Where To Print Printables

Now that you’ve read what a printable is, it’s time to talk about WHERE TO PRINT PRINTABLES! Luckily you have lots of options these days now that digital designs are commonplace.

There are plenty of great options for home printers and most professional printers are very familiar with printables and pdf files of these kind so let’s get into it! 

WHERE TO PRINT PRINTABLES

Before we begin, let’s talk about the types of different printables they are and where they can/should be printed. 

PARTIES: most party files are designed to be printed on 8.5X11 inch pieces of paper. These party files typically include invitations, party banners, cupcake toppers, drink labels, popcorn boxes, pennant flags, gift tags and more. 

Because they are designed to fit standard printer paper, you most certainly can print this file at home. If the party is an important one, you can also send it to the printer for a higher quality print and better paper. 

CRAFTS: almost 100% of these crafts are designed to be printed on 8.5X11 inch pieces of paper and are intended to be printed at home. 

GIFT TAGS: almost 100% of these crafts are designed to be printed on 8.5X11 inch pieces of paper and are intended to be printed at home. 

LISTS, CHARTS & CHECKLISTS: almost 100% of these crafts are designed to be printed on 8.5X11 inch pieces of paper and are intended to be printed at home. 

PRINTABLE BACKDROPS: because these files are large, they are impossible to print at home. They MUST be printed at a local print shop that has a large-format printer. 

I have a whole post describing The Best Place to Print Backdrops! It is CHALKED-FILL with tips, tricks and the best practices for printing these larger files. 

Now that we know our printing locations, let take about the best home printers and where to get your printables printed professionally. 

BEST HOME PRINTER FOR PRINTABLES

I’ve used MANY home printers over the years! Here are my favorites:

Canon TS9521C All-In-One Wireless Crafting Photo Printer

This is a new printer to me and I LOVE it! I use A LOT of cardstock in my printer and this beast of a printer handles cardstock with ease. 

I also am blow away that it prints 12X12 paper! That is HUGE for a crafter. 

PROS:

• Can handle paper up to 12 inches wide (that’s HUGE for crafters)!
• Handles heavy cardstock, coverstock and craft papers with ease.
• Prints in hi-resolution color with excellent color fidelity.  Vibrant inks offer high coverage on colored papers.
• Ink cartridges last a long time and are not overly expensive to replace.
• Offers easy wireless printing and full Apple AirPrint compatibility.
• Color display is easy to read making directions easily accessible and issues quick to troubleshoot.
• Multiple functions make this a one-stop tool for printing, copying and scanning.

CONS:

• Is not a simple printer – multiple trays and outputs can be confusing.
• Ink comes in cartridges versus refillable tanks making replacement more expensive than on MegaTank Printers (see below).

Canon PIXMA G4210 Wireless MegaTank All-in-One Inkjet Printer

I’ve had this printer for quite awhile and I love, love, love it. I almost love it more than the printer above. It’s definitely easier to set up and use and the color is fantastic. 

It doesn’t print cardstock as well, but I use this printer for ALL my black and white and regular stock printing. 

PROS:

• Simple printer offers just one input tray and a single output.  This printer is extremely simple to set up, use and maintain.
• HUGE ink tanks last FOREVER and are super-inexpensive and easy to refill when the visible ink tanks run low.
• Print quality is excellent.  Color come out vibrant, true-to-screen, high resolution with low bleed, and ink color blending is very smooth.
• Small footprint makes it easy to fit this printer in a small space.
• Offers easy wireless printing and full Apple AirPrint compatibility

CONS:

• Prints standard letter width paper (A4/8.5″x11″) and narrower — cannot print wider craft papers.
• Small black and white display can be difficult to read and can’t display very much info making troubleshooting slightly more difficult.
• Tray parts can be slightly flimsy.
• Paper capacity is fairly small, and the printer has difficulty handling heavier paper stock (e.g., coverstock).

WHAT TYPES OF PAPER TO USE

Determining what paper to use and when is point of confusion for most people. Let me help you out! 

60lb White Cardstock Paper – This is a great weight for a lot of party printables. I love this weight because the paper is still very flexible and can wrap, fold and adhere easily to items. 

Here are the printables I love printing at this weight:

• cupcake wrappers (like these Printables Easter Cupcake Wrappers)
• party flags
• drink labels or wrappers
• candy wrappers
• party cones (like these Easter Candy Cones)
• napkin wrappers (like these DIY Paper Napkin Wrappers)
• party signs

80-90lb White Cardstock Paper – This is the weight I use most commonly for my everyday printables! This weight is heavier and looks great on gifts (is not too flimsy), hangs well (like banners) and looks a little more professional. 

Here are the printables I love printing at this weight:

• gift tags (like these Back To School Tags, Teacher Christmas Gift Tags and Graduation Printable Gift Tags). 
• pennant banners (like this 4th of July Bunting).
• checklist (like this Kids Summer Checklist, Back To School Checklist and Reading Log). 
• paper crafts (like this Patriotic Paper Chain, Paper Bunny Garland and Paper Christmas Trees)
• birthday banners
• party hats (America Party Hats, Tropical Party Hats and Candy Corn Party Hats)

110lb White Cardstock Paper – This is the weight I LOVE, but use more sparingly. It’s expensive and can be tricky to print (unless you are using the Canon TS9521C All-In-One Wireless Crafting Photo Printer). It’s extremely heavy, looks professional and I use it in my most formal and professional settings.  

Here are the printables I love printing at this weight:

• popcorn boxes (like these)
• birthday banners
• pennant banners
• gift tags
• party circles (like these Cactus Cupcake Toppers)