Invitation help!

annabelle2424

I really need some help with our invitations. I decided to have them designed by belletristics because I have not been able to find a stock one that I like. Now this makes it more complicated since I have to get them printed and there are a lot of details involved such as what type of paper to use, sizing, etc.
I would like to use a Metallic pocketfold and have the invitation and enclosures printed on metallic cardstock.
My questions is.. would it be cheaper to have them printed by a professional printing shop (such as kinkos) or would it be cheaper for me to print them myself?
I don't have a printer but I need to buy one anyway so I wouldn't consider that expense as part of the invitation costs.
Also, has anyone used metallic cardstock for printing ? I am wondering whether I will have any problems printing on that type of paper, or if a certain type of printer is needed.

Sorry for all of the questions, I'm not very good with these sort of things and I don't want to cause myself more headaches.

MyNameIsNot

For the printing, what sort of printer are you buying?  You'll want to use a nice laser printer.  Are you planning on buying a nice printer or just a little bubble jet?  If you're planning on buying a nice printer, it would be cheaper to print at home than to have them printed.

Check with cardsandpockets.com for supplies.  They have the pocketfolds and are pretty reasonable.

I'm not sure about the metallic inserts.  I've never seen them, so I'm not sure what they'd require to print.  If you find them, get a sample and print it on what you have or take it to kinkos before you order the whole set.

fairy_diva

I have a Canon Pixma 4200 Photo Printer.  Brand new several years ago it was about $150.  It prints awesome photos and I don't have trouble with smudging.  I can assemble and print my own pocket folds for about 1/2 to 1/3 of what Invitation sites would charge for my pockets.  Around $200 will do 150 invites.
One thing I am doing different, is my invitation & inserts are going to be on gray parchment paper, its a heavy weight nice card stock and prints very well.  I can and have print up to 100# paper without any problems, just keep in mind the thicker the paper, the easier to jam.  Don't cram a bunch in the sheet feeder or cassette.

cjohnsen2010

My only advice is to definitely use a laser printer for metallic paper.  It should be much cheaper to print your own.

squirrly

Talk to whatever store you're going to buy the printer from.  They may be able to test print for you on a sample of the metallic paper. 

I have an HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless.  It's a laser printer, with a zillion other features on it, and it prints flawlessly.  I haven't tried it on metallic paper, though. 

Also, you can buy a couple pieces of metallic paper at Jo-Ann or your local scrapbook store.  The scrapbook store might be another good place to ask them about printing on metallic papers, too, actually.

annabelle2424

Thanks everyone. I will make sure to look for a good laser printer. I have a few samples of the metallic card stock from cardsandpockets.com so I will try it out.