Digital vs printed wedding cards: what each really costs
By the eInvite team · Updated · 5 min read
For a typical Pakistani shaadi of around 300 invited families, printed cards usually cost tens of thousands of rupees once you add envelopes and delivery. A digital wedding card with RSVP costs one payment, Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,500 on eInvite, for every function. Many families now print a few cards for elders and send the rest digitally.
A worked example for 300 guests
Card prices vary a lot with paper, printing and boxes, so ask your printer for a quote. To compare, here's the arithmetic with simple round numbers. Plug in your own.
| Printed cards | Digital card | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards for 300 families | 300 × Rs 100 = Rs 30,000 | One link |
| Separate mehndi, baraat, walima inserts | Often extra per card | All functions on one card |
| Envelopes or boxes | Extra | None |
| Delivery across the city | Fuel, time, or a courier | WhatsApp, free |
| Guests abroad | Courier, or a photo of the card | Same link, same minute |
| A change after sending | Reprint, or phone everyone | Edit once |
| Replies (RSVP) | Phone calls | Built in, per function |
| Total | Rs 30,000 and up | Rs 3,500 or Rs 5,500, once |
At Rs 50 a card the printed total halves; with boxed or embossed cards it can be several times higher. The digital price stays the same whether you invite 50 families or 600.
What printed cards still do better
We make digital cards, but we'd be lying if we said paper has no place. A printed card is a keepsake. Some elders expect one, and taking a card to someone's home by hand is a mark of respect that a link doesn't replace.
- Close family and elders who expect a card at the door
- A keepsake for the couple's album
- Relatives who don't use WhatsApp
What a digital card does that paper can't
- Collects RSVPs with headcounts for each function
- Opens the venue in Google Maps
- Shows each family only the functions they're invited to
- Reaches relatives abroad instantly
- Updates itself when a time or place changes
- Shows the wording in English, Urdu or Hindi
Our advice: print a few, send the rest
The approach we see working best is a small print run, maybe 30 to 50 cards for elders and the closest family, and a digital card for everyone. Put the link or a QR code on the printed card too, so even the paper guests can check the map and reply.
Make your digital wedding card and preview it for free. If you're inviting by function, see the mehndi, nikah and walima pages.
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