If you are printing wedding or event invitations in Dubai, a realistic budget for 100 guests is AED 275–900 for the cards and AED 230–760 for envelopes, with gold foiling adding roughly 40–60% to the card cost. Production takes 3–8 working days after artwork approval, so the safe order window is 5–6 weeks before the event. This guide breaks down the paper weights, finishes, envelope sizes and add-ons that actually change the price — using real prices from our Dubai print shop, all VAT inclusive.
What an invitation order in Dubai actually includes
Most people budget for "the invitation" and then get surprised at the second quote. A complete invitation job in the UAE is usually four separate line items:
- The invitation card itself — flat card, folded card or pocket-fold, printed one or both sides.
- The envelope — plain or printed, DL for a standard card, A5 or A4 for larger formats.
- The seal — a foiled sticker, wax-look label or belly band that closes the envelope.
- Inserts — RSVP cards, map or venue cards, and thank-you cards for after the event.
Budget for all four from day one. The card is rarely the biggest number once you add 500 printed envelopes.
Paper and GSM: what to actually choose
For invitations, GSM is the single biggest driver of perceived quality. Here is how the common weights behave in practice:
- 300 gsm Bristol / art board — the workhorse. Stiff enough to feel formal, thin enough to fold cleanly. Good for corporate event invites and RSVP inserts.
- 350 gsm art matt — our most-ordered invitation stock. Takes matt lamination beautifully and is the right weight for a flat A5 or A6 invitation.
- 400 gsm art matt — noticeably premium in the hand. This is the weight we use for round-corner cards and for anything with foiling, because foil sits better on heavier stock.
- Textured and cotton stocks — available on request for traditional wedding work. Priced per project, as the base sheet is imported.
If you are unsure, read our full paper GSM guide — it maps every weight from 100 to 400 gsm to the job it suits.
Lamination: matt, gloss or velvet
Matt lamination is the default for invitations in the UAE — it photographs well, resists fingerprints in humid weather and gives foil something to contrast against. Gloss looks cheap on wedding stationery but is fine for high-energy event invites and club nights. Velvet (soft-touch) lamination is the premium option and is what most couples pick when they want the card to feel expensive before it is even read.
Foiling, embossing and the finishes that photograph well
Foiling is the finish that separates a printed invitation from a designed one. Gold and rose gold are the two we run most often in Dubai; silver and copper are available on the same setup. Foil requires a die, which is a one-time cost per design — this is why foiling is dramatically cheaper per card at 500 pieces than at 50.
Two practical rules from the production floor:
- Keep foil elements chunky. Hairline script under 0.5 pt will fill in. If your monogram has thin serifs, thicken them or move to embossing.
- Do not foil over a fold. Foil cracks along a crease. Design the foil block to sit clear of any scoring line.
Embossing and spot UV are the quieter alternatives — the same techniques we cover in detail in our guide to spot UV, foiling and embossing.
Real invitation and card prices
All prices below are live from our store, in AED and inclusive of VAT. Free UAE-wide delivery applies on larger orders; smaller quantities carry a standard delivery charge at checkout.
| Item | Spec | Qty | Price (AED, VAT incl.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invitation Cards | Any size & design, custom quote | Custom | from 275 |
| Cards A5, 350 gsm art matt | 1-side print, matt lamination both sides | 35 pcs | 370 |
| Cards A4, 350 gsm art matt | 1-side print, matt lamination both sides | 20 pcs | 370 |
| Round-corner cards | 400 gsm art matt, both sides, matt lamination | Custom | from 265 |
| Cards with foiling | Premium stock + metallic foil accent | Custom | from 395 |
| Standard printed cards | Premium card stock, free design service | Custom | from 235 |
Envelopes: the line item everyone forgets
An invitation without a matched envelope looks unfinished. Wood-free 100 gsm is the standard; 120 gsm is the upgrade and is what we recommend for anything going into the post or into a gift box, because it does not show the card through the paper.
| Envelope | GSM | 1,000 pcs | 2,000 pcs | 5,000 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL (for A5 folded / A6 flat) | 100 gsm wood free | 760 | 910 | 1,420 |
| DL premium | 120 gsm wood free | 810 | 1,010 | 1,620 |
| A5 (for A5 flat cards) | 120 gsm wood free | 1,020 | 1,320 | 2,020 |
| A4 (for flat A4 / certificates) | 100 gsm wood free | 1,340 | 1,700 | 3,280 |
| A5 plain, no printing | Unprinted stock | 230 for 150 pcs | ||
Note the shape of that pricing: 1,000 DL envelopes at 100 gsm cost AED 760, but 5,000 cost AED 1,420 — not five times more. Envelope printing is dominated by setup, so if you have a second event this year, print both runs together. The full breakdown by size sits in our envelope printing guide, and the complete range is in the envelopes collection.
