Paper Culture Review: Graduation Invitation Stores

Paper Culture's mission is to design paper products with environmental sustainability in mind. Paper Culture promises to combat deforestation and mitigate climate change. With a pledge to plant a tree with every purchase, Paper Culture proudly touts its contribution of over 1,000,000 trees worldwide. Their eco-conscious efforts have garnered recognition from esteemed publications such as Real Simple, Refinery29, Brides, The Wall Street Journal, The Knot, and People. All their products are crafted from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, so no new trees are felled in their production process.

370 cards to choose from

In general, Paper Culture emphasizes contemporary aesthetics with its designs. With an array of 370 graduation invitations, Paper Culture includes styles that suit elementary school graduations to college convocations. The collection encompasses a wide range of designs, including those adorned with clipart graphics, inspirational quotes, or minimalist aesthetics. While options for customization are somewhat limited compared to other platforms, you can personalize your invitations by format, photo count, orientation, color palette, and foil accents.

Not a lot of personalization available

The design process is extremely simple. You can change the content in predetermined text fields. You can add photos and move them a little bit side to side. However, outside of that, all the elements of the graduation invites are set. You can't add stickers or extra clip art, nor can you add extra text fields or change major color areas. On the bright side, you can have one of the Paper Culture designers take a look at your finished product for free before it's printed to make sure there are no errors in your design. On the other hand, this will slightly increase the time it will take to produce your graduation invitations, so plan ahead.

Prices start at $1.39 per card

Despite the emphasis on sustainability, Paper Culture's pricing remains competitive, with graduation invitation costs comparable to industry standards. While the absence of a price filtering option may pose a minor inconvenience, most cards are priced between $1.39 and $2.99, with discounted rates available during promotional periods. We looked at one card as an example so you can see what prices you might expect. The basic version of the card includes 6 x 4.3 size cardstock, premium paper, and square edges. This costs $2.99 per card or $29.90 for the minimum order of 10 cards. If you add all the extras on (7 x 5.1 sizing, rounded edges, and triple-thick paper), it will be $4.08 per card or $40.80 for the minimum order of 10 cards.

Satisfaction guarantee if it's their error

While Paper Culture offers a customer satisfaction guarantee, there are some exceptions to this policy. If you receive your invitations and there are issues involving proof approval errors (without using their proofreading service) or low-resolution photos, your order may not qualify for a refund. Be extra sure before you hit submit that all of the text is correct.

8-11 business days until your invites arrive

Typically, it will take 8-11 business days from the time of your purchase to receive your order. This timeframe encompasses approximately 2-3 business days for edits, followed by 3-5 business days for printing and drying the cards. Then, you'll have to add your shipping method, which can take up to 3 days depending on if you choose expedited or standard shipping options.

Mixed reviews for customer service

Paper Culture has a stellar "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, from other review sites, the feedback is mixed. For example, on blog sites, Paper Culture has an average rating of 4 stars. When we checked out the feedback from other third-party review sites like Trustpilot, it showed a 2.8-star average. The customers who were happy loved the quality of the paper and were impressed with the commitment to the environment. Other customers claimed that they struggled with customer service and had issues getting problems with their orders resolved in a timely fashion.

More focused on environment than customers

Despite their commendable sustainability efforts, Paper Culture's mixed reviews raise some questions about their customer service. While their commitment to sustainability is admirable, those prioritizing prompt service may need to look at alternatives with higher customer ratings. For this reason, Paper Culture gets a more moderate rating in our review of graduation invitation providers.

On the Paper Culture website