If you have a high school senior who is graduating this year, then sending out graduation announcements is a great idea. In fact, it’s usually a pretty good investment as some friends and family members are likely to send your graduate a cash gift.
Of course, a lot of people throw graduation parties, as well, which can be one last time to get the whole gang together before everyone scatters across the country to various colleges.
So, either way, you’re going to need high-quality inexpensive graduation announcements and/or invitations. So, where is a good, inexpensive place to buy them?
While you probably think of Vistaprint for business cards, they have some good design templates for custom graduation printing and the price includes envelopes. (View here!)
Here’s our review of Vistaprint graduation announcements including a few important tips for designing and printing them. Oh, and definitely use a coupon to get the best price possible (less than $1 each!) and free shipping!
View all Vistaprint coupons here!
Our oldest son is in high school so we ordered some graduation announcements from Vistaprint to send to family and friends. Here are our tips for Vistaprint graduation announcements and invitations:
1. Have a PhotoShoot w/ Your College or High School Graduate (Ideas?)
You’ll probably get some good photos on graduation day, but you’ll need a photo to use on your announcements or invites well before then. So, consider putting some time aside to have a little photo shoot to get the right picture.
While Vistaprint has graduation announcement designs without a photo, I prefer their designs with photos. Imagine that you’re a friend or family member who hasn’t seen your graduate in years, and you’ll understand the importance of personalizing the graduation announcement or invitation with a picture!
There are a number of good places online to find inspiration for high school and college graduation photoshoots including Pinterest and Shutterfly, (get free delivery!) so click around and see what you like!
2. Use a High-Resolution Photo! (Black & White?)
You don’t have to be a designer or artist to appreciate good photography and printing. If you’re using a photo in your announcements (recommended), consider taking a little time to have a photoshoot with your graduate to get the right picture. After you do, upload your favorite high-resolution photo(s) to Vistaprint to use in the design.
Try getting some black and white photos as they look good with a lot of Vistaprint graduation announcement designs.
The good news is that most phones now take amazing pictures, so just upload or email the originals directly from your phone.
Tip: Don’t use photos from social media sites like Facebook or Instagram as they have been compressed to smaller sizes for the web! If your photo is smaller than 1 MB in size, it’s probably not high-reesolution.
If you do need to incorporate a photo from Instagram, at least download the higher resolution version using this hack.
*Have a great graduation photo? View all Vistaprint graduation announcement templates here. Also, your design might look amazing on canvas!
3. Add a QR Code to Vistaprint Graduation Announcements / Invites (Free!)
Some of the big winners of Covid were Zoom, DocuSign, and the QR code. It’s some really cool technology that finally is being used universally.
If you have a webpage with more information than you can fit into a few lines on an announcement or invite, consider adding a QR code to the back of your design that is easily recognized by most phone cameras.
Just paste a link to any public webpage and Vistaprint will generate a QR code to add to the back of your cards. A few ideas for why you might want to add a QR code include:
- Graduation party details
- Your graduate’s story or college plans
- A charity for donations instead of gifts
- Page for sharing photos
4. Consider Free Design Help from Vistaprint:
Most of us aren’t designers and could use a little help. If so, consider clicking “Need design help?” to chat and share your screen with someone from Vistaprint:
5. Free Proof of Your Graduation Announcement or Invitation
If the front and back of your design look great, I recommend downloading a high-resolution proof.
To do so just click “preview” then “Download PDF proof.”
A proof takes a couple of minutes to generate but allows you to see your design at a very large size. This is helpful as the small, on-screen size during the design process doesn’t show details like alignment and the true clarity of your photos.
When reviewing the proof consider:
- Is your text clear and legible?
- Margin: Is everything within the space and bleed over the line?
- Info: Double-check accurcy and spelling!
- Photo(s): Are they sharp?
I’ve placed several orders with Vistaprint and have always been very pleased with the price, quality, and customer service!
Now it’s time to choose the best paper stock for your Vistaprint graduation announcements or invitations.
6. Optional Paper Stock & Corner Upgrades
Standard 14pt matte paper is included in the price, and usually, all you need as upgrades can be expensive. ($1+ per card) However, there are several premium Vistaprint paper stocks to consider including:
- Premium matte (16 pt)
- Premium glossy (16 pt)
- Linen (13 pt) with a light, woven texture
- Pearl (expensive!) 16pt with a pearlescent sheen
Standard corners are included but can be upgraded to rounded corners for a modern touch.
Tip: White blank envelopes are included but you can upgrade to colored or custom envelopes for about $0.35 each
*College students can now file taxes free with Turbotax!
6. Order Extra High School / College Graduation Announcements or Invitations!
You probably have an exact number of invitations or announcements in mind, but add a few extra! You might even save money by doing so as the per-unit cost of Vistaprint graduation announcements and invites goes down as the quantity increases.
For example, ordering 10 announcements costs about $1.10 each, while ordering 100 drops the price to $0.95 each
It’s always nice to hold onto one or two for yourself, as graduation announcements make a great addition to a scrapbook or framed.
7. Matching Address Labels & Thank You Cards:
Address labels that match your Vistaprint graduation announcements look classy and don’t cost much.
Also, a lot of people who receive graduation announcements and invitations will send a gift, so be prepared to respond with a matching thank you card.
8. Use the Best Vistaprint Coupon:
There are always several coupons and promo codes available online.
Which coupon is best for Vistaprint graduation announcements or invitations?
That depends on your order size and whether you are a new customer. Click here to see today’s best promotions and consider comparing promo codes for the best savings!
Tip: Order early as Vistaprint “free” shipping speed takes about 8 days to arrive!
Final Thoughts:
Graduation announcements mark a very important milestone in your child’s life. For that reason, it’s a good idea to plan ahead so that you’re happy with the graduation announcements or party invites that you have printed.
For that reason, I recommend going with a top name in the custom printing space, like Vistaprint. You can view all of their graduation designs and templates here.
Thanks for reading our review, and good luck!