CatPrint vs Prints of Love is really a comparison between two different DIY invitation workflows. CatPrint feels more like a real print shop hiding behind a slightly clunky online storefront. Prints of Love feels more like a streamlined production partner for people who already bought a Canva or Etsy design and just need someone to print the thing without turning it into a second wedding.
Both are good options for upload-your-own wedding invitations. But they are good in different ways. CatPrint is for paper people, proof people and couples who want more control. Prints of Love is for “the file is done, please make it arrive quickly” people.
Quality (Materials And Print)
CatPrint has the higher quality ceiling. The biggest reason is paper flexibility. It offers a broader mix of smooth, textured and specialty stocks, including cotton, shimmer, felt, linen, recycled and pearl linen options. It also supports real foil, custom sizing, printed envelopes, die-cut shapes and free sample packs. For a DIY wedding invitation buyer, that makes CatPrint unusually strong because you can upload your own design without being forced into a narrow paper menu.
The hard-copy proofing also matters. A digital proof can catch spelling, layout and trim issues. A mailed proof can catch the stuff couples actually panic about, like whether the color looks dusty instead of blush, whether the paper feels cheap or whether a photo looks soft. CatPrint gives you that physical proof option before the full run prints, which is a real advantage.
Prints of Love is still good, especially for clean, finished Canva and Etsy designs. Its standard invitation workflow is built around thick card stocks like matte and gloss, with linen and soft touch options available in some products and sizes. For most modern flat wedding invitations, that is plenty. If your design is a simple 5×7 invite with a details card and RSVP, Prints of Love should be more than capable.
But if you are picky about tactile feel, texture, specialty paper, foil or exact color behavior, CatPrint is the safer quality pick. Prints of Love is polished and practical. CatPrint is more flexible and print-nerdy, in a useful way.
Winner: CatPrint
Price And Value
Prints of Love is usually the stronger value play for standard upload-your-own invitations. In our internal invitation notes, Prints of Love showed a strong real-world price signal for 5×7 invitations at 100 quantity, especially when free envelopes and free contiguous U.S. shipping are factored in. That matters because wedding invitation totals get sneaky fast. A dollar here, an envelope there, shipping at checkout, suddenly your “simple DIY invitations” are wearing a tiny tuxedo and asking for a catering budget.
CatPrint is not really the cheap lane. It can be affordable for what you get, especially because there is no quantity minimum and you can order exactly what you need. But its public wedding gallery pricing often sits higher than Prints of Love, especially once you get into premium papers or foil. The value case for CatPrint is not “lowest total.” It is “better control, better proofing and more paper options for the money.”
So the price decision is pretty straightforward. If you are printing a finished Canva/Etsy design and want the best combination of decent quality, included basics and low friction, Prints of Love is likely the better value. If you care enough about paper choice and proofing that you would gladly pay more to avoid a disappointing final run, CatPrint earns its higher price.
Winner: Prints of Love
Design, Templates And Customization
CatPrint supports both templates and upload-your-own designs, but its real strength is upload-and-proof customization. It is better for designers, semi-DIY couples and people who bought a design file but still care about paper, trim, finishing and color outcome. You can use standard sizes, custom sizes, folded formats, envelopes, foil and a wider paper library.
The tradeoff is that CatPrint feels more like a printer workflow than a wedding-planning app. That is not automatically bad. A serious print workflow is exactly what some buyers need. But if you are expecting a super polished wedding stationery ecosystem, CatPrint can feel a little utilitarian.
Prints of Love is much easier for finished designs. Its whole model is basically: upload the files, choose the product details, add envelopes if needed and move on with your life. It is especially well matched to Etsy invitation templates because many Etsy sellers already format files with Prints of Love in mind.
But Prints of Love is not trying to be a deep design platform. It is not the place for endless template browsing, intense paper comparisons or complex finishing decisions. That limitation is also why it feels easy.
Winner: CatPrint for customization, Prints of Love for ease
Customer Service
Both companies look more support-forward than the average bargain printer.
CatPrint’s service advantage is tied to proofing. It offers phone and email support, free sample packs, paper guidance, online proofs, hard-copy proofs and the ability to cancel for a full refund before approval. That is exactly the kind of customer-service structure you want when your order is time-sensitive and emotionally loaded. Wedding invitations are not just postcards. They are postcards with in-laws.
Prints of Love also has a strong support story. The site emphasizes design-expert review, live chat, text support and email support. WeddingWire forum chatter also includes positive stories about Prints of Love catching low-resolution artwork and helping the customer fix it before printing. That is a very practical kind of support for DIY buyers.
What Is The Negative Buzz Around CatPrint?
The negative buzz around CatPrint is not really a broad quality scandal. It is more of a handful of recurring cautions.
First, CatPrint’s workflow is less slick than newer upload-first sites. Some users may find it more “print shop” than “wedding app.” That can make the process feel less friendly if you are not used to print specs.
Second, CatPrint can be slower if you use the free hard-copy proof. The proof is valuable, but it adds time. CatPrint estimates 5 to 7 business days for a free hard-copy proof, while expedited hard-copy proofing costs extra. If your wedding timeline is already spicy, that matters.
