Home invitation and stationery studio

Couples planning weddings, parents organising parties and christenings, and small event planners who need stationery for clients.

A price per set of invitations, with extras for custom design, envelopes, matching stationery and rush orders. Repeat work comes from event planners and recommendations.

• Basic graphic design
• Eye for detail and typography
• Customer service and patience with changes
• Good time management around event dates

• Check whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council needs to agree to a business run from home
• Consider public liability and product insurance, and check what a home insurer will cover
• Copyright: only use fonts, images and artwork you have a licence to use commercially
• Colours can print differently from the screen, so always agree proofs before printing
• Register as a sole trader with HMRC and keep records of income and costs

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £500 to £2,500, depending on the printer, design software and materials you choose. Sending larger jobs to a trade printer can help you avoid buying more equipment.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £300 to £2,000, depending on how many orders you take and whether they are templates or bespoke designs. Orders often cluster around event dates.

Check whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council needs to agree to a business run from home, what insurance you need, that you have commercial licences for fonts and images, proofs agreed before printing, and HMRC sole trader registration.