Invitation Maker

How to make a printable invitation

1. Pick the occasion. It sets the top line (“Come and celebrate!”, “You’re invited to our”, “Please join us for”) and a matching design; until you type, you see a finished example.
2. Pick ready wording, or write your own. Wording ideas has 49 sets we wrote for work parties, staff lunches, family dinners, gift swaps, birthdays and more. A pick fills the top line, the title and the details at once; then change any word. Words in [brackets] are for you to replace.
3. Type what, when and where. “What” is the big line: “Mia is turning 6”, “Christmas Party”, “Dinner at Ours”. Add the date, start and end time, the address, an RSVP date and who guests reply to. Leave a box empty and that line disappears from the card.
4. Add a photo if you like. The birthday child, the couple, last year’s party. It is placed in a circle, an arch or a frame depending on the design, and it stays on your phone or computer.
5. Print, or send a link. Download the PDF (A4 or US Letter) or a 300 dpi PNG, print at actual size and cut. Or press Send as a link and paste it into WhatsApp, a text or an e-mail: it opens as a full-screen invitation on the guest’s phone with an Add to calendar button.

Questions

Is this invitation maker free and printable?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no paid version, and every download is a print-ready file: a PDF with the cards at true size and cut lines, or the same sheet as a 300 dpi PNG. Fourteen designs: Confetti, Bunting and Sunshine for children’s parties, Pumpkin night (a moon, bats and a row of jack-o’-lanterns) and Friendly ghosts (smiling ghosts and sweets on a pale lilac card) for Halloween, Harvest (an autumn-leaf garland and acorns) for Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving, Black and gold for a milestone birthday, Evergreen and Snowfall for Christmas, Ugly sweater (a fair-isle knitted band and a pom-pom jumper) for a Christmas jumper party, Supper for a dinner, Watercolour for a baby shower, Simple for anything else, and an ink-saving black-and-white one for a printer low on colour.

Can I make a birthday invitation with a photo?

Yes. Press Add a photo and choose any picture on your device. The card makes room for it at the top, crops it to fill the shape (a little above centre, where faces usually are) and shrinks the text to fit underneath. A photo that is sharp on your phone screen is plenty for a printed card: 1,000 pixels across fills a 5 × 7 photo circle at well over 200 dpi. Pick a photo with the face in the middle, because the edges are cropped.

How does sending it as a link work, and why is my photo not in it?

Every detail you typed (the occasion, the design and each line) is written into the link itself, after the “#”. That part of a link is never sent to any server, so the invitation exists only in the messages you send it in; we never see it and cannot lose it. The photo cannot travel that way: even a small photo is hundreds of kilobytes, while a link only carries a few thousand characters reliably through WhatsApp, SMS and e-mail. So guests see the design without the photo. If the photo matters, send the PNG as well.

One rule we keep: a link only contains words you typed. If you changed some boxes but left our example in others (say, our example address), the page asks you to type over or clear those boxes first, so no guest is ever sent to 12 Oak Road by mistake. An untouched example can be sent as it is, to try the link out.

How do RSVPs work?

Replies go to you directly. Whatever you type in “Reply to” is printed as “RSVP by Saturday 31 October to Sarah, 07700 900123”. In a link, a phone number also becomes a Reply by text button and an e-mail address a Reply by e-mail button that opens a message addressed to you. We collect nothing: there is no guest list, no tracking of who opened the link, and no reply form, so keep track of yeses in your own messages.

What does “Add to calendar” do?

It makes a standard calendar file (.ics) on the guest’s phone, which iPhone, Android, Outlook and Google Calendar all open. The event has the title, the place, the start and end time and the RSVP details. Times are “floating”: 7:00 pm is 7:00 pm wherever the guest’s phone is, which is what a party means. With no end time the event lasts two hours, an end time before the start (say 20:00 to 01:00) runs past midnight, and with no start time it is an all-day event.

What should a party invitation say?

Who or what it is for, the day and date, the start time (and the end time for a children’s party, so parents know when to collect), the full address, and how and by when to reply. The details line is for what guests need to know before they come: “swimming costume and towel”, “dress code: black tie”, “bring a bottle”, “no gifts please, just you”. For a Christmas party, say whether partners and children are invited and mention a Secret Santa or a gift limit if there is one; ask for replies about ten days ahead so you can plan the food.

What should I write on a Christmas party invitation for work?

Colleagues read a work invitation for the practical answers, so put them first: the day, the start and finish time, the place, and who pays (“food and drinks on the company” or “pay your own way after 9”). Say whether partners are invited, because people ask. If there is a Secret Santa, give the spending limit in the details line. Keep the tone warm but plain (“A thank-you for a great year”), and choose “Holiday Party” or “End-of-Year Celebration” if not everyone on the team celebrates Christmas. For a staff lunch, ask for menu choices and allergies with the reply, and give the RSVP date about two weeks ahead, since venues often want final numbers a week before. The Christmas work party and Staff Christmas lunch wording ideas are written this way.

