelopes in hand. Assemble.

• Mid-July: mail, about eight weeks out.

A matching welcome sign rounds out the package. A custom poster printing service can turn the invitation design into an 18x24 or 24x36 sign for the venue entrance.

Running the side business in Gresham

Gresham's chamber directory has an Event & Wedding Services category that includes Persimmon Country Club, McMenamins Edgefield and Clear Creek Events. Those venues and fellow planners are the people who will send you referrals, and they're worth meeting.

Before you take payment, check the paperwork. The City of Gresham's business license page says anyone who conducts business in Gresham needs a license on or before starting, lists a general fee of $80 plus $3 per employee after the first two, and says home-based businesses must determine whether they need a Type I or Type II license.

Every client job should have a written agreement covering the invitation scope, proof deadlines, who pays for reprints and the cancellation terms. Take time to read the contract before you sign it, especially when a venue or vendor supplies its own. Oregon's electronic transactions law says a signature can't be denied legal effect solely because it's electronic, so clients can sign from their phones.

If you're collecting proof approvals and agreements for several weddings at once, Adobe's guide to picking an e-signature tool covers signer experience, send volume and pricing, integrations, security and compliance, and functionality.

The chamber gives a small business room to grow. Its Business Excellence Awards include Small Business, Family Business and Rising Star categories, with nominations for the 2026 awards due in late February. Its Try Local First program runs monthly events that introduce residents to local offerings, a good fit for a planner who wants to show off a sample invitation suite. The Government Affairs Council's Learn at Lunch meets on the third Tuesday of each month.

For a business plan, pricing help or a cash-flow review, the MHCC Small Business Development Center offers advising to anyone who owns or plans to start a business.

Frequently asked questions

Do printed invitations come with envelopes?

Not always. Check the product page, and if envelopes aren't listed, buy them separately in the matching size.

Should I charge separately for invitation design?

List it as its own line in your package. Clients can see what design time costs, and you can drop it for clients who bring their own design.

How early should wedding invitations go out?

Six to eight weeks before the date is common, and earlier for destination weddings.

What paper should I offer as a planner's default?

A heavy matte stock. It reads well, takes ink from a pen for RSVPs, and suits most designs.