Place cards

A place card is a small addition, but at a larger party it can genuinely make the organising easier. A guest comes to the table, finds their name and knows at once where to sit. There is no need to hunt for a seat or ask the staff.

Table place cards take the form of folded cards standing at each setting. Most often a first name and surname are printed on them, but the design can also carry a table number, a monogram, a logo, the date of the event or a short line.

The style then follows the character of the occasion. A place card can be minimalist and built on typography alone, or decorated with flowers, an ornament or elements of a visual identity. If its design echoes the invitations, the menu, the table numbers and the seating plan, the whole stationery set looks consistent.

What you can use place cards for

Place cards are useful wherever guests have particular seats at the table. They work both at private celebrations and at more formal events.

• Weddings and family parties - classic wedding place cards with the guest's name, the couple's initials, a monogram or a graphic motif matching the invitations.
• Communions, christenings, birthdays and anniversaries - a simple, legible way of marking places that can be matched to the table decoration and the rest of the stationery.
• Banquets, galas and hotel functions - more distinguished place cards that help seat guests according to the plan.
• Conferences, company dinners and corporate events - the card can carry the attendee's name, their role, the company name, a table number or the event logo.
• Restaurants and tasting dinners - place cards tidy up the settings and help both guests and staff find the right places quickly.

A place card does not have to carry a full name. You can use the first name alone, a table number, the name of a themed table or a short welcome line.

With a fuller set-up for the event, a set where the place cards match the invitations, the menu, the tags, the table numbers, the seating plan and the thank-yous looks good.

Which format to choose

We make place cards in one proven format:

• 90×100 mm before folding, 90×50 mm folded - the classic size for a standing table place card. Folded, the card has stable proportions, sits well at the setting and stays legible for the guest at the table.

On a surface like that you can fit a first name and surname, a table number, a small logo, a monogram, the date of the event, a graphic motif or a short line.

The design has to allow for the fold line, though. The elements visible once folded should face the right way and sit in the right part of the sheet.

With personalised place cards it is also worth leaving some room for longer details. Not every name is the same length. Double-barrelled surnames, titles and longer names should fit without shrinking the text too far.

Which paper to choose

Once folded, a place card has to stand on the table on its own, so we print it on stiff papers suited to that form.

Three versions are available:

• Coated 350 gsm - a stiff, smooth paper that shows colours well. It works on place cards with a background, artwork, floral motifs, photographs or bolder colours. It suits both classic and more decorative designs.
• DCP Satin 300 gsm - a paper with a calm, satin surface. It goes well with minimalist, elegant and formal designs. You can use it for wedding, communion, banquet, hotel and company place cards.
• Invercote Creato 300 gsm - an attractive, stiff board for more distinguished work. It suits hotel functions, banquets, conferences, company events and designs meant to have a more elegant character.

With strongly coloured artwork, coated 350 gsm is a good direction. If the design is to be calm and minimalist, you can choose DCP Satin 300 gsm. Invercote Creato 300 gsm works well on the most distinguished pieces.

Printing and finishing

We print place cards on one side, in full colour. The design sits on the side visible once the card is folded.

You can put the guest's name, a table number, the name of the event, a date, a monogram, initials, a logo, an ornament, a delicate illustration or a short welcome line on it.

On place cards, legibility matters most. The name should be easy to read from the seat at the table, so it is better not to overdo the decoration. Pay particular attention to longer surnames and more decorative typefaces.

There are four finishes to choose from:

• No finishing - suited to classic, simple and minimalist place cards and designs matched to unlaminated stationery.
• Gloss lamination - strengthens colours and contrast. It suits place cards with a strong background, photographs or bolder artwork.
• Matte lamination - gives a calmer, more restrained look. It works on wedding, hotel, banquet, company and minimalist place cards.
• Soft-touch lamination - creates a soft surface that is pleasant to the touch. It suits more representative wedding, gala, banquet and corporate place cards.

If you intend to write names, table numbers or other details on the cards by hand later, allow for that when choosing the finish. Film can make writing with a pen harder or make the ink take longer to dry.

You can check the exact prices for each version in the calculator above.

What goes on a place card

You can match the design both to the character of the event and to the way guests are seated.

Place cards most often carry:

• the guest's first name and surname, or the first name alone,
• a table number,
• the name of the event,
• the date of the occasion,
• the couple's initials,
• a monogram,
• the company or event logo,
• a short welcome line,
• a floral motif,
• a small illustration,
• an ornament or icon,
• a table marking,
• a short quotation,
• elements of the event's visual identity.

At weddings a name completed with a monogram or a delicate graphic motif is often enough. At company events you can use the logo, the name of the meeting, the attendee's job title or a table number. At family celebrations a simple, legible layout with the guest's first name usually works best.

File check and graphic design

When you place the order you choose one of three ways of preparing the file:

• No file check - for advertising agencies, designers and anyone confident the design is technically correct. The file goes into production without further control.
• File check by a designer - we check the format, bleed, safe distances, image quality, colours and how the file was saved. On place cards we also check the things that follow from the folded construction: the fold line, the crease, the layout of the design before and after folding, the margin from the fold and whether important elements are set back from the edges.
• Simple graphic design - if you have no design of your own, send us the list of names, the text, the style you want, the colours, a graphic motif, your logo and your other guidelines. We will prepare a simple design matched to the place card format, the paper and the character of the event.

The technical check is particularly worth choosing if the design was made in Canva, an online generator, an office program, a presentation app or with AI tools. Files like these may need the format, bleed, fold line, CMYK, resolution or safe margins adjusted.

With personalisation it is worth paying extra attention to the length of the details. Long first names, double-barrelled surnames or titles may call for a change in text size so that the whole set keeps a consistent layout.

The technical check does not cover the content. We do not check typos, first names, surnames, titles, table numbers, the list and order of guests, dates, translations, QR codes or whether the details match the seating plan. The customer is responsible for the accuracy of the personalisation.

How to prepare the file for print

• Format and colours - a PDF prepared to our specification is best. We also accept good quality JPG and PNG files. Photographs and artwork should be at 300 dpi at 1:1 scale, and the design prepared in CMYK.
• Bleed and the fold line - if artwork runs to the edge, add the right amount of bleed. Move the name, table number, logo, date, graphic motif and other important elements away both from the edges and from the fold line.
• Allow for the finished form - you prepare the design for the 90×100 mm format before folding, but after creasing the place card is 90×50 mm. So check that every element visible once folded is in the right position and facing the right way.
• Personalisation and the guest list - before sending the file, check the spelling of names carefully, the capitalisation, double-barrelled surnames, titles, table numbers and the order of the details.
• Our guidance - before sending the design it is also worth looking at the section on preparing files and the mistakes made most often.