Third, there are some old public complaints about proof shipping issues, missing envelopes and customer-service frustration. The most visible example I found was an old Weddingbee complaint about delayed proofs and missing envelopes. It is worth noting that this is old and does not match the broader pattern of CatPrint wedding feedback, which is often positive. Still, it is the kind of thing to keep in mind: order early, check every line item and do not wait until the invitation deadline is breathing on your neck.
Fourth, CatPrint has a thinner public review footprint on some mainstream review sites. Its Trustpilot page has very few reviews, so it is not as useful as a large review base. On the other hand, CatPrint has an A+ BBB rating and a long operating history, plus many positive wedding-specific mentions on WeddingWire and Reddit.
So the fair version is this: CatPrint has some negative chatter around workflow, proof timing and occasional fulfillment issues. It does not have the same pattern of broad quality complaints you see with weaker invitation printers.
Winner: CatPrint for proofing structure, slight edge to Prints of Love for beginner friendliness
Ordering Experience And Tools
Prints of Love has the easier ordering experience for normal DIY buyers. The product pages are built around upload-and-print use cases: invitations, save the dates, RSVP cards, programs, addressed envelopes and other event pieces. You choose the product, upload the design and move through the order.
It also feels very aligned with how people actually buy DIY wedding invitations now. A lot of couples buy a template from Etsy, edit it in Canva or Templett, export the files and then need a printer. Prints of Love understands that lane.
CatPrint gives you more control, but the ordering experience can feel more technical. That is not a dealbreaker. In fact, it is part of why CatPrint is a better fit for picky buyers. But Prints of Love is easier for someone who wants fewer decisions.
One practical difference: CatPrint is better when you want to physically test the printed result before committing. Prints of Love is better when you trust your finished file and just want a fast professional print.
Winner: Prints of Love
Turnaround Time And Shipping
Prints of Love is faster and simpler for ready-to-print files. Its invitation pages promote 1 to 2 business day production, free shipping in the contiguous U.S. and free premium white envelopes. That is a strong setup if your files are ready and you do not need a mailed proof.
CatPrint has a different speed story. It lets you choose a delivery date at checkout and offers several delivery speeds, including faster paid options. That is useful. But the hard-copy proof can slow the timeline because the order delivery date is not determined until the proof is approved. Basically, CatPrint can be fast, but the best CatPrint workflow encourages you to slow down long enough to check the physical proof.
That makes Prints of Love better for a finished design on a tight but reasonable timeline. CatPrint is better when the deadline allows a proofing loop.
Winner: Prints of Love for speed, CatPrint for deadline control after approval
Use Cases / Best For
CatPrint is best for couples who want upload-your-own wedding invitations but still care deeply about paper, finish and proofing. It is the better pick for custom designs, unusual sizes, foil accents, specialty stocks, exact quantities and buyers who want a physical proof before the full order.
Prints of Love is best for couples who already have finished Canva, Etsy or designer-made files and want the simplest path to printed invitations. It is also better for budget-conscious buyers who want fast production, included basics and less decision fatigue.
Use CatPrint if you are the kind of person who asks, “Can I feel the paper first?”
Use Prints of Love if you are the kind of person who asks, “Can this be done by next week without making me learn print production?”
Both are valid wedding personalities.
Pros And Cons
CatPrint Pros
- Excellent paper flexibility for upload-your-own invitations
- Free sample packs and free hard-copy proof option
- Strong choice for custom sizes, specialty papers and foil
- No order minimum, which helps avoid waste
- Better fit for designers and detail-focused DIY buyers
- Good wedding-user quality feedback for a non-wedding-first printer
CatPrint Cons
- Usually not the cheapest option
- Website and workflow feel more print-shop than wedding-app
- Free hard-copy proofing adds time
- Some old complaints mention proof delays, missing envelopes or fulfillment issues
- Can feel like overkill for a simple Canva invitation
Prints of Love Pros
- Very easy upload-your-own workflow
- Strong fit for Etsy and Canva invitation designs
- Fast 1 to 2 business day production on many invitation-style products
- Free contiguous-U.S. shipping and free premium white envelopes on invitation pages
- Good practical support options, including chat, text and email
- Strong value for standard 5×7 invitations
Prints of Love Cons
- Narrower paper and finish range than CatPrint
- Less appealing for complex custom print specs
- Not a true invitation design ecosystem
- BBB profile shows some complaint history
- A recent Reddit complaint raised concerns about duplicate ordering and refund handling
- Better for finished files than for heavy customization
Final Verdict
CatPrint is the better upload-your-own wedding invitation printer if quality control is your top priority. The paper selection, free sample pack, hard-copy proofing and finishing flexibility make it the stronger choice for couples who want their DIY invitations to feel more premium and less “we printed these wherever the coupon code pointed.”
Prints of Love is the better choice if your design is already finished and your priorities are ease, speed and value. It is especially strong for Canva and Etsy invitation files, where the job is not to design the invitation from scratch. The job is to print it cleanly, quickly and without making you question your life choices.
Overall recommendation: choose CatPrint for the best finished-result control. Choose Prints of Love for the easiest upload-your-own wedding invitation experience.
For CatPrint vs Prints of Love, that is the real split: CatPrint is the proofing and paper-flexibility sleeper. Prints of Love is the fast, friendly production lane for finished DIY designs.