Guide · Baby showers
How to Address Baby Shower Invitation Envelopes
The invitations are ready. Now make sure every envelope is addressed to the right people. Here is how to write out couples, families, and individual guests, whose return address to use, and how to print the recipient and return addresses directly on your envelopes at home.
- No credit card. Free for one address book, up to 50 addresses
- 13 envelope sizes plus custom, so it fits the envelopes you already have
- Free envelopes carry a small “Printed with Penmark” line in one corner. Pro ($1.99 a month or $15 a year) removes it.
Shown: Elegant style with the Sprig ornament in Forest. Sprig is free; the accent color is part of Penmark Pro. Every style starts in black.
The names
Who should go on the envelope?
The names on the envelope are the guest list for that household. Write out exactly who is invited, and nobody has to wonder whether their partner or their kids are included. Baby shower invitations almost never have an inner envelope, so the outer envelope does that whole job on its own.
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One personMaya Ellison42 Maple Grove Lane
Just the name. Add a title (Ms., Dr., Mx.) only if you know they use it.
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A couple, shared last nameMaya and Jordan Ellison42 Maple Grove Lane
One line, first names joined by “and” or an ampersand. Either order is fine.
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A couple, different last namesMaya Ellison and Jordan Reyes42 Maple Grove Lane
Both full names, on one line or two. Married or not makes no difference to the envelope.
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The whole householdThe Ellison Family42 Maple Grove Lane
Everyone at that address is invited, children included.
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Some of the householdMaya and Jordan EllisonSam and Theo42 Maple Grove Lane
Adults on the first line, invited children by first name below. Anyone not named is not invited.
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Adults onlyMaya and Jordan Ellison42 Maple Grove Lane
Name only the adults. Some hosts also say “adults only” on the invitation itself; that is a judgment call, not a rule.
Titles are optional. Older guides lean on Mr. and Mrs.; the modern default is names, which sidesteps guessing at marital status, gender, or which title someone prefers. If you know a guest uses Dr., Mx., or another title, use it. For a couples shower, address both partners by name. If only one person in a household is invited, only that name goes on the envelope, however awkward that feels to write.
Whatever style you choose, keep it consistent across the list, and record each household in Penmark exactly the way it should print. The name line on the envelope is whatever you typed, so “Maya and Jordan Ellison”, “The Ellison Family”, and “Maya Ellison and Jordan Reyes” are all one entry away.
The return address
Whose return address should you use?
Use the address where replies and returned mail should land, which is usually the host's. The parents-to-be are the guests of honor, not the sender, unless they are hosting their own shower. Most current etiquette guides say the same thing, and it holds whether guests reply by mail, by text, or through an online RSVP form: an envelope with a wrong address still needs somewhere to come back to.
If two people are co-hosting, pick one address and put that person's name on the envelope; the invitation itself can list every host. In Penmark the return address is typed once and prints on every envelope, in the upper-left corner of the front or on the back flap, with an optional short heading line above the name.
Handwritten or printed
Do baby shower envelopes have to be handwritten?
No. A shower is an informal event, and no current etiquette guide requires handwritten envelopes. What matters is that the names are correct and easy to read. Four ways people get there:
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Handwriting
Personal, and slow
Feels like a note from a friend, which suits a shower. It is also the slowest route past a couple dozen envelopes, and the last ones rarely look like the first.
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Address labels
Fast, on any printer
Sheets of labels print in minutes on a printer that cannot feed envelopes. The label is visible on the envelope; a different look, not a wrong one.
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Calligraphy or a print shop
A formal finish
Lovely for a formal shower. Budget for the cost per envelope and a turnaround of a week or more, plus a corrected list before you hand it over.
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Printed at home
Clean, consistent, no label
The names print straight onto the envelope, every one the same, in a typeface you chose. It needs a printer that can feed the envelope. This is what Penmark does.
Step by step
How to print baby shower envelopes with Penmark
Seven steps the first time. The list, the style, and your printer's loading instructions are all saved, so the thank-you notes start at step seven.
