What size is an invitation? A6, A5, DL or square, and the envelope each one takes

Which envelope does each invitation size take?

A C-series envelope is made for the A-size with the same number: a C6 envelope holds an A6 card and a C5 envelope holds an A5 card, flat or folded to that finished size, with a few millimetres of clearance on each side. A DL invitation, a third of A4, takes a DL envelope of 110 × 220 mm. The envelope sizes are the standard C and DL dimensions; which ones come with the order is set out in the table.

Coloured envelopes in place of the standard white are sourced on request and confirmed at quotation. Silver Image Print & Signs can also print each recipient’s address directly onto the envelopes from your mailing list, covered further down this page.

A6 or A5: which size suits the invitation?

A6, the postcard size, suits an invitation that carries the event, the date, the place and a reply line; A5 gives twice the area for a programme, a photograph or a longer message. A5 is exactly twice A6, which is why the same artwork can be quoted in both sizes and a decision made on the proof rather than in advance. DL, tall and narrow, suits a layout that reads top to bottom, such as a running order or a menu, and an A4 sheet folded into three equal panels closes to about the size of a DL card — the folds themselves are compared in our leaflet fold guide.

A7 (74 × 105 mm) is not on our invitation specification; anything outside A6, A5, DL and square is quoted on its specification, and business-card-sized card is covered in our guide to card stock for business cards.

Will the artwork resize from A6 to A5 without cropping?

A6 and A5 invitations share the nominal 1 : √2 proportion of the ISO 216 A series, so artwork can normally be resized between them without redesigning the layout; check the trim size, the bleed and the image resolution after scaling. DL and square do not share it: DL is roughly 1 : 2.1, so an A6 design moved to DL or to a square has to be laid out again, cropped to fill, or placed with a border. If a photograph has to show in full, say so and build the artwork to the finished size, because an image at a different proportion from the card is either trimmed at the edges to fill it or sits inside a margin.

Invitation artwork follows the rules on our specification: 3 mm of bleed on every edge, text 5 mm clear of the trim, CMYK colour, 300 dpi at the finished size, and fonts outlined or embedded. The print preflight tool checks a photograph’s resolution before you send it, and what each file type does is in our file format guide. Send the file even where there is doubt about it: we check bleed, resolution, fonts and page size before anything goes on press.

Flat card or folded card?

Folded invitation cards are supplied as flat single pages — front, inside left, inside right and back — with the fold marked, and Silver Image Print & Signs imposes the fold. At 350 gsm the board is stiff enough to crack along the fold if it is simply bent, so every folded card is creased on the machine before it is folded; that helps keep the spine clean and reduces the risk of the printed surface breaking up along the edge. The inside can be left blank for writing or printed with a message or a logo.

Grain direction matters on a folded card: folded with the grain, heavy card creases cleanly; folded across it, the surface can crack and show a white line through the ink. Tell us where the folds go and the sheet is chosen to suit them, as explained in our paper stocks guide.

Which card weight and finish for an invitation?

Silver Image Print & Signs prints invitations on 350, 400 or 450 gsm premium card, left unlaminated or with a matt or gloss laminate, with the combination for each job confirmed at quotation. Uncoated card takes a pen, which matters when names or a note are handwritten on the invitation; a coated surface does not take pen well, and on a laminated card whether a pen writes depends on the film and the pen. Gloss lamination gives depth of colour to a photograph, and an unlaminated uncoated card keeps the texture of the board.

350 gsm and 400 gsm are sheets we hold on the floor, and 400 gsm is the heaviest sheet we run digitally; the route and timing for 450 gsm are confirmed at quotation. A cream, coloured or named recycled card that we do not hold is ordered in rather than pulled off the shelf, and its availability and the completion date are confirmed at quotation. Every sheet listed in our paper stocks guide carries FSC Mix certification.

Name the finish in the order — uncoated, matt laminated or gloss laminated — rather than just “card”, because the word covers all three. If it is still close between two stocks, we can print the same file on both and let you hold them, which settles it faster than any description.

Names, addresses and QR codes from a guest list

Silver Image Print & Signs prints recipient addresses directly onto the envelopes and generates a QR code for RSVP or check-in for each guest, both from your guest list. Send the list as a spreadsheet, one guest per row and one piece of information per column, spelled as it should print, because a merge prints what is in the list: on our mail-merged place cards job, a guest listed with an initial merged perfectly and was still wrong, and the proof caught it. For the same event we also print place cards, a table plan and an order of service.

Can I see one before the whole run is printed?

A proof is available on request, and when we design the invitation, you always get a final proof to approve before printing. On a personalised run, ask for the proof, because it is where the names get read by a person. Print-ready files are printed on site and our operator checks the run against a printed proof sample before it leaves.

How long does an invitation run take?

Same-day printing is available on invitation card we hold, and Silver Image Print & Signs produces runs of 50 to 500 cards overnight; the deadline for the quantity and finish is confirmed at quotation. Files and payment received by 21:00 go into overnight production for delivery in London before 9am the next morning, subject to that night’s capacity. Creasing, folding and lamination are finishing steps after printing. How the box reaches the office or the venue is in our print delivery guide, and the overnight route is on the 24 hour printing page.

Checklist before you ask for an invitation quote

• The size — A6, A5, DL or square, and whether the card is flat or folded.
• The envelope — C6 for A6, C5 for A5, DL for DL; white, or coloured to be sourced.
• The card — 350, 400 or 450 gsm, and uncoated, matt or gloss laminated.
• The inside — blank for writing, or printed.
• The artwork — built to the finished size with 3 mm bleed, or folded cards as flat pages with the fold marked.
• The list — names, addresses and QR data, one guest per row, if the invitations or envelopes are personalised.
• The quantity and the proof — how many, and whether you want a proof or a printed sample first.
• The deadline — when and where the invitations have to arrive.

In invitation printing, the size, card, finish, quantity and any merge all move the figure, so every invitation order is quoted on its specification on the corporate invitation printing page; what drives print prices generally is in how much printing costs in London. Invitations are printed and packed at our 24/7 London print shop, and folded cards are creased there before folding.