Cotton, linen, felt, or smooth? A plain-English guide to picking invitation paper that photographs well and doesn't blow your budget.
By We Print Today · Published 2026-07-10
Couples come into our shop with beautiful Etsy or Canva designs and then freeze at one question: "What paper should I print it on?" Here's the short version of the answer we give every week.
Paper weight is measured in pounds (lb) or grams-per-square-meter (gsm). For invitations you want something that feels substantial in the hand:
Our default. Clean, timeless, prints crisp text and photographs beautifully under natural light. Works with every design style.
A subtle crosshatch texture. Reads as "classic wedding." Adds about 20% to the paper cost. Skip it if your design has fine hairline elements — the texture can break up thin strokes.
Deeper, softer texture. Very tactile. Best for minimalist typographic designs. Not ideal for heavy ink coverage or dark backgrounds.
The premium option — thick, soft, matte, and it takes letterpress and foil beautifully. Roughly 2–3× the cost of standard cardstock. If you're doing letterpress on the South Shore, this is what you want.
For a typical 100-piece wedding suite from a Canva or Etsy design, 110 lb smooth uncoated cover hits the sweet spot: it feels legitimately premium, prints crisply, ships without denting, and keeps the whole suite under most couples' stationery budgets. Upgrade to cotton or linen only on the main invitation if you want a splurge moment.
Bring us your Canva, Etsy, or Pinterest design — we'll match it to the right paper and give you a firm quote the same day. See our wedding printing options