Category Archives: Postcards

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10 Tips for Designing an Effective Promotional Postcard

Designing a promotional postcard is a great way to market your business. A well-designed, full-colour postcard can grab attention, spread brand awareness and generate interest in what you have to offer.
Because postcards don’t need to be mailed in envelopes, they’re extremely affordable compared to other forms of marketing. However, their thick, glossy double-sided cardstock will create an instant impression of quality – which customers will come to associate with your business.
If you’ve never designed a promotional postcard before, it can be tricky to know where to start. Here are some tips to help you create an effective postcard that will get results.

1. Keep It Simple

The best promotional postcards are simple and easy to understand. People should be able to tell at a glance what your promotional postcard is for, and why they should care.
Don’t try to cram too much information into a small space: it will only confuse your audience. If they pick up your postcard and don’t immediately understand what they’re looking at, it’ll go straight in the bin.
Instead, stick to the essentials, and use secondary text or graphics to provide more information if needed. That means details of the promotion, who you are, and how they can take advantage of it.

2. Use Strong Visuals

Visuals are key when it comes to promotional postcards. They help to grab attention and generate interest in what you have to offer.
Choose clear images and visual effects that are relevant to your business, and that will appeal to your target market. If possible, use eye-catching graphics or striking colours to really make your postcard stand out.
Remember that your recipients may have a lot of promotional materials to sort through – you don’t want yours to blend in with the rest. Just don’t make your postcard too complicated (remember, keep it simple).

3. Make Your Message Clear

Your message should be clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Think of it this way: what’s the core reason you’re sending out your promotional postcard? Let’s say you have a new product. Well, a big picture of the new product and a big banner headline with its name and price would be good things to build your design around.
Besides that, make sure that your call to action is obvious, and that the benefits of taking advantage of your promotion are clear. What do you want the customer to do? Buy now, subscribe, call? Whatever it is, be clear about it. Your audience should be able to read your postcard in a few seconds and know exactly what you’re offering. If they can’t, it’s likely that they’ll just move on.

4. Create a Sense of Urgency

In order to motivate people to take action, it’s important to create a sense of urgency. If they see that your offer is time-limited, or that there are only a few items left, they’ll be more likely to want to take advantage of it.

You can do this by using phrases like:
• “Limited time offer”
• “While stocks last”
• “Sale ends Monday”

If you can make people feel like they’re missing out if they don’t act now, you’ll be more likely to get them to do something.
Giving a clear cut-off date is best. That’s why offers like ‘January sales’ are so successful: if you don’t buy in January, the price will go up! So, rather than using an arbitrary cut-off point (e.g. ‘three weeks’), use a specified date or timeframe.

5. Use a Good Postcard Design Tool

When it comes to creating effective promotional postcards, using a good design tool is essential. It ensures that your postcard looks polished and professional, and will help it to stand out. This will influence your potential customers’ first impressions of your company, so it’s an important step.
Business stationery experts 123Print offer a range of design templates that are easy to use, and that will help you create a postcard that looks great.
With our design tool, you can personalise your postcard with your own text and images, and you can even choose from a range of different fonts and colours. You can also preview your postcard before you order it, to make sure that you’re happy with the results.

6. Use Interesting Fonts

When it comes to text, using interesting typography can make a big difference. This doesn’t mean using a huge variety of fonts (in fact, less is more), but rather choosing fonts that are appropriate for your message and target market.
If you’re targeting a younger audience, for example, you might want to use funky or stylish fonts. If you’re targeting a more sophisticated audience, you might want to use more formal, serif fonts. Just make sure that your text is easy to read, and that it fits in with the overall design of your postcard.

7. Be Consistent with Your Branding

Your branding is key when it comes to promotional postcards. If people can see a recognisable design or style running through your postcards, they’ll be more likely to remember you. This is imperative
Ways to stay consistent include:
• Using the same fonts and colours across all of your postcards
• Using a consistent design template if you make more than one
• Having a recognisable, clear logo, and using the same logo as you use elsewhere
Other than that, it’s up to you how you want to present your branding. Just make sure that it’s immediately recognisable, and that it ties in with your overall marketing strategy.

8. Use High-Quality Images

When it comes to promotional postcards, using high-quality images is essential. After all, you want your postcard to stand out from the crowd, and come across as professional.
What can often trip people up is that a picture might look good at a certain size on a screen, but looks grainy, pixelated or blurry when it’s printed out at full size. You can avoid this by using high-resolution, HD images.

