Design Unique Printed Stationery and Invitations with Basic Invite
Who uses printed stationery any more? It’s a good question to ask since most correspondence is exchanged digitally. But there are occasions when a beautiful printed card is not only appropriate but desirable. Basic Invite offers gorgeous designs in yummy colors so the cards you send get pinned to the fridge, not pitched into the trash.
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Assuming I have some stamps!
And, business cards are still a thing. Don’t get me wrong. The whole physical exchange of business cards is awkward, but it’s still done, even at social media conferences where the attendees are experts in all things digital. And an attractive or unusual one sets you apart from the pack.
Open Suitcase Tip: Think vertical instead of horizontal, when designing our your business card. Or, try rounded corners.
I rebranded my website, so I was in the market for new business cards. Plus, my family moved. So, my old stationery was relegated to use as scratch paper. Oh. And my little one is graduating from college. Having thank you cards for graduation money will definitely make it easier for her to get them in the mail.
Printed Stationery is Better than Digital For…
- Business Cards
- Special Event Invitations – Graduation, Wedding, Baby’s 1st Birthday
- Personal Correspondence
- Thank You Notes
The Best Place to Buy Custom Printed Stationery
I like to live analog in a digital world when I can, but my brick and mortar retail stationery store options are limited. We have a local printer, but he deals in large quantity printing and has abandoned his showroom. I could go to a large, big box office supply store, but I’m sure the clerks don’t have a design eye to help me get the best look. The only other retail option is a boutique paper store. The quality is excellent but the prices are very high.
The best choice for designing my new stationery is an online retailer but the market is crowded with options. What I was looking for was a site with a variety of appealing designs and lots of ways to personalize my stationery.
So I was happy to discover BasicInvite.com.
Online Design and Helpful Customer Assistance
Basic Invite lets you design truly custom invitations, business cards and stationery. I created an account and got busy looking at the different options for style and design.
I have a confession to make. Any portal that let’s me monkey around with color, font, design elements, etc. has the potential to become a time sucking rabbit hole that I can disappear down for days.
My solution was to stick with Basic Invite’s pretty design templates and make some very basic color/font changes. It was really easy to do. Basic Invite also lets you upload your own photos and logos. This took me a little longer. I had some trouble getting the dimensions correct. Basic Invite has a live chat feature but it was closed when I sent my SOS. I got an email that answered my question the very next day and sent off my sample order.
Basic Invite is offering 15% off custom stationery, including 2018 graduation party invitations: Coupon Code: 15FF51
Within hours, I received an email alert that there was an issue with one of my designs. The Basic Invite customer service is outstanding. All orders are reviewed to make sure photos are crisp and text is aligned correctly. If you need design assistance, it’s available for an additional fee.
I logged back into the dashboard and headed to the proof center. There was a detailed message from one of the Basic Invite designers. I followed her advice and corrected my design in a few minutes.
Basic Invite Prints Actual Samples to Have and Hold
After submitting the final design, I received a shipping notice. My sample cards arrived 2 days later, via US Priority Mail. They were packaged in a sealed, cellophane wrapper, inside a kraft envelope to protect them from damage. I opened them carefully and…
Wow! The quality on the samples was high end. The paper stock is heavy and feels good. Another confession – I’m the type of person who shops for clothing by running my hand along the racks and across the shelves. It’s all in the touch, baby.
And the colors! Deep and rich. With over 180+ color options, you have a rainbow to choose from with Basic Invite. When you’re designing, you can see live previews of all of these colors in each of the elements in your card or invitation. And, you have 40 different envelope hues too. The stationery or invitation you design is going to be uniquely yours. Guaranteed.
Decision Time
I can’t stress the value in receiving actual samples to help choose your final cards and designs. For example, I ordered the same card in two different paper choices: smooth coated and premium shimmer. They looked totally different to me – the premium shimmer gave a true vintage look to the intricate floral design. If I’d ordered the other one without seeing the two side by side, I would have been disappointed.
Placing the Order with Basic Invite
After reviewing all of the samples, I decided to order the pretty botanical cards. I can use these for all of my personal correspondence, including thank you’s. To order, I logged back into my account, went to saved products, chose the card and made some final edits, including choosing the envelope color (cream) and adding a pre-printed return address.
My final, per-card price, after discount was $2.19. I’ve paid more for a cheap and cheesy drugstore thank-you card. But never again.