Translucent Envelopes

After conducting printing research on all of our vellum papers, we have determined they will work with most inkjet and laser printers. We also have noted this information on the product page of each paper. However, even using the recommended printer type, some people still have trouble printing on vellum, where some do not. So why is this the case? In a nutshell, the variations in printing success are due to the fact that not all vellum, and we are referring to vellum paper and not vellum finish and not all printers, are created equally. All vellum is non porous and non absorbent, but not all vellum is identical in finish and weight. Similarly, although all laser printers and all inkjet printers are designed to work essentially the same way, they vary in speed, quality, and overall design. Where one brand of vellum may work with your laser printer, it may not work with another laser printer. Likewise, you may find that although one stock of vellum works with your inkjet, another does not. The solution? Simply recognize that vellum may be a tricky surface to print in. Regardless of what type of vellum or printer you are using, your print will take longer to dry, and thus has a greater chance of smearing than it would on a standard piece of paper. The best way to determine whether your printer will work with a particular stock of vellum is to order a sample and test it out. Additional Tips for Printing on Vellum

• Ink and toner takes a longer time to dry on the non absorbent surface of vellum, so be sure to allow your print adequate time to dry before touching it.
• The less ink or toner you use on vellum, the faster it will dry, and the less likely to smudge throughout the printing process. Consider printing in draftor economy mode when printing on vellum. This setting is designed to conserve ink and toner, thus placing less on your vellum, and aiding in drying.
• Consider using fonts with thinner lines. Fonts with heavier lines use more ink, take longer to dry, and are more likely to smudge.

Our goal is to help you create affordable, professional looking invitations using your home computer and printer. To help you achieve this goal, we offer products that are designed to be printed by you; each accompanied by free printing instructions, a product specific Word template, and helpful customer service. If you wish to print on your envelopes, we will help you every step of the way - making hand writing or calligraphy on your envelopes a choice, not a necessity.

Printing Note - Envelope finish & texture may affect printing

Please note that various textures and finishes found on envelopes may not be compatible with your laser or inkjet printer. For example, if you are printing on heavily textured envelopes you will get the best results with an inkjet printer, where a laser printer will produce the best results on envelopes with a metallic finish.

If you do not have the proper equipment to print on the envelopes you have chosen, you may not be able to achieve the crisp, professional appearance you are after. For best results, please view the printer recommendations found below your envelope's image. We also recommend you consult your printer's documentation, as well as order a sample envelope to run a trial print on. This way you can determine whether your printer will work with the envelope you have chosen.

Check Your Printer Manual.

The first stop should be your printer manual. Find the section on printing envelopes and follow your manufacturer's instructions.

Envelope Printing Requires Testing.

Printing envelopes on a particular printer always requires testing. What might be the best loading technique for one printer model might not be best for another. Plan to print several tests before you find the perfect loading technique for your printer.

A few quick points: You do not need to open the envelope flap before printing. Keeping the flap closed will help the envelope to run through the printer smoothly, and will have less of a chance of getting caught. Keep in mind that lined envelopes may be too thick for certain printers. The best practice is to order a sample envelope to test it on your printer.

Envelope Face Up Or Face Down?

If you are printing addresses on the front of the envelope, load the envelope front side up. If you are printing on the envelope flap, load the envelope flap side down.

Envelope Orientation In The Printer: Left, Right Or Bottom?

In our testing, we have found that turning the envelope on its side--with the flap on the left side--is the best loading scenario for printing success. Since the envelope is rotated 90 degrees, both the document template and the printer driver orientation setting should be set to Landscape as opposed to the typical Portrait orientation. Otherwise, the text will not be properly oriented on the envelope.

If the flap on the left doesn't work with your printer, try to load the envelope with the flap feeding directly into the printer. If your printer is a front loading model, the flap would be on top.

If your printer is a top loading model, the flap would be at the bottom

Quick Tip To Avoid Wasting Envelopes

Within the document template, change your ink color to a very light shade of gray. By slightly darkening the ink color with every envelope test print, you can run the same envelope through the printer several times.

How many envelopes should I load at once?

Some printers can print 10 or 20 envelopes loaded into the paper tray at a time, while others can only print one at a time. Check you printer's manual and test to find the best method.

Not only can colored envelopes be mailed as easily as a traditional envelope they are a great way to help your pieces stand out from other mailings. When choosing to use a colored envelope for your project, you need to keep in mind addressing it in a way that both your recipient and the postal service can read. Here are a few options on how to address darker envelope papers.

• use labels
• colored gel pens
• metallic pens

If you are having your invitations professionally printed, you should discuss print color options with your printer or calligrapher in advance

When printing your own envelopes, you do not need to open the flap before printing. The Word templates we provide for all of our envelopes are designed to be used with the flap closed. In addition, keeping the flap closed will help the envelope to run through the printer smoothly, and will have less of a chance of getting caught.