You can either pay for an image or use public domain images – these are available for everyone to use without copyright issues. Or, of course, you can take the pictures yourself!
When you design a promo postcard with 123Print, you’re free to use the images in our templates, or upload your own. So, choose something a) high resolution and b) that fits your branding.

9. Proof Read Your Text

It might seem like a no-brainer, but proofreading your text is essential. Typos and errors can give the impression that you’re unprofessional, that your business lacks quality control or that you don’t care about what you send to potential customers.
If you’re not much of a writer, you do still have options for proofreading your text. Have a friend or colleague run over it for you, hire an editor through an online platform, or run it through a grammar analysis tool. Even the spell-checkers built in to word processing programs do a decent job.

10. Hire a Professional Designer if You Can’t ‘DIY’

If you’re not confident in your design skills, or if you just don’t have the time to create a postcard from scratch, using a professional design service is a good option. You could either hire a freelance designer or use a professional design agency.
Just make sure that you brief them properly, and that you’re clear on what you want them to create. You don’t want any surprises when it comes to the cost, or the final design! You can save money by asking them to send you the design digitally, and using an affordable site like 123Print to have it printed.

Design a Stunning Promotional Postcard with 123Print

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123Print offers high-quality printing that’s totally customisable, so you can be the cool creative person you’re just itching to be – all without breaking the bank.
We offer business card templates, letterheads, compliment slips, address labels, note pads, appointment cards and so much more – including promotional postcards.
If you’re feeling inspired and want to get started, visit our site to browse thousands of promotional postcard templates. For any questions, queries or special requests, please don’t hesitate to contact us today – our design team will be happy to help.

kids painting at a wedding

How to Word a Party Invitation (with Party Invite Message Examples)

You’re throwing a party! Whatever the occasion is – whether you’re throwing a kid’s birthday party, an anniversary bash, a graduation do or something else – it’s time to celebrate, and you’re planning on sending out party invitations.

Even if your party is casual, sending out paper party invitations is one of the best ways to let people know about the upcoming celebration. A party invite will convey all the important information about when and where to go, as well as what you are celebrating in the first place.

There are various different details that you need to include in your party invitation, and it’s important to word it correctly. This guide will talk you through what you need to include on your party invitation, and give you some wording examples that you can adapt to your own needs.

What Do You Put on a Party Invitation?

Before you start thinking about how to word your party invites, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the important information that you need to get across.

Who’s Invited?

First and foremost, you need to make it abundantly clear who’s invited to the party. This goes for any party, whether it’s a kid’s birthday party or a grand wedding. The last thing you want is to cater for 20 guests, only for 40 people to turn up because everyone’s brought their partner, or has assumed their child’s siblings are also invited.
The best way to do this is to specifically mention the invitee(s) by name on the envelope. For example:

1) “Mr John Smith and Ms Sarah Ellacombe”
2) “Master William Brooks”
3) “Sarah and Nancy McIntyre”
4) “Miss Jade Hewett plus Guest”
That way, there can be no confusion.

Why Are You Having a Party?

It’s important that your guests know why you are having the party in the first place. The wording has to be particular when you are trying to communicate a message to your guests.
For example, if it’s for a birthday party, make sure that you include the name of the birthday person, and how old they’re going to be (especially if it’s a milestone birthday, or a child’s party). Or for a graduation invitations, include who is graduating and which educational milestone they’ve achieved.
For example: “Please join us for Susan’s 8th birthday party!”
Or: “You are cordially invited to celebrate Ashleigh’s graduation from Warwick University”.

Who’s Hosting the Party?

Not only is it important to tell your invitees who the party is for, but you should also let them know who’s hosting the party, and at least one way of getting in touch with them. That way, they’ll know who to contact if they have any questions about the party, and they’ll also know who to ask if they need gift recommendations or anything else.

If you don’t mention who’s hosting the party on the invitation, your invitees will contact whoever the party is for (e.g. the person whose birthday it is). This wouldn’t be ideal if it’s supposed to be a surprise party!
For example: “If you have any questions, please contact the party host Sharon Mitchell on [phone number]”.

When Will the Party Start and End?

