Card Making Equipment

When you’re starting out, there’s no need to invest in expensive card making equipment. You can usually find all you need around the house. There some basic materials you will need though which are covered off below.

Basic tools
As I mentioned above, you can make cards simply using the most basic of card making equipment. All you need is a pair of scissors, a ruler, pencil and some glue. However, many card makers choose to use some tools to make their lives a little easier.

Some of these tools include:

Basic tools for card making
- Metal ruler and craft knife for easier and straighter cutting.
- Paper trimmer for cutting straight lines using 5 sheets of paper or more at the same time. Some of these also have a scoring tool for making your folds.
- Adhesive tapes for a better finish to their cards

For the insides of your cards and the greeting on the front, I’d recommend that you have access to a printer. It doesn’t have to be colour and an inkjet is fine. If you don’t have one, then try an internet cafe that has a printer is fine too. You can then do any further copying or cutting you need at copy shop.

Card making equipment - basic materials
Card blanks
I highly recommend card blanks. These are premade cards that have a score down the centre for easy folding. You can buy them individually or in packs with envelopes. Card blanks come in a variety of colours and sizes, so you’ll easily find what you want. You can read more about card blanks here.

If you want to create your cards from scratch and have the equipment to cut and score your cards, then you can buy card sheets. I’d only advise this if you’ve done it before though and are fairly competent. Alternatively, you can buy sheet card and then get a copy shop to cut it for you.

They’ll provide a professional looking finish and you won’t waste any of the card you’ve bought.

You’ll also need some thin card or paper to start decorating your invitations. When I say thin, I mean up to 180gsm in weight – this is important as you don’t want your finished invite to fall over with all the weight. You can get all sorts of different patterns and finishes. Papers are available in handmade, vellum, pearlescent, patterned (scrapbook paper is good), glitter – all sorts, literally.

It’s worth going to have a look around your local arts and crafts store. They’ll have a good range of card making paper and speciality paper. I love doing this and having a look at all the fancy papers - I’m like a child in a sweet shop!

With the materials above, you can make stunning and stylish wedding invitations, so if you want to keep your costs down then stick with only using fancy papers.

Card making equipment - extra bits and bobs
Some brides really want to add a bit more pizzazz to their wedding invitations, so the following items are optional:

Embellishments
Embellishments: these are lots of fun and you can certainly create your theme using these. From feathers to seashells, there’s an embellishment for everyone.

Card toppers: these are ready made designs that you stick on the front of your card. You literally glue them on and then you’re ready to go. Very easy, but can be a little expensive.

Outline stickers: these give the appearance of a drawing, but are a sticker. You can get them in a variety of wedding objects, from brides and grooms to wedding bells. I tend to steer clear of them as I don’t really like the look they give.

Stamps for card making
Stamps: these are an easy way to create a design and used frequently in card making.

Pens and markers: if you’ve got neat handwriting then you may want to use markers and pens. Otherwise, stick with free downloadable illustrations and a printer!

Pencils: in some of the designs on this site, I use water soluble pencils. They give a light paint effect and so are good for adding colour. They’re also easy to use so good for anyone.

Don’t go too mad with your card making equipment. Choose a design you like and then only buy what you need to make your wedding invitations. Unless of course, you fancy setting up your own little card making business!