Shopping CartFAQ
1. How do I order a readymade invitation?
2. What’s included in the price?
3. Do you sell digital versions of your readymade invitations so I can print them at home?
4. I don’t see the font I want. Are there any other fonts available?
5. How do I order a custom invitation?
6. How can I pay for my order?
8. What is a digital proof and how do I check it?
9. Can you mail me a printed proof of my invitation?
10. What is the turnaround time once I place my order?
11. Can I customize an invitation sample with my wedding details?
13. I’m still a bit wary about ordering wedding invitations online…
14. Is Royal Steamline environmentally friendly?
16. Do you offer envelope printing services?
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1. How do I order a readymade invitation?
Ordering readymade invitations is easy! (Yes, there are 6 steps listed below, but don’t let that scare you. We’re just describing everything in detail in order to answer any questions you might have.)
Step 1: Choose a design
Visit the Gothic, Retro & Rockabilly, Steampunk or Vintage Readymade sections and have a look around. There are lots of design and envelope options to choose from. And don’t forget: all of our invitation wording is completely customizable by you. If you don’t see what you’re looking for and want a more customized order, contact us and we’ll be happy to help you.
Step 2: Add items to your cart via the dropdown menus on the product pages.
Step 3: Review your order and checkout by clicking on the “View Cart” icon at the top of the page.
Wait! You may be asking yourself, “But where do I enter my wedding details?” Don’t worry — you’ll have the opportunity to personalize your invitations after the transaction is complete. After you complete your transaction on PayPal, you will be redirected to a confirmation page on our website (don’t close your browser before you get there or your order won’t be processed!). This confirmation page includes the link to personalize your invitation set, save-the-date and return address stamp wording. If you aren’t ready to enter your wedding wording right away, don’t worry. You’ll also receive a confirmation email that includes this special link that you can refer to at any time. If you’re still having trouble entering your wedding wording, please contact us and we’ll steer you in the right direction.
Step 4: Customize your wording
As we mentioned above, after your transaction is complete, you’ll be redirected to a personalization page. From there, select the wedding stationary pieces you ordered and fill out each form (i.e. personalize invitation, personalize enclosure card) with your own wedding details. We’ve started the form for you to give you a guide, but you are free to change the wording around to make it your own. Now, just submit your wording and we’ll incorporate it into the design you purchased.
Step 5: Receive a digital proof of your design.
Within 3-5 business days of completing Step 4 (please allow more time for orders that include customization or large sets), we’ll email you a link to your own approval page that includes your digital proof. Carefully review the proof, making sure that everything (design, wording, spelling) is correct. Submit the form back to us with your approval and we’ll begin printing your order. If you have any changes, please note them in the comments section. Two (2) rounds of minor revisions are free; additional rounds of revisions will cost $25 each.
Please note that colors appear differently on screen than when printed. (This is due to the difference in color modes designers have to use RGB for web graphics and CMYK for printed materials. The difference is usually slight, but we don’t want there to be any surprises!)
Step 6: We ship your order to you!
Your order will be shipped within 15 business days of your proof approval. We’ll contact you with tracking details after your order ships.
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2. What’s included in the price?
Well, that depends on what you’re ordering. We tried very hard to explain what’s included with each solo, duo and trio order (look for the italicized print on each of the package pages). Some people have asked if printing costs are included in the list prices. Yes, the price includes printing costs; we’ve partnered with a print house here in Portland that’s been printing wedding invitations for over 60 years. Their experienced print staff and state-of-the-art equipment help ensure that your invitations will look amazing.
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The short answer is “no” and we’ll tell you why. First off, we are sticklers about quality control. We want all Royal Steamline invitations to knock your socks off and if we’re not overseeing the printing we can’t be sure they will. Secondly, if we released one of our designs “into the wild” there is a good chance it would eventually be altered, tweaked, traded, uploaded, downloaded, and generally passed around like a pint on prom night. Our readymade designs are not only a major part of our business, they’re also creative works on which we’ve spent a lot of time. As such, we’re fairly protective of them.
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4. I don’t see the font I want. Are there any other fonts available?
Yes! If you don’t see the font style you’d like, you can request a custom font by providing the name of the typeface in the Special Instructions section when you check out. We’ll let you know if we have that font on hand — if not, we’ll let you know and you can send us the font files after your order completion. Custom fonts are subject to a small custom design fee (price contingent on invitation design chosen)
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5. How do I order a custom invitation?
Here’s a brief overview of the custom wedding invitation process:
1. We’ll talk!
We’ll explore your initial ideas, colors, themes, schedule, and budget. Maybe you want to take one of our readymade designs and tweak it just a little. Or, we we can create a totally custom wedding invitation design for you, based on your theme or we can help brainstorm ideas with you.
2. Agreement
You’ll approve pricing and schedule, and supply a signed contract and your invitation wording.
3. Deposit
You’ll make a 60% deposit of the total project fee.
4. We’ll talk more…
…and finalize the concept of your design.
5. Design
We’ll design your custom invitation! The remainder of the balance is due once the design is approved and before printing commences.
Get in touch with us to get the ball rolling!
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6. How can I pay for my order?
Readymade Invitations
Full payment is due at the time you place your order. All of our transactions are completed via PayPal. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries! You do not have to have a PayPal account to complete your purchase.