Your guests will need to know what day and time the party will be held. Make sure to be extremely clear, and give an approximate end time as well as a start time (especially for kid’s parties, so that parents will know when to come and pick up their children). You can typically expect guests to turn up between 5 and 10 minutes earlier than the start time you list on your invitation, so keep this in mind.
For example, you might write “3:00pm – 5:00pm on Sunday, 28th November 2021”. If there’s no specific end time, you can simply write something like “8pm ‘til late”.

Where Will the Party Be Held?

One of the most important things to include in your party invitation is the location. Whether your party will be held at:

1) The host’s house
2) The birthday person’s house
3) Outside in the local park
4) A booked party hall, such as a town hall
5) A soft play centre, cinema or other venue

It’s vital that you include the full name and address of the venue. Don’t just assume that everyone knows where “Paul’s house” is!
For example: “The party will be held at 123 Blackbird Lane, Newtown, NW1 1TN.”
If the venue is difficult to find, you can also include directions to guide attendees from the nearest motorway or main road, or even a mini map.

What Will Happen at the Party?

Make sure to tell your recipients what kind of party this is, and what is going to be involved. That way, they’ll know what to wear, whether to eat beforehand, and whether they should drive or get a taxi (if alcohol is going to be served).

You could list the theme, any activities you have planned, and what sorts of refreshments you’ll provide. For example: “Join us for a princess-themed celebration involving a royal buffet, face painting and manicures!”

How to Write a Party Invitation: 6 Top Tips

Now that you know what to include on your invitation and how to word it, it is time to put it all together. Here are our 6 top tips for writing and designing the perfect party invite, whatever the occasion may be.

1. Choose a Themed Invitation

One of the most fun things you can do when you are preparing for a party is picking the theme. Having a theme throughout the entire celebration – dress code, food, gifts, entertainment, decorations – will help the party have a cohesive aesthetic that will make for great photos, and which your guests are sure to remember for years to come.

A great way to tie the party theme together and to help spread the word to guests is to choose a party invitation that also features the same theme. For example, if you’re hosting a child’s birthday party with a clown or circus theme, this Party Clown invitation would be perfect. For a more grown-up girly-themed party with manicures and cocktails, this Fun ‘n Fancy design fits the bill.

2. Use the Right Tone

The tone of voice you use on your party invite will affect how guests are going to view the invitation, and their first impressions of the party itself. That’s why it’s important to use the correct tone when you’re writing the party invitation’s wording.

For example, if your party is going to be a super-formal black tie graduation event or wedding, you’ll want to write the invite in the third person, and avoid using any abbreviations or slang. For example, “Mr and Mrs John Smith invite you to celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary.”

For a casual party such as a child’s birthday or a house party, you can use the first person and can use a more informal style of writing that’s closer to normal speech. For example: “Come and join us for little Tom’s 3rd birthday! We hope to see you there!”

3. Address Your Recipients Correctly

When you send out the invitations, it is important to address your guests properly. The envelope should include their titles, along with their first and last names. For example, you can use Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms. You should ensure you spell their first and last names correctly, as well as mentioning if they’re permitted to bring a guest of their own, or bring their child’s siblings along to the party too.

4. Include the 5 Ws

Remember what we discussed previously: who, what, when, where, and why. Don’t forget to include the 5 Ws when you’re writing your invitation! These details are important because they are how your guests are going to know exactly what is going on, what to do, where to go and at what time.

And if there is a certain dress code, if the party is catered, or if your guests need to bring anything extra – let them know. It’s important to keep that line of communication clear for your guests.

There’s nothing worse than forgetting to put vital information on your custom party invitations. Whether it’s a name, date or number, leaving out even a single piece of information can cause invitees to get confused (and then you’ll be inundated with phone calls).

5. Don’t Forget RSVP Instructions

Lastly, remind your invitees that they are going to need to RSVP to your invitation. RSVP stands for “répondez s’il vous plait”, which is French for “please reply” – in other words, “Let me know whether or not you’re coming”. If your guests don’t RSVP, you aren’t going to know who’s coming and who isn’t – and this can have an impact on certain elements of party planning, such as how many guests you need to provide food for.

So, at the end of your invitations you should include either a phone number or an e-mail address that your guests can use to RSVP. Alternatively, you can include a reply card in the envelope with the party invitation. This is a paper slip that invitees can fill out and send back to you to indicate whether or not they’re attending.
And don’t forget to include an RSVP deadline! For example: “RSVP by Monday 29th November”.

