If you’re looking for the best printer for cardstock invitations, I got you! As a party decorations designer, and the author of a popular blog, The Best Printer for Heavy Cardstock, I know a thing or two about printing invitations. And I can tell you it can certainly be frustrating to find the right printer. So let’s talk about it.
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I’ve been designing and printing invitations for birthdays, anniversary parties, graduation gatherings, baby showers, bridal showers and on and on for the past several years. And being that I have switched over to mostly digital items in my Etsy Shop, and on the digital parties on my website, I get asked the same question over and over. What is the Best Printer for Cardstock Invitations?
Weather you are digital party invitation purchaser on Etsy, or you run your own business, also designing and printing invitations, having a great printer is essential to printing quality invitations.
The Printer Dilemma
However, one of the main problems that you’ve probably run into when printing cardstock invitations is the fact that most printers don’t print on heavy paper. Believe me, I know! If you’re like me, you purchased some beautiful heavyweight invitation paper – like those below. Only to get it home and realize that it didn’t feed through your damn printer. UGH. The torment!
Watch the YouTube video about my favorite printer below:
I hate to break it to you, but a regular printer will never do the job, no matter how many times you try. (And believe me, I’m persistent!) The reason your printer probably isn’t printing on your heavy cardstock invitation paper is because regular printers can’t handle heavy cardstock invitation paper. I’d say that your average HP Printer can only print on paper that weights a maximum of about 72 lbs.
The Inevitable Questions
At this point, you might be asking yourself a series of questions. First, “But how do I even know what weight my cardstock invitation paper is?!” Second, “How do I find out what paper weight MY printer will print?!” And lastly, “What is the best printer for cardstock invitations given this new information?!” So, let’s break those questions down.
Understanding the Weight of your Paper to Print Cardstock Invitations
How do you know the weight of your paper? The weight of the paper will be on the package when you order it online or buy it in store. Some of the heaviest cardstock paper is around 110lbs. Does this mean it weighs as much as a human? Nope.
The United States bases it’s measurement of paper weight on the weight of 500 sheets of a paper in its uncut form. A typical sheet of paper is 17 x 22 inches before it’s cut to letter size. Therefore, the measurement is given when they (they? I have no idea!) take 500 of those sheets of the paper and weigh it.
Makes complete nonsense, right?
How to Discover Cardstock Weight for Invitations You Can Print With Your Printer?
Here’s what you’ll do to find out if your printer (or the printer you are thinking of buying) can print on heavy cardstock invitations. Head to Amazon (or somewhere else that sells printers) and check out a few printers.
When you are looking at a printer, like the HP ENVY Photo 7855 All in One Photo Printer, for example. Do a search (Control + F) for “Specification sheet”. You’ll then click to open the Specification Sheet PDF. (See Screenshot below). It’s worth noting here that I have noticed that some printers don’t have the specifications listed. In that case, you’ll likely have to do more digging on the HP website, or whatever company the printer is from.
Once you click to open the PDF, you need to find the “Media Weight Supported” or something similar. See on the screenshot below that this printer supports up to 72lbs of paper weight.
That means that this HP Envy IS NOT the cardstock printer for you if you plan to print on heavy cardstock invitation paper that weights more than 72lbs.
The best Printer for Cardstock Invitations
After doing a LOT of research, and not finding much, I came across the Canon Pixma Pro-100. I believe it’s the best printer for cardstock invitations because:
PROS:
- Prints on 110 LLB cardstock invitation paper
- It prints borderless
- Doesn’t crease the cardstock invitation paper
- Prints 5 x 7 and all the way up to 13 x 19
However, nothing is without it’s cons! Even the best printer for cardstock invitations! So here’s your cons:
CONS:
- It’s Huge (Seriously. Try hiding it in one of those printer cupboards. It’s not going to happen.)
- It’s pricey. (I know, but! My husband found it on Slick Deals and got a way better price than the one on Amazon – to the tune of $75.00! Yes, he’s my hero.)
- It doesn’t scan or copy
- It can sometimes have trouble feeding through the 5 x 7 cards (and I have to practice my patience!)
- The ink is expensive. (Don’t fret! Read below for the knockoff ink I recommend!)
Ink for the Best Printer for Cardstock Invitations
Don’t tell Canon, but this knockoff ink works perfectly with this printer. It’s basically the same but INSANELY cheaper than the original. I have also purchased this black and grey ink to go into the Canon Pixma Pro-100 if you are really only printing in black and white.
Related Articles
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The Best Printer for Invitations
Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read about the Best Printer for Cardstock Invitations! I hope this gives you some ideas about printing your own invitations for whatever event or business venture you’re working on! Tell me below what you thought! I love to help you celebrate life through party decorations and beyond. Above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat, or continue celebrating your life with The Celebration Effect.
xox
Lindsay
