How did you print out your envelopes for your invites?

LADY324

A calligrapher is not in the books for us we can't afford it.  How did you print out your envelopes?  Did you take them to a person or store to do them for you?  I am afraid to do them myself.  Please let me know if you have any recs for central NJ.

sdomi639

find someone in your family who has great hand writing and ask them to do it.  My sisters did an excellent job on my invites.  If not by super CLEAR labels and print them from word.

mrsR12

We plan on printing them ourselves using clear labels.  A calligrapher would be great but not in our budget either

klustig

My future MIL is hand writing them. She has taken calligraphy classes and has amazing penmanship. I would suggest finding a family member or friend who has good handwriting, they're so much nicer than printing them off if you can do it!

LADY324

We have about 150 invitations to do and mine and my mothers handwriting are terrible.  FI has pretty nice handwriting but I don't think he would be to happy writing out 150 invites.

teachergurl2002

I am using clear labels and printing them out on the computer. Avery has a really great template you download when you purchase the labels. I got them at Staples. We used them for our engagement party invites and STD's. Worked great and looked really nice. They have a lot of different fonts.

cindyn9178

No offense to anyone, but I think the clear labels look tacky. If you are going to print them yourself on the printer, just feed the envelope through the printer. I had 25 extra envelopes so I was able to screw around and get it right and then did all of my invites that way and no issues at all. They looked fine and I chose a font that looked like handwriting.

Giaspo

Like Cindy said, it's pretty easy to feed them through the printer.  My STDs were on metallic paper,and that's another story... but really it's not hard.  I'm happy to PM you the template if you like. 

Just this weekend I did them for our Christmas cards too.  You can choose a font that closely resembles your invitations, and do the return address on the back. 

LADY324

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_did-print-out-envelops-invites?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:64c09fcc-f510-4d71-a0ce-7c8b6ed782c9Post:808af420-67d8-42a5-a6e9-7f516b6f84f5">Re: How did you print out your envelopes for your invites?</a>:
[QUOTE]No offense to anyone, but I think the clear labels look tacky. If you are going to print them yourself on the printer, just feed the envelope through the printer. I had 25 extra envelopes so I was able to screw around and get it right and then did all of my invites that way and no issues at all. They looked fine and I chose a font that looked like handwriting.
Posted by cindyn9178[/QUOTE]

Yeah I agree with you I think it looks tacky with the clear labels too.  Do you think it is worth it to pay an extra $50 bucks to have them printed on the envelopes by the same company doing the invites?  FMIL gets a really good discount at birchcraft.  I am thinking it might just be worth it to pay the extra money so it's one less thing that we have to worry about.

Giaspo

IMO - YES.  This way, it will match perfectly and they are the experts.  And no headache for you. And that's a good price for 150 envelopes... our stationery person charged us $1 each I think... as easy as I just said it can be we invested in having her do it for our invitations. 

rlavach

It's funny how each board on here differs so much. If you had asked this question on the Etiquette or Invites & Paper boards, you'd be burned alive for considering printing a label or printing on the envelope. 

I don't see the big deal. They get thrown out anyway. I understand etiquette, I just think this part is silly. No one will notice. I bought a cheap calligraphy kit and am going to attempt to write it out myself. It'll be interesting!!

Chobot

I got second hand mountain cow software and printed the addresses out on the envelope. The program keeps all your guest lists too for RSVP and table numbers. Ask former brides around work if they used it. Also going with Cindyn973, cut a bunch of paper into the dimensions of the envelope to test it out. (i only like 15 extra encelopes) Also, you can fiddle with nice fonts that look handwritten.

kristen8040

We had them printed right on the envelope, it wasn't too hard.

cindyn9178

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_did-print-out-envelops-invites?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:64c09fcc-f510-4d71-a0ce-7c8b6ed782c9Post:5dbcf909-d144-479b-90bb-73a8152ae4c1">Re: How did you print out your envelopes for your invites?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: How did you print out your envelopes for your invites? : Yeah I agree with you I think it looks tacky with the clear labels too.  Do you think it is worth it to pay an extra $50 bucks to have them printed on the envelopes by the same company doing the invites?  FMIL gets a really good discount at birchcraft.  I am thinking it might just be worth it to pay the extra money so it's one less thing that we have to worry about.
Posted by LADY324[/QUOTE]
$50 is totally worth it! While it was easy, I used a lot of ink, and that's like $30 right there for one cartridge, plus my time.