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Gather the guest list by household
Pull the names and addresses into one place: the spreadsheet you started, the notes app, the texts from the parents-to-be. Write each household the way it should print, “Maya and Jordan Ellison” rather than two separate rows. Think in envelopes rather than guests: forty guests is often 25 to 30 envelopes. You do this once; the addresses stay in your address book for the thank-you notes and whatever you mail after that.
The household count is the number to compare with the free plan's limit of 50 addresses per book; larger lists need Pro, $1.99 a month or $15 a year.
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Import the names and addresses
Create a free account, confirm your email, and open your address book. Upload the spreadsheet as .xlsx or .csv and Penmark maps the columns it recognizes. Or paste the list as plain text from an email or a note and Penmark reads out each address for you to review. Phone contacts import from a .vcf file, and you can always type addresses in one at a time.
Photos of a paper list, Word documents, and PDFs import on Pro.
Name or First + Last · Address 1 and 2 · City, State, ZIP split or combined -
Missing a few? Send a Request Addresses link
Share one link by text, email, or QR code, or hand it to the parents-to-be to pass along. Each person types in their own address, no account needed, and every response waits in a review inbox until you accept it into the book. The free plan includes one active request link per book. Pro adds multiple requests and private confirmation links for people whose address you already have.
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Choose the envelope you actually have
Measure it; the width is the long edge. A 5 × 7 invitation ships in an A7 envelope, 7.25 × 5.25 in; a 4.25 × 5.5 card in an A2, 5.75 × 4.375 in; and a 4 × 6 card in an A6, 6.5 × 4.75 in. Penmark lists 13 standard sizes and accepts any custom size from 3 to 15 inches per side. The PDF page is made exactly that size, which is what lets the addresses print where the preview shows them. The full size table is on the envelope printing page.
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Style the recipient and return address
Pick one of nine styles (Classic, Script, Elegant, Editorial, Gallery, Modern, Casual, Minimal, Holiday) and choose small, medium, or large for the recipient block. Drag either block to where you want it; the preview is drawn with the same fonts and positions the PDF uses.
Add the host's return address to the front corner or the back flap, with an optional ornament beside it. Sprig, Bloom, Star, and your Initial are free; Rings, Heart, Flourish, and the seasonal set are Pro, and so are the accent colors. Every style starts in black.
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Set up your printer
Every printer feeds envelopes a little differently, and the first attempt on a new printer often comes out upside down or on the wrong side. So the first time, print a one-page setup sheet, tell Penmark how it came out, and it works out how the envelope needs to go into the tray. Those loading instructions are saved for that printer and size and shown every time you print.
The one print setting that matters is paper size. Choose “Envelope A7” if your printer lists it; otherwise add a custom paper size of 7.25 × 5.25 in. Do not pick 5 × 7, which shifts and scales the print.
Envelope printing setup Step 3 of 4How did the test envelope come out?- Perfect
- Upside down
- Wrong side
- Shifted
- Wrong size
✓ Ready to print A7 envelopes. Load print side down, top edge to the left, centered between the guides. When printing, choose “Envelope A7” if available. Otherwise use a custom paper size of 7.25 × 5.25 in.Saved per printer and per size -
Print the batch
Tick the households you are inviting and download one PDF with one envelope-sized page per household. Load the envelopes the way your saved instructions say and print. A late addition to the list? Print just that one. If the return address is on the back flap, the flaps print as a second pass and Penmark walks you through turning the stack over; keep any print-on-both-sides setting off.
Free envelopes carry a small “Printed with Penmark · usepenmark.com” line in the bottom-left corner of the front, well away from the address. Pro envelopes are clean.
After the shower
Invitations now, thank-you notes later.
Once the shower is over, you already have the addresses in one place. Thank-you notes go to the same households, so open the book, select the people who came, and print the envelopes again. Nothing has to be collected or retyped, and the same list prints Avery-compatible labels if you would rather.
The addresses stay there for whatever comes next: the birth announcements, the first holiday card, next year's party. Penmark is built to hold an address book you use for years, not a single mailing. When someone moves, you update one entry.
The options, side by side
Handwriting, labels, calligraphy, or printing?
