What 500 wedding invitations really cost

Wedding cards are a large part of our work from September to February, and families usually start with one question: how much will 500 cards cost? The answer depends mostly on the paper and the finishing, so here is how a typical order adds up.

Take a folded card, 7 by 10 inches when closed, printed in four colours on both sides of 300 gsm textured board, with a matching envelope. At 500 copies on our offset press, paper costs about ₹9,500, plates and printing about ₹6,000, and cutting and creasing ₹1,500. The basic card and envelope come to about ₹17,000, or ₹34 a card.

Finishing is where costs rise. Gold foil on the names and a border adds a foil die at ₹1,800 and about ₹4 a card. Embossing a monogram adds a similar amount. A single printed insert for the reception, in a contrasting colour, adds ₹2,500 for 500. With foil, an insert and a ribbon tied by hand at ₹3 a card, the total reaches about ₹25,000, or ₹50 a card. Design from our studio starts at ₹1,500 with two rounds of changes.

To save, keep the size standard, which uses the paper sheet without waste, and use foil on one side only. Order 50 more cards than your list; reprinting 50 later costs almost as much as the first 500. Allow three weeks from final proof to delivery in the wedding season.