37 Butter Knives

I try not to use the word "tacky," because I've found that too many people use it to describe something they personally don't like, as opposed to something that's genuinely uncouth. I mean, I bet there are people out there who would think my purple wedding shoes were "tacky." (Yes, I did describe a limousine company the other day as "tacky," but that's because I thought they were uncouth.)

So, clear labels are one of those things that people call "tacky" for good reason. I'll put it this way: clear labels are like clear bra straps - you're not fooling anyone. White labels on white envelopes are preferable, though not the best option.

I know hand-written addresses are the proper thing to do - as my slave-to-etiquette MIL told me, writing out the addresses is the only "personal touch" in weddings. Of course, now many weddings are so awash in personal touches that the old-skool rationale is irrelevant.

In the past, I've received a couple of wedding invitations that were hand-addressed by either the bride or her mother, using everyday cursive handwriting (so, no calligraphy). They had nice penmanship, but it seemed rather jarring when juxtaposed with the very traditional thermography black-on-white formal all-script invitations inside. It may be proper etiquette, but it doesn't look cohesive.

And it's not fair to demand that everyone who has cutesy or serial-killer handwriting (like me and my family) hire a calligrapher.

So, I printed directly on the envelopes. (I ended up buying a new printer for this - a Canon Pixma - but it was worth it.) I used Myriad (the font that Apple uses a lot in its marketing and product logos), since it was similar to the font used on our invitations. If you want a more formal look, there are some nice script fonts available. But for Pete's sake, don't use Monotype Corsiva! I think that font is overused and not as fancy or elegant as it thinks it is. (I admit I had to restrain myself from calling it "tacky.")

jess4xo3

Has anyone tried to print on the metallic envelopes from cards and pockets? I have the same issue and dont think my printer will print well on them.

LADY324

Thanks for all of the ideas everyone!

kristen8040

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_did-print-out-envelops-invites?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:64c09fcc-f510-4d71-a0ce-7c8b6ed782c9Post:77799de1-bcfb-4482-a27f-c5541cc4f8cf">Re: How did you print out your envelopes for your invites?</a>:
[QUOTE]I try not to use the word "tacky," because I've found that too many people use it to describe something they personally don't like, as opposed to something that's genuinely uncouth. I mean, I bet there are people out there who would think my purple wedding shoes were "tacky." (Yes, I did describe a limousine company the other day as "tacky," but that's because I thought they were uncouth.) So, clear labels are one of those things that people call "tacky" for good reason.<strong> I'll put it this way: clear labels are like clear bra straps - you're not fooling anyone. </strong>White labels on white envelopes are preferable, though not the best option. I know hand-written addresses are the proper thing to do - as my slave-to-etiquette MIL told me, writing out the addresses is the only "personal touch" in weddings. Of course, now many weddings are so awash in personal touches that the old-skool rationale is irrelevant. In the past, I've received a couple of wedding invitations that were hand-addressed by either the bride or her mother, using everyday cursive handwriting (so, no calligraphy). They had nice penmanship, but it seemed rather jarring when juxtaposed with the very traditional thermography black-on-white formal all-script invitations inside. It may be proper etiquette, but it doesn't look cohesive. And it's not fair to demand that everyone who has cutesy or serial-killer handwriting (like me and my family) hire a calligrapher. So, I printed directly on the envelopes. (I ended up buying a new printer for this - a Canon Pixma - but it was worth it.) I used Myriad (the font that Apple uses a lot in its marketing and product logos), since it was similar to the font used on our invitations. If you want a more formal look, there are some nice script fonts available. But for Pete's sake, don't use Monotype Corsiva! I think that font is overused and not as fancy or elegant as it thinks it is. (I admit I had to restrain myself from calling it "tacky.")
Posted by 37 Butter Knives[/QUOTE]

<div>Love this.</div>

odonnellalys

I think you should just pay for the stationary company to do them for you, especially if it's only $50. I am doing this, and to be honest, it will save you the stress of havnig to do it yourself.

LADY324

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_did-print-out-envelops-invites?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:64c09fcc-f510-4d71-a0ce-7c8b6ed782c9Post:e9935c12-c02e-4a08-ad5c-a5db7317291f">Re: How did you print out your envelopes for your invites?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: How did you print out your envelopes for your invites? : Love this.
Posted by kristen8040[/QUOTE]

Agreed that might be one of the best lines I have seen.

sharstin

Out of curiosity, how much do calligraphers cost on average? 

shoebie

I am printing them my self on clear address labels