Visit PayPal if you would like to learn about this reliable payment gateway. (We’ve used them a lot and feel very confident with their system.)
Custom Invitations
You will be sent an invoice for 60% of the agreed upon fee for your custom invitations. The invoice can be paid via PayPal. Once the transaction is complete, we’ll start working on your order. The 60% fee is non-refundable. The remaining 40% of the invoice is due before your design goes to print.
Please contact us if you have any problems with your transaction. You’re getting married — you’ve got enough things on your mind!
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A full refund is available within 7 business days from date of purchase as long as custom wording has not been submitted. There is a 50% cancellation charge if you decide to cancel after you’ve submitted your personal wording or after 7 business days. Once you approve your digital proof, your design is set and we cannot refund any part of your payment.
Since your invitations are created just for you and cannot be re-sold, they cannot be returned for a refund after the printing process has begun. We always strive to deliver top quality products, but if there are any errors on our part, please contact us and we will correct it as quickly as possible.
Please note that colors appear differently on screen than when printed. (This is due to the difference in color modes: designers have to use RGB for web graphics and CMYK for printed materials. The difference is usually slight, but we don’t want there to be any surprises!)
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8. What is a digital proof and how do I check it?
A digital proof is the digital version of your customized design. It contains all of your wedding wording and any custom design changes, as well as details of your order.
Here are some things to keep in mind when checking your proof:
- Is the spelling and punctuation correct?
- Are the font styles correct?
- Is the ink color and design style what you ordered?
- Is the personal information correct? Double check all dates, names, professional titles, addresses, telephone numbers and URLs.
- Are the abbreviations consistent?
- Are all of the design elements in place?
- And last, but not least, don’t forget to double check your shipping address and other order details!
PLEASE UNDERSTAND: Once you have approved the final proof, you take final responsibility for any and all design and typographical errors present on your invitations. Royal Steamline will not assume the cost of reprinting and shipping orders due to any error you have approved, nor will a refund be issued (so just make sure everything on the proof is A-OK!).
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9. Can you mail me a printed proof of my invitation?
No problem! Let us know via email and we’ll send you a printed proof of your invitation for a fee of $35 fee (which includes shipping).
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10. What is the turnaround time once I place my order?
Our typical turnaround time for invitation sets is 2-4 weeks (depending on the invitation style and quantity ordered). Here’s a rundown of the timeline:
- Approximately 3-5 business days after we receive your customized wording, we’ll send you a link to your digital proof(s). If your order includes custom design changes, please allow for more time.
- Once you approve your proof(s), your design goes to our print house the following day.
- Your order will be shipped within 15 business days of your proof approval.
- All invitation sets are shipped via USPS Priority Mail (which will arrive within 2-3 days in the U.S. and 6-10 days for international orders).
In a hurry? Please contact us to learn about our rush order services.
Invitation samples are shipped via USPS First Class mail within 2 business days.
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11. Can I customize an invitation sample with my wedding details?
Unfortunately, we cannot customize invitation samples. Our sample invitations are meant to give you an idea of the paper and colors in person. If you’re desperate to see a sample with your wedding details, please get in touch and we will discuss your options (but please be aware that a personalized sample will cost considerably more than $4). {back to top}
We apologize for that but it’s a safeguard we hard to put in place because of our flat rate shipping policy.
If you live outside of the US and want to order a sample, we will ship it to you at a reasonable price! Sample and sample 3-pack orders ship to Canada for USD $1.50 and everywhere else for USD $2.50. Please contact us via the Contact page and we’ll get back to you very quickly with an invoice that includes an accurate shipping fee. We can and do ship samples worldwide – just get in touch! And don’t forget – the cost of any sample(s) that you purchase will be credited toward any invitations or invitation set that you ultimately purchase (excluding shipping / maximum sample credit of $20).
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13. I’m still a bit wary about ordering wedding invitations online…
We understand. Please contact us if you have any specific questions – or just want to be reassured that actual, sane humans are here for you. Also, please read some of the kind words brides have left for us on the About Us page. They had positive experiences working with us – and we’ll do everything we can to make sure you do too!
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14. Is Royal Steamline environmentally friendly?
Yes! In addition to the great feel and weight of the Neenah papers we use, we selected them because they are FSC Certified, made Carbon Neutral Plus, Green Seal Certified, and processed chlorine free. (For more on what that all means, go here.)
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Most of our invitation designs feature a flexible layout to accommodate your personal wording. We will do our best to provide you with an attractive layout that includes all of your wedding details. But please be realistic. Use the example images on the invitation pages as guides. If the design you’ve selected has, for example, a character count of 250, please don’t expect us to be able to fit 725 characters on your invitations. (Trust us, you don’t want your invitations to have writing so small that they look like cheat sheets.) If your wording exceeds the available space, we’ll suggest an edited alternative; we’re in your corner and want your invitations to look spectacular! Please Note: The following invitations feature typography that is integral to the design and layout. If you choose one of these designs, you must follow the line structure and character count found in the online example and personalization form: Steamside, Broadside, Two Ring Circus, Port of Call, Velvet Curtain, EdisonGram, Teleogram, Cable-Gram, Tesla-Gram and Aether-Gram.
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16. Do you offer envelope printing services?
We do not offer any envelope printing services at this time. The envelopes you’ll receive will be blank.
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