Collection: Party Magazines & Matchbooks

Printable Party Magazines & Matchbooks

These are the pieces guests pick up and keep. A party magazine is a printed booklet about the guest of honour — photos, timelines, quotes from friends, a quiz. A matchbook is a small folded card that works as a favour, a game, or a place setting.

Both are editable in Canva and both punch well above what they cost to make.

Party magazines

Built like a real magazine: a cover with the guest of honour on it, a contents page, spreads of photos by decade, an interview, tributes from friends and family, and a quiz at the back. They work best at milestone birthdays, retirements and anniversaries, where there is enough material to fill the pages.

Ask contributors six weeks out. Collecting photos and quotes from twenty people always takes longer than you plan for, and it is the part that makes the magazine worth making.

Matchbooks

A small folded card, matchbook shaped, that opens to reveal something inside: a game, a set of questions, a message, a set of dates. They sit on place settings at weddings and bachelorette parties, cost almost nothing to print, and get taken home more reliably than any other favour.

Magazine and matchbook questions

How long should a party magazine be?

Eight to sixteen pages. Beyond that people stop turning, and the printing cost climbs.

Where should I print a magazine?

A print shop, saddle-stitched. Home printing a booklet means duplex printing and manual collating, which is an evening you will not enjoy.

How many copies do I need?

One per household plus a few spares. They get shared rather than read individually.

What do I put in a matchbook?

Anything short: a would-you-rather question, a date night idea, a quote, or a note to the guest. The format only holds a few lines.

What paper should matchbooks use?

200 to 250 gsm so they fold cleanly and stand up on a plate.

How far ahead should I start a magazine?

Six to eight weeks, mostly to allow time for other people to send you things.