Custom Birthday Invitations

Sizes for Every Kind of Party

A6, at 105 x 148 mm, is the standard size for children's party invitations. It fits a small envelope, slips easily into a book bag and has room for the essentials. A5, at 148 x 210 mm, gives more space for a photograph or a longer message and is popular for milestone birthdays. Square invitations, around 140 x 140 mm, feel a little more modern and get spotted first in a pile of post, though they may cost more to send by Royal Mail than an oblong card.

DL size, at 99 x 210 mm, is a slim format that suits adult parties and fits a standard DL envelope. It looks elegant with a short, centred design and works well if your party has a single headline detail, such as a venue or a theme. Milestone cards for a shared celebration are often ordered with wedding invitations in the same size so the stationery matches.

Card Weight, Finish and Feel

Invitation card is measured by weight. Lighter card is fine for a quick children's invite, but a heavier stock feels more substantial in the hand and stands up on a shelf. For milestone parties, a thick uncoated card with a slightly textured surface has a lovely handmade quality, and it takes handwriting well if guests' names are to be added by hand.

Coated cards with a silk or gloss surface make photographs and bright cartoon colours look sharp. A soft-touch laminate adds a velvety feel. Foil in gold, silver or rose gold on a number or a name is the single most effective upgrade for a big birthday and costs little on short runs. Rounded corners are another small detail that makes a card feel finished. Our guide comparing print and finish options explains foil, lamination and spot gloss side by side.

Writing the Wording

Good invitation wording answers every question a guest might have. Start with whose birthday it is and the age or occasion, then give the date, start and finish time and the full venue address including postcode. Add how to reply, by when, and whether there is a theme or dress code. For children's parties, it helps to say whether parents are expected to stay and to mention any food or allergy arrangements. The same wording principles apply to christening invitation cards, where the service and the reception usually need separate lines.

If you are printing for a venue or for several parties, leave blank lines for the child's name, date and time so the same card can be used again. We can also print individual names onto each card from a list if you prefer a fully finished invitation.

Themes and Artwork

Many families arrive with a theme already chosen, whether that is dinosaurs, space, football, unicorns or a favourite colour. Send us your artwork, or a description of what you have in mind, and we will lay it out on the size you choose. For milestone parties, a simple design built around a large number and a confident typeface often looks more grown-up than lots of illustration.

Photographs work well on invitations for first birthdays and big anniversaries of birth. Send the highest resolution version you have, ideally straight from the camera, so it prints sharply. Our free design proof shows exactly how the card will look before anything is printed. Photo-led designs are also popular on our printed baby shower invitations, which use the same card and finish options.

Colour is worth a moment of thought. Bright primaries suit younger children, while teenagers often prefer something cooler, such as a neon on black or a minimal layout with a single photo. For adult parties, two or three colours taken from the venue or the theme keep the design tidy. Keep the text large enough to read at arm's length, especially the date and time, because those are the details guests check again and again in the weeks before the party.

Envelopes, Turnaround and Delivery

We can supply matching envelopes in white, kraft or a colour that picks up your design. Once you approve the free proof, printing takes 4 to 7 working days, and free tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses takes 2 to 3 working days, so plan to order a couple of weeks before you want to hand the cards out. Ask for a custom quote and we reply by email within one working day. If any cards arrive misprinted or damaged, let us know within 10 days and we will reprint or refund them.