This article is in collaboration with Basic Invite.
I know it’s only February, but graduation season will be upon us before we know it! It’s time to start thinking about the incoming celebrations, and with them, invitations to all those celebratory events.
Graduation invites can be pricier than you may think. But with proper planning, you can save a significant amount of cash. Between shopping the deals and ordering sample prints, this can definitely be an early-bird-gets-the-worm situation.
Here’s what you need to know about getting the best prices as you shop around for invitations for your grad’s big day.
Consider shopping with a smaller business for lower prices
Not all small businesses are created equally. But it’s worth shopping around. Many times, a smaller company will have better prices than some of the big-name photo printing sites that pop to mind.
For example, today we’ll be looking at Basic Invite as a money-saving option. At the time of writing, you can order online graduation invitations from Basic Invite for as low as $0.58/each for the highest-quantity order. The lowest-quantity order (25 invitations) for the same designs will run you $1.61/each.
But over at Shutterfly, the lowest-priced design is currently $0.82/each at the highest quantity. While they do sell in smaller quantities than Basic Invite, the 25-invitation size will run you $1.84/each. That’s already more expensive, and the smaller packages will run you more-per-invite still.
It’s worth shopping around!
Fall in love with something at the lowest price point
There are so many cute designs at the lower price points that when I place photo card or photo invitation orders, I don’t even look at the higher-priced ones. You can easily find something to fall in love with at the $0.58/invite level.
But if you peek at the higher price points and fall in love with one of those, you may find yourself justifying spending more — even when you really don’t need to when you’ve got so many great options at a lower budget.
Order a sample graduation invitation first
Let’s say you do want to celebrate your grad, but you don’t want to throw a huge rager where you feel like you’re tempting kids to sneak beer onto your property. So you plan a graduation dinner instead.
More than once, I’ve ordered off one of the bigger, more-well-known photo sites only to be unhappy with the end print quality. You either roll with the disappointment or you go through the hassle of calling in to complain and hoping they’ll give you a reprint, crossing your fingers that the reprint turns out better.
On a site like Basic Invite, you can order a sample graduation dinner invitation so you can preview the print quality before making a massive investment. It’s a great way to check the quality, and it’s only $2.99.
TIP: If you want to preview multiple different paper options, you can add those for just $1 more.
Check your spelling and photo quality before you place your order
One cool thing about Basic Invite is their Love It Guarantee. If you decide to live on the edge and not order that sample first only to find you don’t like the result on your large order, they’ll still give you the option of a free reprint or returning the prints for a full refund.
There are a couple asterisks to keep in mind. You won’t qualify for the free reprint/full refund if any of the following apply:
- You made a spelling error.
- The graduation date or graduation party date got moved.
- They gave you a warning that the photo quality might not be up to par.
Granted, if any of those three apply, you’re not up the creek without a paddle. Basic Invite will still give you 75% off a reprint because they understand things happen.
But it is more cost-efficient to triple check your work before you submit payment the first time. It could make the difference between 75% off and 100% free.
Look for promo codes
Whenever you’re shopping online, don’t leave money on the table. Always look for promo codes!
At the time of writing, Basic Invite is offering 15% off graduation invitations. You can find the promo code in the product description.
If you want to stay on top of future offers, you can subscribe to their newsletter at the bottom of any page on their website. That way you’ll stay in the loop when extra savings comes online.
What are your favorite ways to save on photo invitations? Let us know in the comments!