Seals, tags and the finishing touches
A foiled seal is the cheapest way to make a plain envelope look designed. Real prices from our sticker and label range:
| Seal / label | Spec | Qty | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transparent PVC seals with foiling | 3 × 3 cm, clear PVC, metallic foil | 500 | 575 |
| Gold foil stickers | 80 gsm, glossy laminated | 1,000 | 460 |
| Die-cut gold foil stickers | Custom shape, glossy laminated | 1,000 | 510 |
| Transparent round seals | 5 × 5 cm round, PVC, glossy | 1,000 | 410 |
| Paper seals, matt | 7 × 7 cm, matt lamination | 100 | 230 |
For the after-the-event half of the job, the thank-you card collection runs from AED 235, and a foiled version at AED 395 matches most invitation designs without a second die.
Timeline: when to order for a Dubai event
Work backwards from the event date:
- Week −6: finalise guest count and lock the design. Add 10% to your print quantity — reprints of 20 cards cost almost as much as 100.
- Week −5: approve artwork. Production clocks start only after final approval: standard cards ship in 3 working days, stickers and foiled items in up to 8.
- Week −4: cards and envelopes delivered. Assemble and address.
- Week −3: send. Allow 5–7 days for UAE post, or use a courier for Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates.
Ramadan, Eid and December are the three periods when Dubai print capacity tightens. Add a week to every stage if your event falls near one.
How to order
Send your artwork as a print-ready PDF with 3 mm bleed, fonts outlined, and images at 300 dpi in CMYK. Our print-ready artwork checklist covers every setting. If you do not have artwork, our design team creates it free with your print order — send a reference image and your text, and you will get a proof within one working day.
Orders are placed directly on the product pages, or on WhatsApp if your job needs a custom size, a special stock or a split delivery. We deliver across all seven emirates; Dubai and Sharjah are typically next-day after production, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Ajman and RAK add one day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for wedding invitations in Dubai?
There is no hard minimum on custom invitation work — the invitation card product starts from AED 275 for a short run. In practice, anything under 50 pieces costs almost the same as 100 because setup dominates, so ordering 100 is usually the better value.
How much does gold foiling add to the price?
On our stock lines, foiling is the difference between AED 235 for a standard printed card and AED 395 for the foiled version — roughly 60% on small runs. On envelope seals, 1,000 gold foil stickers are AED 460 against AED 370 for the same quantity plain, so about AED 0.09 extra per seal.
Can you print Arabic and English on the same invitation?
Yes, and it is one of the most common requests we handle. Send both language versions in the same file with Arabic fonts embedded or outlined. Arabic script needs slightly more leading than Latin at the same point size, so give the layout room — we will flag it on the proof if the spacing looks tight.
Which envelope size fits an A5 invitation?
A flat A5 card needs an A5 envelope. An A5 card folded to A6, or a DL-shaped card, fits a DL envelope — which is the cheaper option at AED 760 per 1,000. Folding your A5 design in half is the single easiest way to cut the envelope line item roughly in half.
How long does production take after I approve the artwork?
Standard cards on 350 gsm with lamination ship in 3 working days. Stickers, seals and foiled items take up to 8 working days. Envelopes run on their own line and typically take 4–6 working days. If you are ordering all three, plan around the longest item, not the shortest.
Are your prices VAT inclusive?
Yes — every price shown on the store and in the tables above includes 5% UAE VAT. A tax invoice is issued automatically with each order for your records.
Ready to print your invitations?
Send your guest count, card size and preferred finish and you will get a firm quote the same working day. Browse the envelope range, the thank-you card collection and the seals and labels, or talk to us directly.
Call or WhatsApp: 0522100909 (WhatsApp +971522100909) — send a photo of a design you like and we will tell you exactly what it costs to print in Dubai.