6. Order More Invitations than You Need

One of the mistakes people make when ordering party invitations is accidentally ordering too few of them. Chances are, you’ve planned out the guest list in advance, and so you’ll know how many people you’re inviting. But it’s always a mistake to order exactly 13 invitations if you’re inviting 13 guests.

Here’s why:
1) If you’ve accidentally forgotten somebody on your guest list, you won’t have a spare invitation to give to them
2) You may lose or misplace one or more invites, or they may get lost in the post, and you won’t have any spares as backups
3) You might make a mistake while addressing an envelope, spill something on an invitation or damage it in some other way

A good rule of thumb is to order 10% more invitations than you think you’ll need, or round up to the nearest 10 (whichever number is more). So if you think you need 16 invitations, round it up to 20, to give you at least a few spares.

Where Can I Order Personalised Party Invitations in the UK?

It’s important to show your guests that you know what you are doing and give them the right information so that everyone has a fun time. If you follow this guide while writing and designing your party invitations, you have no need to worry. You will have included everything that they need to know, and given them contact details just in case they have any more questions.

As to where you can order your party invitations, we suggest a professional stationer such as 123Print. On our website, you can browse through a collection of over 300 party invitation templates – far more than you’d find in any ordinary party shop! You’re bound to find a design that works for your party theme.

Within minutes you can edit your chosen theme online, add all of your party details, and place your order. Your invites will be printed and dispatched within 48 working hours. All that’s left is to address the envelopes! Start your party planning

How to Plan a Small Birthday Party: 9 Tips for Intimate Gatherings

Whether you are hosting a kid’s birthday party or an adult’s, you don’t need to hire a huge venue and invite dozens of guests for everyone to have a good time. Sometimes, smaller gatherings can be just as much fun – or even better.

For one thing, it’s cheaper to host and cater for fewer people. So, if you’re on a tight budget, having a more intimate gathering is a useful way of helping you save money. They’re also safer, as they allow for better social distancing. But best of all, small parties allow everyone to connect with one another, as the person whose birthday it is can spend more one-on-one time with each guest.

But if you’re used to hosting huge parties, you might scratch your head at the idea of planning a tiny birthday party. How do you keep things fun and festive with so few people? Here are nine valuable tips for planning a small birthday celebration that your guests will love.

1. Find a Small Venue or Host at Home

When it comes to small birthday parties, it’s best to scale back on the size of your venue. Booking a huge party hall for only 10 people is unnecessary and over-the-top; not to mention, a waste of money. The trouble is that it can be difficult to find smaller birthday party venues that won’t make your small gathering seem somewhat empty or lacking.
If you’re having fewer than a dozen guests, it makes more sense to host the party at home. It doesn’t matter if your house doesn’t look as perfect as a prop home out of an interior design catalogue: your party guests won’t care! As long as there’s food, drink, games and fun, everyone will have a great time anyway. Your guests will feel included and are happy they were invited.

You could even host the party outdoors – in your garden, or a local park. It’s free, there’s no need to decorate (as you’re surrounded by the beauty of nature), and it’s more pandemic-friendly, too.

2. Send Out Personalised Party Invitations

One of the great things about cosier birthday gatherings is that you can afford to spend more time on the little details. Sending out custom-designed party invitations adds a great personal touch to the occasion.

Professionally printed personalised party invitations may look fancy, but they aren’t expensive (especially because you don’t need to order very many of them for a smaller gathering). They’ll certainly make a great first impression on your invitees, compared to inviting them via text or buying a generic pack of party invites from the shop. You can design party invitations to suit almost any theme imaginable, and personalise them within minutes with the details of your party.

One huge benefit of sending out paper invitations is that it will encourage guests to take the party more seriously. They’re more likely to RSVP if they receive a physical invitation, especially if you include a reply card with it. This will help you get a more accurate head count, which is all-important for smaller gatherings.

3. Invest in Good Party Food

Virtually everyone loves food – especially when it comes to parties. If you asked the average person what’s the thing they’re most looking forward to about an upcoming birthday celebration, they’d probably answer “food” or “cake”!

So, don’t skimp on the food when you’re hosting your small gathering. Because you’ve got fewer guests, you don’t have to worry so much about catering costs, or prioritise serving the cheapest food possible. You can afford to be a little ‘extra’ if you want to, whether that’s by hiring a caterer, ordering a takeaway for everyone, or simply going all-out with a fancy home-made party spread.