Every method below works. They differ in what they are good at and what they leave for you to do.
| Method | Good for | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Handwriting | A short list, or a personal touch that suits a shower | Slow past a couple dozen, and consistency depends on your hand holding up to the end of the stack |
| Address labels | Fast, inexpensive batches on any printer, including one that cannot feed envelopes | The label is visible on the envelope, and the sheet has to line up with the label layout |
| Calligraphy or a print shop | A formal finish without touching a printer | Cost per envelope and a turnaround of days or weeks; the list has to be final before you hand it over |
| Printing at home from Word or a design tool | Full control over the design if you already know the tools | You set up the merge or the per-envelope pages, the envelope size, and the feed orientation yourself, and again next time |
| Penmark | Turning a guest list into a stack of printed envelopes, and keeping the list for the thank-you notes | Needs a printer that can feed your envelope; free envelopes carry a small Printed with Penmark line |
Penmark also prints Avery-compatible address labels from the same list, so if your printer turns out not to feed envelopes, nothing is retyped.
Common questions
Before you address the first envelope
How do you address a baby shower invitation envelope?
Write the names of everyone invited at that address, then the street address, and the city, state, and ZIP on the last line. Names rather than titles are the modern default: “Maya and Jordan Ellison” is enough, and a title such as Dr. or Mx. belongs only when you know the person uses it. The return address goes in the upper-left corner of the front or on the back flap.
Do you put both people's names on the envelope?
If both are invited, yes. A couple with a shared last name can share one line, “Maya and Jordan Ellison”. With different last names, write both in full, on one line or two. If only one person is invited, only that name goes on the envelope; the names are what tell guests who the invitation is for.
How do you address an invitation to a whole family?
“The Ellison Family” invites everyone in the household, children included. To invite only some of them, put the adults on the first line and the invited children by first name on the line below. To invite the adults only, name only the adults.
Whose return address goes on a baby shower invitation?
The host's, or whoever is handling replies and returned mail. The parents-to-be are the guests of honor, not the sender, unless they are hosting. That holds whether guests reply by mail, by text, or through an online RSVP form: an undeliverable envelope still needs somewhere to come back to.
Do baby shower envelopes have to be handwritten?
No. A shower is an informal event and no current etiquette guide requires it. Handwriting feels personal; printed envelopes are clean and consistent and do not depend on your handwriting holding up across the whole stack. Address labels are a third option with a different look. Any of them is fine as long as the names are right.
Can I print baby shower invitation envelopes at home?
Yes, if your printer can feed the envelope. Penmark makes a PDF that is exactly the size of your envelope, one page per household, so you print it on the envelopes you already have. The first time, print one setup page so Penmark can learn how your printer loads envelopes and save it.
Can I print a different recipient on every envelope?
Yes. Select the households from your address book and Penmark produces one PDF with one envelope-sized page per household, each with that household's names and address. Print a single envelope or a subset any time, for example the late additions to the list.
What envelope size do baby shower invitations use?
It depends on the card. A 5 × 7 invitation ships in an A7 envelope (7.25 × 5.25 in), a 4.25 × 5.5 card in an A2 (5.75 × 4.375 in), and a 4 × 6 card in an A6 (6.5 × 4.75 in). Measure the envelope you actually have; the width is the long edge. Penmark supports 13 standard sizes and any custom size from 3 to 15 inches per side.
What if I don't have everyone's address yet?
Send a Request Addresses link. Share one Penmark link by text, email, or QR code; each person types in their own mailing address without creating an account, and the responses wait in a review inbox until you accept them into your book. The free plan includes one active request link per book. Penmark Pro adds multiple requests and private confirmation links for people whose address you already have.
Can I use the addresses again for thank-you notes?
Yes. The addresses stay in your address book after the shower. Select the people who came and print the envelopes again, or print Avery-compatible labels from the same list. Nothing has to be collected or retyped, and the list is still there for the announcements and holiday cards that follow.
Every envelope to the right people, printed tonight.
Import the list, pick a style, print one setup page, and address the whole stack in one go.
Print my baby shower envelopesNo credit card · Free for up to 50 addresses · Free envelopes carry a small Penmark line