Graduation, whether it is from kindergarten, high school, or university, is a time that proud family members and close friends want to remember. While electronic invitations may help you organize your graduation event quickly, they lack the ability to turn into a keepsake that traditional invitations have. If you create and print quality invitations, you will find them tucked away in a photo album or hanging on the mantle for years to come. 

Select Pictures with the Appropriate Resolution 

Modern photo and printing techniques make it easy to add photos of your graduate to your invitation. Unfortunately, many people do not know the requirements for printing a quality photo that does not appear blurry. You will need to supply images that are at least 240-ppi and preferably 300-ppi for them to appear as sharp on paper as they do on your computer screen. 

Photographs will be your main way of personalizing your invitation and the reason many people will decide to save or display it. A senior picture, if taken by a professional photographer, makes a great central photograph. You can also consider adding a collage of photographs that represent how your graduate spent their time in school and their current interests. However, do not add so many pictures that the invitation becomes cluttered or your guests will have to squint to make out details. 

Select High Quality Paper Stock 

When selecting the paper for your invitation, you will have to choose the correct weight and finish. Paper weight for invitations generally range from 80-lb to 120-lb. The heavier the paper weight, the thicker and more luxurious your invitation will feel. It will also prevent colors from showing through on the opposite side. Although an 80-lb stock will make adequate invitations that will look and feel good, they are less likely to maintain their appearance for many years than 110-lb or 120-lb paper.

You will also need to select a paper finish. Your basic choices are usually matte and glossy. You can also purchase coated paper, which will allow the invitations to absorb more color during printing.  

Customize Your Design and Wording 

There are plenty of free and low-cost graduation designs available that can give you a template for your invitation and get you thinking about the elements you should include. But if you want your card to be meaningful to your friends and family, you should take the time to customize it. Consider using your graduate's favorite colors or their school colors. While you should include all of the important information such as the location and time of your event, you should think about using your own wording as opposed to a formal outline. 

You can even make the invitations appear handwritten without writing each one by turning your handwriting into a font. 

Print Nesting Thank You Notes 

It is highly likely that your graduate will receive gifts from those who attend their graduation. While the invitations are usually sent out by the graduate's close family, the thank you notes for their gifts are sent by the graduate. You can print thank you notes that are designed to nest in the invitations while you print the invitations. This will make it easy for family and friends to keep the entire ensemble together in one place. Thank you cards can be a postcard style note with the graduate's picture on one side and a handwritten note on the back.  

Graduation is a milestone, and invitations are meant to help mark that milestone. If you take the time to design and print quality invitations, they will make a great keepsake for you, your graduate, and your friends and family. Find out here about the services that a printing company can offer you.