You know that envelope (invitation, response card, etc.) you just ruined? Don’t throw it out. Use it as a template to make your corrections. You now know where you don’t want your text. Make your corrections and just run it through the printer a second (or even 3rd or 4th) time. Just use a different color print each time so you know to where you’ve moved your text.

In the examples below, I’ve blurred the names and address. So don’t worry, your vision hasn’t gone selectively blurry.

As you can see from the Invitation below I ended up printing it 3 times. Once my orientation was wrong. And then my placement was off. By using 2 different colors I was able to run the invite through and get the orientation and placement right. The flowers in the lower left, added a bit of a fun in getting just the reception inforrmation to move to the right.

I use Microsoft Publisher for most of my publishing. Mail merges are a pain, but the plus is the text boxes stay put and can be placed anywhere. With the invite above, the flowers in the lower right created fun with which Word would have had problems.  I just used a blank & empty text box to force the reception information to the right.

The image below is the back of the invitation envelope. As you can see, the 1st time I ran it through, I had the the text on the file in the wrong place (at the bottom). And actually that is the 2nd time I ran it through the printer.  The first time I had the envelope in the printer wrong and ended up printing on the front of the envelope.  The 2nd time I ran it through on the back, I moved the text in the file, but the text was not where I wanted it on the envelope (I wanted it very close to the edge of the flap).  I ran this envelope through the printer a total of 6 times – for the back – until I finally got the text where I wanted it.  Horizontally it never moves, vertically well, lets just say I was challenged.

Another tip is … Know Your Printer. Mine doesn’t like odd sized paper – which seems to be anything other than 8.5″x11″. Ok, it’s not that tempermental, but I can’t run just any old size through and have it come out brilliantly on the first try (which is obvious from these pictures). Ususally I have to choose a paper size close to that with which I am working and make modifications to the location of the text on the file in order to get it to print right. To the left is the front of the response envelope. With these envelopes, I had to flatten them out to get a size that my printer liked. And then when I ran them though flap first they kept jamming. So I ran them through bottom first, which meant my text on the envelope was upside down.  Which is another reason to use Publisher. Rotating the text boxes is a snap. I got the vertical location on the 2nd try (the first one – just the hearts are visable – I had the text box in the upright position, not the upside down position).  On the 3rd try (black ink) I got things just where I wanted them.

The image below is the front of a card the bride wanted to add for the original wedding party.  The handwritten note on the bottom “bottom up” is from the printing of the inside.  It let me know that that is part of the page is furthest away from the printer and that that side was up when printing.  The black line mid-way up is my fold.  As you can see, again I got the vertical ok but my horizontal was off. (red was the 1st print and black was the 2nd print).  The inside, both the horizontal and vertical were off on the 1st print.  I use various techinques to mark where I want my text to go – including an MS clipart of the letter x. I use rulers, pens, lights and some luck. And that is a post for another day.

When printing invitations, response cards, etc. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS over estimate how many you need and buy an extra box. It’s always best to have too many than to run short. You will ruin at least 1 when printing. If you have an unopened box you can return it (just stick the receipt in the box so you don’t loose it) or sell it (online, at a yard sales, give it to a friend, etc).