You could even turn the food into a fun activity for everyone to get involved in. For example:
1) Have a make-your-own pizza party, with a selection of toppings
2) Cheese fondue
3) Chocolate fountain
4) Bake a few batches of cupcakes in advance, and set up a decoration station with different icings and sprinkles

Remember: well-fed guests are happy guests! And if this is an adult party, don’t forget the booze, too. This can really help ease the initial awkwardness of small parties.

4. Make Your Own Cake

No birthday party is complete without a birthday cake. But because you’re having a small party, it would be a bit unnecessary to order a custom birthday cake from a professional baker. These cakes are usually quite expensive, and big enough to feed at least 16-20 people, if not more.

You don’t have anywhere near that many guests, so to avoid wasting your money (and a lot of food), why not bake your own birthday cake at home? That way, you can control the size of the cake and ensure you only make enough for your party guests. You’ve also got free reign to flavour and decorate the cake to your exact liking.
If you’re no great shakes in the kitchen, no-one will begrudge you popping to the supermarket and picking up a little pre-made cake from their bakery. All you need is some party candles (and maybe a sparkler)!

5. Choose a Party Theme

Most birthday parties these days have a “theme”. Pirates, unicorns, dinosaurs and princesses are popular party themes for the little ones. A teenager might prefer a party based around their favourite book, video game, or movie. And as for the adults, your choices are almost endless – from “spa day” to “board game night” to “evening at the Oscars”. Themes always make party planning easier, as you have a central motif around which to base your decorations, activities and food. It will also make the whole thing feel more like a party, which is helpful if there won’t be many guests.

Themed paper plates, straws and balloons can really tie a kid’s themed party together. For more grown-up celebrations, you might invest in themed table centrepieces and crockery, a photo booth or tasteful buntings to hang on the wall.
Whatever theme you choose, ensure you forewarn your guests by picking a matching themed party invitation – and be sure to specify on the invite if you want your guests to dress up!

6. Think Carefully About Who to Invite

You don’t have to invite absolutely everyone you know to your birthday party to have a good time. This is something that a lot of people learn as they get older. However, what matters is who you invite.
If you know that you’re only going to invite a few guests this time – whether that’s for budget reasons, personal preference, or because of government restrictions – you should ensure you choose the right people. Pick those who you are closest to, and who you couldn’t imagine spending the day without. It’s also a great opportunity to invite people who are a little shyer, and don’t feel comfortable in big crowds.
Be sure to specify on your invitations if you don’t want guests to bring their children, or if plus-ones aren’t allowed. Having a head count twice as large as you’d planned may be a disaster at a smaller party.

7. Accept Help If You’re Offered It

You may think that a small birthday party will be quick, easy and stress-free to organise compared to a huge celebration with dozens of people in attendance. However, you might be surprised to learn that planning a smaller party can take just as much time to plan. And because there are so few guests, you may feel as though there’s a lot riding on you to make everything perfect.

So, if there are people that you’ve invited that want to extend a helping hand, let them. Whether they want to bring a side dish for your party table, pick up some decorations for you, or bring along their favourite board game to play, accept any help you’re offered. Don’t feel like you’re failing as a host just because someone else wanted to help out.

8. Plan Plenty of Party Activities

One of the problems with smaller birthday parties is that you have to plan specific activities for everyone. At larger gatherings, there are so many people there that you can almost get away with letting the party run itself – everyone will spend so long chatting and catching up that it’s an activity all on its own.

But if you’ve only got 6 people coming, you can’t rely on socialisation to take up more than a few minutes. So, plan some activities in advance that you can suggest if things start to get a little boring. For example:

1) Classic party games, such as pin the tail on the donkey, charades, musical chairs, and blind man’s buff
2) Manicures, pedicures and facials
3) Board games
4) Dance-off
5) Karaoke
6) Trivia
7) Wine tasting
8) Scavenger or treasure hunt
9) Put on a good film (with popcorn!)
10) Cocktail or mocktail making
11) Card games e.g. poker

You should base these activities around your party theme, as well as taking into consideration the personalities of whoever’s coming. If they’re party animals, they may not be interested in playing scrabble or trivial pursuit. But steer clear of dance-offs and karaoke if your friends are shy, or don’t like being the centre of attention.

9. Don’t Forget the Music

Some sort of music is absolutely vital at any party – but particularly a small party where you can’t rely as much on general chatter and babble for background noise. The last thing you want is for everyone to turn up and stand around awkwardly making small talk with no music playing help ease the awkward silences.

