How to print a wedding newspaper

The three ways to print it

Choose by two things: how newspaper-like it should feel, and how close the wedding is.

Home printing is the most forgiving: spot a typo at midnight, fix it, print again. Newsprint is the version guests assume you hired a press for, because you did.

Printing at home

Use the US Letter file in the US and Canada, and the A4 file in the UK, Australia and most other places. Each page of the newspaper prints on its own sheet, so an 8-page paper is four sheets printed on both sides.

• Double-sided: with automatic duplex, choose "flip on long edge" for portrait pages. Without it, print the odd pages, put the stack back in, then print the even pages. Run one test sheet first so you learn which way your printer wants the paper turned.
• Scale: print at actual size (100%). Most home printers leave a thin white border; if anything near the edge gets clipped, switch to "fit".
• Binding: one staple in the top-left corner, or a ribbon through a punched hole if you want it to look deliberate.

Photo-heavy pages drink ink, so print one full copy, check it, then run the rest in batches so you spot a streaking cartridge early.

Printing at a copy shop

For most weddings this is the sweet spot: bigger paper, better color, and someone else's printer jamming.

Flat tabloid sheets

Ask for the Tabloid 11 × 17 in file in full color, double-sided, on 11 × 17 paper. Each sheet carries two pages, one per side.

Folded booklet

The Folded booklet file comes on 17 × 11 in sheets, already in booklet page order. Ask for it double-sided, flipped on the short edge, then folded in half to Letter size. Tell staff the pages are already arranged, so nobody reshuffles them. A staple or two in the fold (called saddle stitching) holds it together. A 4-page paper is one folded sheet; an 8-page paper is two sheets nested inside each other.

Ask for a single proof copy before the full run and read it at the counter. Office-grade machines often leave a small white border too, so if a full-bleed cover photo matters to you, ask whether they can print on a bigger sheet and trim.

Printing on real newsprint

For the thin paper that folds like a Sunday edition, you need a newspaper printer. Newspaper Club prints wedding newspapers on a digital press from a single copy, ships every order from the UK, and delivers to the US, Canada, Australia and other countries. Its tabloid page is 289 × 380 mm (about 11.4 × 15 in), 4 to 64 pages in multiples of 4. Paper choices include 55gsm improved newsprint, 52gsm recycled newsprint, 42gsm salmon newsprint, and heavier 70gsm and 80gsm bright stocks.

Download the Newspaper Club tabloid file from VowPress and upload it. Newspaper Club runs an automatic check that flags problems such as low-resolution images or content in the margins, and it prints the PDF exactly as you upload it, so proof the file before you press order. Its artwork guidelines list the details: single pages in reading order, a 15 mm margin at the top, bottom and outside edge, no crop marks or bleed.

If time allows, order one copy first: your own photos on your chosen paper are the only proof that tells the whole truth. Newspaper Club also offers a free sample pack of its papers.

Choosing paper

For home and copy-shop printing, ask for matte, uncoated paper. It feels closest to newsprint, takes a pen for the crossword, and folds cleanly. Glossy stock looks like a brochure and shows every fingerprint.

• 24 lb bond (about 90 gsm): light and pleasantly floppy, the nearest a copy shop gets to newspaper. Expect a little show-through on photo pages.
• 28 to 32 lb bond (about 105 to 120 gsm): the safe middle. Less show-through, still folds well. Ask for this if you're unsure.
• Cardstock: too stiff to fold. Save it for signs.

UK and Australian shops quote weight in gsm, so ask for 100 to 120 gsm uncoated. On a newspaper printer, the standard newsprint looks most authentic, while a brighter stock gives photo-led designs more punch.

Why photos look darker on newsprint, and what to do

Newspaper Club's own printing guide says it isn't as bright white as office paper, that ink coverage is reduced on thin paper, and that details in dark areas merge into one flat color. In practice, shadows go muddy and a black suit loses its lapels.

