Basic Invite Review
By Amanda Whitegiver | Photos by Amanda Whitegiver
October 25, 2018
Whether we’re ready or not, the holidays are approaching quickly! As a photographer, shooting family sessions and creating holiday cards for my clients occupies much of my free time. As a very detail-oriented person (aka as particular as they come), I always take care to customize details such as color and font to each family’s style. In the past, I have shied away from many online companies because of the limitations in customized colors and fonts, in addition to the inability to reposition text to fit better my images. Then I discovered Basic Invite, whom we are thrilled to be partnering with today!
Basic Invite redefines online stationery shopping with a clearly organized site offering options to fit all of your mailable correspondence needs. Their selection includes cards for everything from graduation to wedding to holidays. They even offer details such as custom sticker envelope seals and wedding websites. Printing was fast and the shipping very efficient. If you make use of their address label printing option on the envelopes, your cards can even be mailed out for you! With this kind of service, it’s not too late to plan a last minute gathering and make use of their fun halloween party invitations templates.
Looking ahead, Thanksgiving is only a month away! If you are playing host to gatherings large or small, for family or friends, there are also a plethora of options for mailing invites for your festivities- adding a certain panache to any affair.
I have a large extended family, so I have avoided hosting Thanksgiving, and instead this year I’m focusing on Holiday Greeting Cards. I experimented with 5 different holiday photo cards for East Coast Inspired and took advantage of their sample order option to preview each of them. Paper type is always difficult to determine online, so I also decided to order one of my favorite cards in all 5 paper types for the ultimate in comparison shopping. Basic Invite makes this super easy, discounting additional paper types in a single card order so they were only $1! For my fellow paper geeks, I’ve included the descriptions, listed in order as seen in the photo.
Signature Matte– Their signature stock is a thick matte paper with a smooth texture and classic white hue. With a 110 lb., 14pt thickness it’s a great basic card weight that’s easy to write on if you like to include a personal note on your holiday cards or invitations.
Premium Shimmer– I was so intrigued by the shimmer paper! Described as “pearl white with a smooth finish,” I found the color to be ever so slightly green compared to the other papers. However, it was not significant enough to affect the skin tones, so it is the perfect way to add a subtle shine and glow to invitations and holiday photo cards. 110 lb., 14pt thickness
Luxe Velvet– The Velvet coated paper has a luxurious surface that feels silky soft to the touch with a suede-like texture. Perfect for anyone who likes a coated paper but prefers a more matte surface, the velvet coating is on both front and back. I found this one to have a slightly cool (aka bluish) color cast. 110 lb., 13pt thickness
Smooth Coated– This paper has a semi-gloss finish and is perfect for producing vibrant, rich colors with a perfectly smooth surface. It’s also FSC certified and made with 50% recycled content. 110 lb., 13pt thickness
Double Thick Matte– My favorite by far, this ultra-thick paper features a creamy white hue and cotton texture, much like a heavy watercolor paper. It prints vibrant colors and beautiful photographs, perfect for making a big impression. I’m a sucker for a heavy paper, and this one comes in at a hefty 200 lb., 20pt thickness, ideal for paper lovers everywhere.
Nutty, color-particular person that I am, I spent a few hours playing with color options and exploring the layouts before making my final selections. Any less crazy person could easily create a card in a few minutes time, sync your address book, and have personalized cards on their way in days!
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