For a tiny party with only a few people, it’s not really feasible to hire live music or a DJ. So, make sure you at least invest in a good sound system (if you don’t have one, ask around – someone in your family or friend group will have one you can borrow) and make a great party playlist to have playing in the background throughout the day/evening. And clear a space for people to dance, just in case!

Order Your Personalised Party Invitations Today with 123Print

When you’re ready to order your personalised party invitations, head over to 123Print and browse our fantastic range of templates. We have designs suitable for a whole range of occasions, including kid’s parties, boozy grown-up bashes, baby showers and everything in between. And don’t forget the RSVP cards, especially if it’s important for you to have an accurate head count before the big day.

While you’re there, did you know that we also stock a fabulous range of fully customisable birthday cards? They’re perfect for milestone birthdays, or if you simply want to show the birthday person just how much they mean to you. You can edit the message inside with your own wording, and even add your own artwork or photograph to the card for a special touch.

We aim to dispatch and ship out all orders within 2 working days of customer proof approval. So what are you waiting for? Start preparing for your perfect birthday party today!

Are Personalised Party Invitations Really Worth the Cost (and Why)?

Whether you’re planning a birthday party, an anniversary party, a baby shower or any other celebration, you want it to be an occasion worth remembering. Not only for the benefit of the person or people you’re celebrating, but also for your party guests!
After all, you’ve spent so much money and time planning the event – you want it to stick out in everyone’s minds for years to come.

When it comes to inviting said guests, you might be wondering whether it’s worth the cost to invest in personalised, custom-printed party invitations. Wouldn’t it be easier – and cheaper – simply to buy pre-printed invitations from a party supply shop, or even to send out a Facebook invitation?

As it turns out, personalised party invitations aren’t that expensive, and are quick and easy to design and order – but they can make a world of difference to your guests’ experience, and the overall vibe of the party!

So, without further ado, let’s discuss the ins and outs of personalised party invitations and why you might go the extra mile for a special event.

Why Choose Personalised Party Invitations?

There are many reasons why personalised party invitations are worth the cost.
Personalised Party Invitations Create a Great First Impression

Standard pre-printed party invitations are available from most UK high-street party supply and greeting card shops. Now, there’s nothing really wrong with these invitations – but they are generic, and, well, a bit boring.

How many hundreds of times have those designs been used? Perhaps, in the past, you’ve received the same design invitation for different people’s birthday parties. How did it make you feel about the party—were your expectations set at a high level, or did you expect a run-of-the-mill birthday celebration?

And what about receiving a Facebook or text-message party invitation? You probably felt as though the party wasn’t that big of a deal – maybe not even one worth RSVPing to.
Sending a personalised party invitation helps to create a great first impression of the event right from the get-go, and also lets your guests know that this party is going to be a big deal!

Personalised Party Invitations Save Time and Effort

One major advantage of personalised cards over shop-bought is that there is no requirement to write anything. With a personalised card, all relevant information, including venue address and party start time, can be printed on the invitation – whereas on a pre-printed invite, you have to write it all by hand. Not only is that extremely time-consuming, especially if you’re inviting lots of guests (hand cramp, anyone?) but it also doesn’t look very professional! And the same goes for texting (or calling) each and every invitee.

Although personalised party invitations cost a little more, the time saved more than makes up for it.

Personalised Party Invitations Help Build Excitement

If you’re planning a birthday party for your son who’s a huge fan of comic books and superhero movies, wouldn’t it be amazing to design a personalised superhero themed party invitation with bold, primary colours and comic-book style graphics? Then you can personalise it with his name, age, and party details.

If you were to receive that invitation, it would naturally set high expectations for the party and even inspire you to make a bigger effort to attend and buy an expensive present. It will also create excitement and a sense of anticipation for a party or event. People who would ordinarily avoid a party might be intrigued enough to come if they receive a special invitation.

While it’s more effort than just buying a bog-standard pack from a local shop, the upside is invaluable. Imagine how happy your partner will be when their best friends flock to their 50th birthday party, gifts in hand. The extra effort pays dividends and shows that you care.

What Type of Events Can Use a Personalised Party Invitation?

Through personalisation, you can create invitations for any purpose—perhaps you’re planning a summer barbeque or scavenger hunt for friends and family, and want to make it special, with a fancy personalised invitation. It’s great for setting the party’s tone and expectations.