• Choose photos taken in good, even light, with faces clearly lit.
• Brighten dark photos a little and lift the shadows; slightly too light on screen often looks right on paper.
• Pick images with a good range of mid tones, which is Newspaper Club's own advice.
• Use original phone photos, not screenshots or images saved from a messaging app. The VowPress editor shows the pixel size each photo spot needs.

How many copies, and when to order

A good rule of thumb is one copy per household or couple, plus extras. It is a rule of thumb, not a law: if your crowd loves puzzles, print one per guest so nobody fights over the crossword.

For extras, add about ten percent, plus a few for yourselves, both sets of parents, and the grandparent who will want one framed.

• Home: print the week before, so a dry cartridge doesn't become a wedding-eve errand.
• Copy shop: small jobs are often quick. Staples' site says orders placed by 12:00 pm can be picked up the same day (as of November 2026). Still go a few days early in case of a reprint.
• Newsprint: order about a week or more ahead and check the printer's current turnaround. Newspaper Club's delivery page says orders should arrive in 1 to 7 working days in the UK, and that international orders sent by air generally arrive 2 to 8 working days after ordering (as of November 2026). It also says it can't guarantee delivery dates. Outside the UK, two to three weeks gives you room for a reprint.

Proofing checklist before you print

1. Every name, spelled the way its owner spells it. VowPress prints names exactly as you typed them, typos included, so check the wedding party twice.
2. The date, and that the day of the week matches it.
3. Ceremony and reception times, and the venue address.
4. Photos at 100% zoom: faces sharp, nothing blurry. If the editor says a photo is too small for its spot, swap it.
5. Nothing important hugging the edge, where borders and margins fall.
6. The website QR code, scanned from a printed proof with your phone.
7. Crossword clues and the printed answers.
8. Page order on a printed proof, especially for the folded booklet.

Then hand the proof to someone who didn't help write it.

Where to print in the US, UK, Canada and Australia

United States

Staples, FedEx Office and Office Depot run in-store print centers. Ask for: "11 × 17, full color, double-sided, matte uncoated paper around 28 to 32 lb, one proof first." For the booklet file, add "short-edge flip, fold to letter, saddle stitch, pages already in order." Call ahead: equipment varies by store. Newspaper Club's delivery page says its US prices include duties-paid (DDP) shipping, so there's nothing extra to pay on arrival.

United Kingdom

The big copy-shop sheet here is A3 (297 × 420 mm), not 11 × 17. Use the A4 file at home. At an independent print shop or copy centre, the Folded booklet file prints on A3 at "fit to page" (about 97%) and folds to A4 width with a slightly deeper white band top and bottom. Ask for colour, double-sided, short-edge flip, 100 to 120 gsm uncoated. For newsprint, Newspaper Club delivers within the UK.

Canada

Canada uses US paper sizes, so the Letter, Tabloid and Folded booklet files all work. Staples (Bureau en Gros in Quebec) and independent print shops handle colour printing; ask for the US specs above. Newspaper Club ships to Canada, and its delivery page notes that orders outside the EU may incur extra tax and customs fees, so check before you order.

Australia

Australia uses A4 and A3. Officeworks offers saddle-stitched A4 and A5 booklets, which need at least 8 pages in multiples of 4 and have a 5 mm white border around the edge, so they suit the 8-page version printed from the A4 file. Independent printers can do A3 sheets too. Newspaper Club ships to Australia, with the same note about possible tax and customs fees.

Getting your print files

VowPress doesn't print or ship anything; it gives you the files. Answer the questions in the chat on the homepage (about ten minutes, rough notes are fine), preview the paper free with a watermark, click any words to change them, then pay once to download the newspaper's print files with the Newspaper plan ($24). Print a Letter or A4 proof at home first, then send the bigger file to the printer once it's right.

Start your newspaper, and if you haven't picked a format yet, the wedding newspaper size guide compares them side by side.