Many couples decide to create their own wedding invitations to save money and to personalize their invites. Before deciding on the different types of wedding invitations and paper options, be sure to have your set wedding day details like the date, place, dress code and other information. The type of ink used, and the actual printing style will both play an artistic role in this process.

There are several different printing types when making your own wedding invitations. These include Digital, or Flat, and either Digital White, Digital Foil or a combination of Digital White and Digital Foil. These invitation types are generally more economical. This version is also fast. The White and Foil types cost a bit more but are well worth the extra for the stunning and professional-looking results.

Many couples prefer to use Letterpress to make their invitations. Metal plates press the ink down onto the paper leaving the surface textured and slightly raised. You will want to use thicker paper that is softer and more pliable. Cotton paper is a popular selection that also gives the invitation a classy appearance. Letterpress invites are a little more expensive, and each color will need to be done separately. Most couples use only two or three colors to lessen the bother and price. It is also possible to combine both letterpress with flat printing.

Another invitation printing style is Spot Color, or Offset Printing, which prints color much like digital which is flat. However, digital alone only has about 4 main colors, and Spot Color print type comes with 12 primary hues and more can be created to customize your colors.

Foil Stamping is becoming more common in wedding invitations. Originally, this printing style used foil colors of silver, gold and rose gold. Today, there are many different color options in foil paper. This gives any invite some drama and sparkle. Foil stamping is done like Letterpress using metal plates.

Engraving is a classic style of wedding invitation printing. A specialized printer creates a metal plate and thick ink is then pressed onto the plate giving the lettering a raised effect. This is pricey to do on your own.

Laser cut is a gorgeous style that uses colored paper, foil or cardstock that is intricately laser cut to allow words to show underneath in a different color. The effect is much like lace.

Thermography uses targeted heat to melt glue and ink down onto the paper. When finished, the raised colored lettering will look and feel like plastic with a shiny surface.

Embossing presses upwards on the paper to get a raised texture that is not colored. This is used mainly on the graphics.

Types of wedding invitation paper include board, cotton fiber, recycled paper, vellum, linen finish, pearlescent and glassine. There are also some free or low-cost online invitation designs that can be downloaded quickly for use.