How do I word a Christmas dinner invitation for family?

Family invitations can be short and personal (“All of us, together again”), but the timing matters more than for a party: give both the time to arrive and the time you plan to eat, because the gap between “come at 1” and “dinner at 2” is when people get lost or stuck in traffic. Say who is invited by name if it is not the whole family, ask who is staying over, and if you would like help, name one thing to bring (“a pudding or a cheese board”) rather than “bring something”, which brings three trifles.

What are funny Christmas party invitation ideas?

A joke works best in the top line or the details, while the date, time and address stay plain so nobody misreads them. Good jokes are small and about the party itself: a dress code (“ugly jumpers encouraged, plain clothes will be judged”), the food (“mince pies in amounts your doctor would frown at”) or a pun (“Ho ho hold the date”). Avoid jokes about guests, and for a work party keep it to what you would say out loud to the whole office. For a white elephant or gift swap, state the price limit and that gifts can be stolen; the White Elephant Generator shuffles a fair turn order and prints the rules for the night.

What should an ugly sweater party invitation say?

Pick Ugly sweater party above: the card switches to the knitted design (a fair-isle band top and bottom and a jumper with pom-poms), and the wording ideas offer six ready versions: funny, contest, office, kids, potluck and tacky-lights. Whichever you use, the invitation has to answer four questions, because guests will ask them.

• The dress code. Say plainly that a festive jumper is expected, and how far to go: “the tackier the better” for friends, or “any festive top counts” at work, so nobody feels they have to buy one. A light-hearted “plain clothes will be judged” makes the point without sounding strict.
• The contest. If there is judging, give the time (“judging at 9”) so nobody has taken theirs off by then, and say how the winner is picked: a vote by everyone is fairer than one judge.
• The prize. Name it, or at least say there is one: a small trophy, a box of chocolates or “first pick of the leftovers”. Two categories (ugliest and most homemade) give the people who made their own a chance.
• For the office. Keep the jokes about jumpers, not people; put the practical answers first (the day, the time, the room and whether it is during work hours); say a festive top or a Christmas tie counts; and use “Holiday Party” if not everyone celebrates Christmas. The Office-safe wording idea is written this way.

Put the joke in the top line or the details, and keep the date, time and address plain so nobody misreads them. If guests bring food, the details line is the place to say so (“bring a dish to share”), and the RSVP date tells you how many to expect, about a week ahead.

What should I write on a Halloween party invitation?

Pick Halloween party above: the card switches to the Pumpkin night design, the date jumps to the Saturday on or before 31 October (Halloween itself in 2026, Saturday 30 October in 2027), and the wording ideas offer five versions for children and five for grown-ups. Unless you have chosen a design yourself, a kids’ wording switches the card to Friendly ghosts, which is cheerful rather than scary and uses far less ink than the dark night sky. What the invitation needs to say depends on who it is for:

• For children, write to the parents. Give a clear start and pick-up time (most children’s Halloween parties run two to three hours, ending by 7 or 8 on a school night), say whether parents should stay, and say whether costumes are expected or just welcome, so nobody arrives as the only child in plain clothes. If you are going trick-or-treating, say where you meet, when you set off, that a grown-up comes along, and to bring a torch: on 31 October it is dark by about half past six in most of the US, and before half past five in the UK once the clocks have gone back. Mention food if there are sweets (“treats will be nut-free”) so parents of children with allergies can plan.
• For grown-ups, the costume rule comes first. “Costumes encouraged” and “no costume, no entry” are very different parties, so say which. If there is a prize, give the judging time. For a dinner, say whether it is seated and roughly when food is served, and ask about diets in the RSVP. A theme (“come as a film villain”) helps people who find costumes hard; a spare box of masks by the door, said on the card, takes the pressure off the costume-shy.

Keep the jokes in the top line or the details and the date, time and address plain. Ready examples: “Grab your treat bag and meet us for Trick-or-Treating” or “Dine by candlelight at our Spooky Supper”.

How far ahead should I send a Halloween party invitation?

Two to three weeks before for a children’s party, and three to four weeks for a grown-up costume party: costumes take time to find or make, and the last weekend of October fills up fast with other Halloween parties, school events and trick-or-treating. In 2026 Halloween falls on a Saturday, so expect more clashes than usual and send early, by about 10 October for a party on the 31st. Ask for replies about a week before (the example invitation does this), which still leaves time to buy food and sweets for the right number. If you are sending it as a link, a reminder message two or three days before helps. A week’s notice can work for a small, casual get-together, but say so on the card (“short notice, come as you are”) rather than leaving people worried about costumes.

