Free invitation SVG files

Sizes that fit the card and the sheet

An invitation has to fit two things: the printed card that goes in it and the sheet it is cut from. The lace gatefold, the sleeve, the belly band and the liner are made for a 5 by 7 inch card, 127 by 178 mm; the pocketfold takes an A6 card, 105 by 148 mm; the tree gatefold and the petal envelope take a square. The files open at 100 mm on their longer side, so scale each to the cut size in its note before you load the card.

The largest of them use most of a sheet. The pocketfold is 284 by 199 mm and fits A4 or 12 inch card; the lace gatefold is 266 by 178 mm and fits A4 or Letter card; the belly band is 283 mm long. Where a note says A4 or 12 inch, the piece is too long for Letter card: cut it from a 305 mm sheet of scrapbook card there. For a hundred invitations, cut one from scrap first and try the printed card in it.

Folding, gluing and card

Every fold is a row of short slits that the blade or laser cuts along with the outline, so nothing needs scoring. Fold each line once before gluing. Only three of the folded pieces need glue to hold their shape: the pocketfold, by the two tabs of its pocket, the sleeve, by the two tabs of its pocket, and the nappy, by its wings. Tabs go behind the pocket, out of sight, and double-sided tape keeps them flat. The petal envelope and the belly band lock without any glue.

Pearlescent card of 220 to 250 gsm is the usual choice for jackets and pocketfolds: it holds a crisp fold and the lace does not tear. The liner and the band are better in paper of 120 gsm. Lace cut at these sizes has bars of card about 3 mm wide between the holes, which a blade manages in card but not in glitter stock; a laser can cut the same files smaller.

How to open the files

• Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
• Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
• LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
• Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
• Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions