Top 10 Ways To Improve Your DIY Invites

1. Don't use the same fonts your job makes you use on emails. Comic Sans is ugly on emails and is just as ugly on your invites. See my previous post on where to find cool fonts and how to download them to avoid having to use boring word processor fonts.
   
2. Do incorporate color choices you've made on decorative elements for your party into your invitations. It makes for a cohesive, well planned look.


3. Do use the internet to find royalty free images and photos to incorporate into your design. A good free source is Flikr's Creative Commons section. For low-cost purchase options iStockphoto is a good choice.


4. Don't include additional insertion cards for the sake of including them. You're better off editing your wording down to be clear and consise for your guests as opposed to making them read lengthly cards full of information that they can find elsewhere.
   
5. If you don't have the best penmanship, ellicit the help of a friend with beautiful handwriting to address your envelopes. Otherwise either print or make labels using the same fonts you designed your invitation with on a mail merge program. Not that this will make or break your invitations it just adds to the overall elegance of what you're presenting.


6. Don't put glitter or some other item some folks might consider "messy" in your envelopes. You don't want angry OCD guests. If you are creating a box invitation where the glitter/fairydust etc. is contained and won't dump out as easily when opening, that's a different story.


7. Do consider your envelope when factoring postage. Square envelopes cost more money to mail than standard A7's (5"x7"). Also consider if your invitation has additional embelishments that create a "bump" in the envelope or your envelope is very rigid once you insert the invitation that the invitations will probably have to be hand cancelled at your post office, so don't just drop them in the mailbox.


8. Do be sure to order extra stock and materials for any errors. It sometimes takes several print runs even on a home inkjet printer to get your margins just right, and having the extra stock available allows you to get it just perfect.


9. Do remember to proofread! Typos happens to everyone. Nothing's worse than people receiving your invitations to Brian's Birthday party but it's written "Brain's Birthday Party" and you're the only one who's not aware of it.


10. Do make your invitations have personality. One of the easiest ways to do this is with the wording. Use the internet for inspiration on different phrasing and wording that suits you and your event best and use that to create an invitation that's perfect for you.