What should I write on a Friendsgiving invitation?

Pick Friendsgiving / Thanksgiving above: the card switches to the Harvest design (a twig of autumn leaves across the top, leaves and acorns at the foot), the date jumps to the Saturday before US Thanksgiving (Saturday 21 November in 2026, Saturday 20 November in 2027), and the wording ideas offer five Friendsgiving versions (potluck, funny, thankful-for-friends, host-cooks and vegetarian) and four for a family Thanksgiving dinner. A Friendsgiving invitation has more to say than a dinner invitation, because guests usually cook part of it:

• Who cooks what. Say whether it is a potluck and what you are making yourself (“we’ll do the turkey and gravy”), so nobody brings a second turkey. If it is a potluck, ask guests to say their dish when they reply, or send the sign-up sheet below.
• When you eat, not just when you start. “Drinks from 4, dinner at 5” lets people time a dish that has to arrive hot.
• Diets and allergies. Ask for them by the RSVP date; with ten or more people at least one guest is usually vegetarian or avoiding something.
• Containers for leftovers. Worth a line, even as the joke: “leftovers are compulsory, bring a tub”.

Saturday before Thanksgiving is the usual slot because most guests are free and still in town; the Saturday or Sunday after works for friends who travel home for the holiday itself.

How do I organise a potluck sign-up?

Use the Potluck sign-up sheet near the end of the form, just above “Print and cut”: set how many lines you want for mains, sides, desserts and drinks, then download it as a PDF or PNG on A4 or US Letter, in the same design as the invitation, with your title, date and place at the top. Each line has room for a name and a dish, with the category already printed, so a guest can see at a glance that the desserts are taken and the sides are not. A rough guide for the counts: one main for every five or six guests, sides for about a third of the guests, one dessert for every four or five, and two or three people on drinks; the default (3 mains, 5 sides, 3 desserts, 3 drinks) suits about 14 people. Lines are 7 to 12 mm tall, the height of a handwritten line, so one page holds up to 29 lines on A4 and 26 on Letter; ask for more and the biggest groups are cut back to fit. Two honest limits: the sheet is paper, so it works best printed and put by the door, or posted as the PNG in a group chat where people reply with their line; and nothing here collects the replies for you, as no guest list is stored anywhere. If you are the host, put your own dishes on the sheet first, so guests can see what is already covered.

What size are the invitations, and how do I print them?

5 × 7 in (127 × 178 mm) is the most common invitation size; two print side by side on a landscape sheet. A6 (105 × 148 mm) is the European postcard size; two per sheet at true size, or four per sheet at about 99 × 140 mm on A4 (95 × 134 mm on Letter), which is as large as four can be while staying 6 mm clear of every edge, the strip most home printers cannot reach. Print at 100% on card of 200 to 300 g/m² (about 75 to 110 lb cover), feeding one sheet at a time from the rear tray if your printer has one.

Can I download the invitation as a Word document to edit?

Yes. Press Download Word (.docx) and you get the invitation as an editable Word table: every line you typed (the top line, the headline, the details, the date, the time, the place and the RSVP line) is real text you can retype, recolour or change the font of, set in Georgia in the design’s colours, with the card filled in the design’s background colour. What you get follows the preview: in Card view, one invitation on a page, as one table cell the true size of the card (127 × 178 mm for 5 × 7 in, 105 × 148 mm for A6); in Print sheet view, the whole sheet, two or four cells side by side on an A4 or Letter page, with the grey cell borders as your cut lines and a 6 mm margin round the page. It opens in Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Google Docs and Apple Pages. The design comes with it: the card’s art (the confetti, bunting, holly, frames, the knitted jumper, the divider) and your photo are one picture placed behind the words, painted by the same code as the PDF, and the words sit on top where the PDF puts them. What still differs: the art is a 200 dpi picture, so to change the design or the photo you change it here and download again (or use Word’s Change Picture), and the lettering is Georgia rather than the PDF’s fitted faces. Four A6 cards on a sheet come out a little smaller in Word than in the PDF (about 98 × 138 mm on A4 and 91 × 129 mm on Letter, against 99 × 140 and 95 × 134 mm), so the short instruction line still fits above them. A long headline wraps in Word rather than shrinking, so check the preview in Word before printing at 100%.

Are there envelopes to go with the printable invitations?

Yes, on the Envelope Maker: choose A7 for a 5 × 7 in card or A6 for an A6 card, add the guest’s name and address, print it on any A4 or Letter paper (wrapping paper and old maps work too) and fold along the lines.