How to make wedding place cards at home

What you need

Making place cards at home takes about an hour for 100 guests once your list is ready.

• Your final guest list, ideally in a spreadsheet with one name per row
• Matte card stock, 200–300 gsm, in A4 or US Letter
• An inkjet or laser printer that accepts card stock
• A paper trimmer or a metal ruler and craft knife (scissors work for small batches)
• A bone folder or the back of a butter knife for crisp folds

1. Clean up the guest list

Write names exactly as they should appear on the card. Decide early whether you use full names, first names only, or titles such as “Grandma Rūta”, and keep it consistent.

If you are seating people at tables, add the table number next to each name. Sorting the list by table makes placing the cards on the day much faster.

2. Choose a template and size

Tent cards fold in half and stand on their own, so they are easier to read from a distance. Flat cards lie on the plate or napkin and fit more per sheet.

The standard size (89 × 51 mm) suits most tables. Choose the small size for tight place settings or when names are short.

3. Print a test page first

Print one sheet on plain paper at 100% / Actual size. Measure the 50 mm scale bar in the margin; if it is shorter, your printer is shrinking the page. Turn off “Fit to page” or “Scale to fit” and print again.

Check the names for spelling at the same time. It is much cheaper to fix a typo now than after printing 20 sheets of card.

4. Print on card stock

Load a few sheets at a time and choose the heavy paper or card setting in the printer dialog. For full-colour templates, let the sheets dry for a few minutes before stacking them.

5. Cut and fold

Cards are laid out edge to edge, so each straight cut separates two rows at once. With a trimmer, cut along the long lines first, then the short ones.

For tent cards, score along the dashed fold line with a ruler and a bone folder before folding. Scoring stops the card from cracking and keeps the fold straight.

6. Arrange the cards

Keep the cards in table order in envelopes or small boxes labelled with the table number. On the day, whoever sets the tables can place them in minutes.