Thirty free invitation templates for any occasion, in Microsoft Word and PDF. The Word versions are fully editable; the PDF versions are print-ready for filling in by hand. All free, with no signup.
Keep reading — the designs below suit most occasions once you change the wording
Word or PDF?
Choose
When
Word
You want to type your own details, change the colours, or print a batch with the same wording. The practical choice for most people.
PDF
You want the design exactly as shown and will write the details by hand. Prints identically everywhere, and handwriting on a printed card suits a small, personal guest list.
The designs
Thirty invitation layouts covering formal and casual, seasonal and year-round. The larger files carry more detailed artwork, which is worth knowing if you are printing a lot of them on a home printer.
The design is the easy part. What causes problems afterwards is the information people leave off. Work through this list before you print.
Who is hosting. So guests know whose event it is and who to thank.
What the occasion is. Stated plainly, not implied by the artwork.
Date, including the day of the week. “Saturday 14 March” prevents the diary error that “14/03” causes.
Start time, and an end time if there is one. Leaving off the end time is how a children’s party runs ninety minutes long.
The full address, not just a venue name. Include the postcode so a map application finds it, and mention parking or the nearest station if it is not obvious.
RSVP details with a deadline. A name, a phone number or email, and a date. “RSVP by 1 March” gets replies; “RSVP” alone does not.
Who exactly is invited. Naming the guests on the card settles the question of whether children or partners are included, without anyone having to ask.
Dress code, if there is one. Even “casual” helps, because guests will otherwise guess and some will guess wrong.
Anything practical. Gift preferences, dietary requests, whether food is provided, whether it is outdoors.
Read the finished card as though you know nothing about the event. If you could not find the venue or work out whether to bring your children, add the missing line.
Editing the Word versions
Type over the placeholder text
The wording sits in text boxes above the artwork. Click once to select the box, again to place the cursor. If you keep selecting the background instead, press Escape and click nearer the centre of the text.
Keep the fonts that came with it
The designs are built around their typefaces. If you must change one, change it everywhere rather than mixing. Note that an unusual font may not display on a different computer, so convert to PDF before sending the file to anyone.
Recolour to match your theme
Select a shape and use Shape Fill on the Shape Format tab. To shift the whole design at once, try the Design tab and a different colour set — faster than recolouring element by element.
Save as PDF before printing
File, Save As, PDF. This locks the layout so a print shop sees exactly what you see, and stops fonts substituting on another machine.
Printing invitations at home
Use card, not paper. Around 200 to 250 gsm, or 80 to 110 lb cover. An invitation on copier paper feels like a leaflet. Check your printer’s maximum paper weight and feed card one sheet at a time.
Fit more than one to a sheet. Invitations are usually smaller than a page. In the print dialog, look for Multiple Pages Per Sheet or print two copies per side, then trim. It halves your card and ink.
Buy the envelopes first. Then size the invitation to fit them, rather than discovering afterwards that nothing you own will hold it. A6 and 5 by 7 inches are the common sizes with easily available envelopes.
Cut with a guillotine or a steel rule and craft knife. Scissors wander, and a wavy edge undoes an otherwise good card.
Print one and look at it before committing. Colours print darker than they appear on screen, and borders near the page edge can be clipped by the printer’s unprintable margin.
Common questions
Do I need Microsoft Word?
No. Upload the file to Google Docs or open it in LibreOffice. Decorative designs occasionally shift slightly outside Word, so check the layout before printing a batch. The PDF versions open anywhere.
Can I edit the PDF versions?
Only lightly, and only with PDF editing software. If you want to change the wording, use a Word version instead — the PDFs are intended for printing as they are.
Can I email the invitation instead of printing it?
Yes. Save as PDF and attach it, or export as an image to send by message. Do not send the Word file itself, as it will look different on the recipient’s computer.
What size should an invitation be?
A6 or 5 by 7 inches cover most occasions and both have readily available envelopes. Choose the envelope before you finalise the size.
How far ahead should I send them?
Six to eight weeks for a wedding or a large event, two to three weeks for a party, and set the RSVP deadline about two weeks before the date so you have time to plan numbers.
Can I use these commercially?
Yes, including invitations you design for clients. You may not resell or redistribute the template files themselves. See our Terms of Use.
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