Save the dates and wedding invites are your guests\u2019 first introduction to the big day, so of course you’ll want to leave a lasting impression.\u00a0 There are dozens of printing services that churn out stationery, but if additional prints like ceremony programs, menus or place cards are desired, it may be more cost effective to print everything from the comfort of home.\u00a0 To achieve the exact look and feel you want, you will need to invest in a versatile color printer that is built for DIY.\u00a0 Here, we cover a handful of wedding friendly printers that are up to the challenge, giving a personal touch to all of your wedding essentials.<\/p>\r\n
All of the printers included in this article share some common features that make them ideal for printing wedding stationery. Read up on these printer specification tips first, then, check out our recommended printers further down the page.<\/p>\r\n
Choose a Quality Color Inkjet Printer<\/em><\/strong> – Color inkjet printers offer superior results compared to color laser printers when printing detailed images. Laser printers are fine for documents with lots of text but if you are printing an intricate font on your invites, an inkjet printer is the way to go.<\/p>\r\n Confirm Paper Compatibility<\/em><\/strong> -Every printer here can handle a range of customizable paper types and sizes.\u00a0 Invites, envelopes and place cards require varying degrees of adjustment depending on your paper preference.\u00a0 Many printers cannot handle thicker papers like cardstock well, so be sure to check that the printer specs are compatible with your proposed paper type before settling on a particular model.\u00a0 Pay close attention to the weight of your stationery (typically identified in lbs., points or GSM).\u00a0 For a great overview on how paper weights and sizes can affect your prints, check out The Paper Mill\u2019s in-depth blog article on paper compatibility<\/a>.\u00a0 They even offer paper suggestions for printing on cardstock.<\/p>\r\n Rear Paper Feed Required<\/em><\/strong> – A rear paper feed is another must-have for any DIY stationery project.\u00a0 Rear feed printing lets you feed specialty paper like cardstock one by one into the machine, circumventing any potential curling or jamming issues that occur when printing from the more common front feed tray.<\/p>\r\n Consider Cartridge Size and Costs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0– You\u2019ll also want keep in mind how much you plan to spend on cartridges.\u00a0 Cartridge costs can vary greatly across printer models and some offer more prints than others for a better overall value.<\/p>\r\n To compare printing costs, take note of the cartridge size and page yield.\u00a0 High yield and extra high yield cartridges include more ink than a standard cartridge, giving you more prints per cartridge.<\/p>\r\n Page yield<\/a> is the approximate number of pages you can print with a cartridge.\u00a0 The manufacturer\u2019s cited page yield for ink and toner cartridges is given at 5% coverage. This means that the quoted page yield is based upon printed pages where only 5% of the page has been imprinted with ink, which is essentially equivalent to printing out a short paragraph or email.<\/p>\r\n For instance, the quoted page yield for a Brother LC3033 black ink cartridge is 3,000 pages.\u00a0 Given the 5% page coverage, you can print approximately 3,000 pages of a short paragraph, or if we\u2019re talking wedding invites, about 3,000 invitations (hopefully, you aren\u2019t hosting that many guests!).\u00a0\u00a0If you are printing full page documents, photos or graphics, that coverage will change and your page yield will drop significantly.<\/p>\r\n LD brand compatible cartridges<\/a> can help you bring your printing costs down even further.\u00a0 A smart, affordable alternative to original brand ink, you get comparable print quality and page yield for a fraction of the price!<\/p>\r\n Now that you have an idea of what to look out for, let\u2019s dive into the printers.\u00a0 We\u2019ve picked four of our favorite wedding friendly machines below, each with their own unique features:<\/p>\r\n The Brother MFC-J805DW is a compact ink tank printer that offers print, scan, copy options for a budget-friendly price.\u00a0 An automatic duplexer is perfect for printing on both sides of your ceremony program and a manual feed slot makes it easy to print specialty pages one sheet at a time.\u00a0 Compatible with a variety of a paper types, including heavy grade pages up to a 58 lb. bond, you get vibrant, professional looking prints at a low cost.\u00a0 Finding the ideal printer setting for your invites or envelopes can take a bit of trial and error.\u00a0 Brother\u2019s preset printing profile saves you time and potential frustration by saving frequently used printing configurations, keeping up to twenty custom settings at your fingertips.<\/p>\r\n This Brother printer uses INKvestment cartridges, a\u00a0 high yield ink tank hybrid cartridge system that produces monochrome prints for less than 1 cent per page. Four Brother LC3033 starter ink cartridges are included with the printer and replacements are also available in an ultra high yield cartridge size, which offers more prints.\u00a0 The standard yield black cartridge prints up to 3,000 pages and each color cartridge prints 1,500 pages apiece.\u00a0 The ultra high yield black prints 6,000 pages and ultra high yield color cartridges print up to 5,000 pages.<\/p>\r\n LD brand compatible LC3035 cartridges are a cost saving alternative to the Brother brand.\u00a0 At just $26.99*<\/a> for the black cartridge and\u00a0$26.99 <\/a>per color, you can get comparable print quality for less.\u00a0 A compatible four pack of ink is also available for just $103.96<\/a>!
\r\nBest Overall<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
Brother\u00ae<\/sup> MFC-J805DW<\/strong> INKvestment Inkjet All-in-One Printer – Buy on Amazon*<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\r\n