There is no limit to the imagination that you can put into this type of invitation. Including the words RSVP elevates the feeling of the recipient—it feels like a party they should attend.

This could be any type of celebration or event that you could imagine. For example:

1) Retirement parties. Make an imaginative invitation, chronicling their work-life and show appreciation for the sacrifices they made in bringing you up.
2) Anniversary parties. If you’re planning to host a party on your parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, create a customised invitation in a golden colour scheme with a picture of them on their wedding day.
3) Birthday parties. Invite friends and family to your son or daughter’s 18th birthday celebration in style, with an invitation personalised with their name, party details and gift list.
4) Surprise parties. Plan a special surprise birthday celebration for your partner’s 40th birthday. For fun, include a baby picture, and add a personalised note reminding people not to spoil the surprise.
5) Baby showers. Pick an adorable baby-themed party invitation and instruct guests to dress up in pink or blue, according to their guess for the baby’s gender!

Don’t forget to include RSVP details on the invitation, so your guests know how to let you know they’re coming! This is particularly important if you’ll need a final head count before the big day.

Personalised Party Invitations for Themed Events

When it comes to themed parties, the options are almost endless. For example:

1) If you’re considering a Harry Potter-themed birthday or Halloween party, complete with Quidditch, butterbeer and broomsticks, remember to use the same themes in your party invitation.
2) For a Christmas party invitation, use Christmas themes, including bold red, green and white colours in your invitation.
3) Plan a murder mystery party and create a personalised invitation using a Raymond Chandler, film noir style, and spike the theme by writing RSVP in an ominous blood-red-style font.
4) Design a spooky invitation to a Halloween party with this Boneyard design.
5) Create a scavenger hunt invitation and design the card around the theme of the scavenger hunt and, for added spice, include the first cryptic clue.
6) Throw a special university graduation party for your son or daughter, inviting friends and family with a graduation themed invitation.
7) Invite friends and family to the first night of an amateur dramatics show, featuring themes and lyrics from the show on the invitation.

A themed and personalised party invitation will quickly let guests know what to expect and how to dress (or what sort of present to bring), and will get them excited for what’s to come!

How Can You Personalise a Party Invitation?

As mentioned above, the options for personalisation are extensive. For example, look at the huge variety of invitation templates and design options available from 123Print, a UK-based professional printing company.

Invitation Size

Two sizes are available, standard (A6) and large (A5).
The larger A5 size gives much more scope for design and personalisation. It’s ideal for invitations that you’ll need to fit a lot of text and details on. The smaller A6 size, commonly used for postcards, is more convenient for delivery. Which size you choose is completely up to you, but depends in part on your budget, as the larger size is slightly more expensive. (Worth it, though!)

Choice of Templates

Hundreds of default templates are available, covering a wide number of themes and occasions. Each design includes a thematic image with some default text. Every party invitation template can be fully customised using a flexible, completely free and easy-to-use design editor capable of modifying any aspect of the template, including the text content.

The editor can update text position, font type/style, size and colour. But if you want to save time and you’re happy to use a default design, all you need to do to get an amazing custom invitation is to add your party details, and you’re good to go!

Custom “Blank Slate” Design

Can’t find a party invitation design that’s quite right? If so, you can start with a completely blank template and upload custom artwork to the editor. If your design requirements are specific, employ a graphic designer and upload their content to the editor! It’s a more expensive option, but you’ll get an incredible looking invitation.
It’s also possible to upload pictures directly from a computer, Facebook feed or Instagram channel.

Reverse Side

Don’t forget that invitations have two sides, and they’re both worth taking advantage of! It’s possible to be just as creative with the reverse side as it is the front. Add extra party details such as the dress code – or why not add a picture of the birthday person?

Order Your Personalised Party Invitations Today with 123Print!

At 123Print, we’ve got over 100 years’ worth of experience printing professional-quality party invitations, thank you cards, business cards and a wealth of other stationery through our parent company, CCA occasions.

Have a browse today through our extensive selection of party invitations to find one that’s right for you – or start from scratch!

The party invitation editor is free to use—no payment is required until you’re happy with the design and ready to order. And you don’t need to do it all at once: if you create an account, you can save your design half-way through to work on at a later time. If the party is an annual event, you can even re-edit and print a new invitation for the next year.
With a 100% satisfaction guarantee, you’re bound to be pleased with your custom invitations – and so will your guests. Get started on planning your perfect party today with 123Print!