Welcoming a baby is one of the biggest moments in a family's life, and a beautifully printed announcement is how those first photos and details land in the hands of the people who matter most. At Paperlust, every baby announcement card is a custom-printed piece designed by an independent stationery designer, printed on premium stock right here in Australia, and shipped flat or folded to your door. Add a photo or skip it, choose a single name or twins, and pick from digital, flat foil, or metallic printing. Sample packs are available so you can feel the paper and finish before you commit.
Why couples and new parents choose Paperlust for birth announcements:
- 500+ designer baby announcement templates, every one customisable
- Three print methods (digital, flat foil, and metallic) so the finish matches the moment
- Premium card stocks: cotton, smooth white, kraft, ivory, and pearlescent
- Photo and non-photo layouts, ultrasound versions, and adoption-friendly wording
- Sample packs from $5 so you can touch the paper before printing
- Free shipping Australia-wide on orders over $350
- Designs that can be tweaked by our in-house designer team if the off-the-shelf version is not quite right
Designer baby announcement cards for every birth story
Not every announcement looks the same, and the design styles in our collection reflect that. Whether you are sharing the arrival of a single baby, twins, an adopted child, or a rainbow baby after loss, there is a designer style that fits.
Girl, boy, twin, and gender-neutral designs
Browse girl baby announcement cards for soft pinks, florals, and feminine illustrations, or boy baby announcement cards for blues, earth tones, and bolder typography. Twin announcement cards are designed to share two names and two sets of stats side by side. Many of our most-loved designs are intentionally gender-neutral: botanicals, modern type, hand-illustrated florals, and soft palettes that work for any baby.
Photo and non-photo announcements
Photos make an announcement personal, but they are not the only way to tell the story. Photo birth announcement cards are designed to hold one, two, or three of your favourite first photos, with options for square, landscape, or portrait orientations. Non-photo cards lean on illustration, typography, and beautiful colour palettes; perfect if you are still waiting on the newborn shoot or simply prefer a more text-led announcement. Ultrasound photos work beautifully on either format.
Rainbow babies, adoption, and surrogacy
Rainbow baby announcement cards are made for families celebrating a baby after loss, and the wording can be customised to honour your story however you choose. Adoption and surrogacy announcements use the same designer templates with reworked language. Many families celebrate the day the adoption was finalised rather than a birth date, and our designer team can swap any of the wording without changing the design.
Print methods and paper stocks
The print method changes how the card looks, feels, and lasts. We offer three options so you can match the finish to the design and the budget.
| Print method | Look and feel | Best for | Price tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital | Flat, full-colour print on smooth or textured stock. Photographic and illustrated designs render sharply. | Photo announcements, larger guest lists, faster turnaround. | Most accessible |
| Flat foil | Smooth metallic foil sits flush with the card surface. Gold, silver, rose gold, and copper available. | Classic name and stat announcements, monogram designs, photo cards with foiled type. | Mid |
| Metallic | Pearlescent metallic inks printed flat. Subtle iridescent shimmer that catches light without raised texture. | Soft-glow designs, gender-neutral palettes, gentle premium feel for photo and non-photo announcements. | Mid plus |
Card stock options
Across all three print methods we offer cotton (the heaviest, softest, most heirloom-feeling option, ideal for keepsake and minimal-ink designs), smooth white, kraft (warm, natural fibre showing through), ivory (a warmer alternative to white), and pearlescent (subtle metallic sheen across the whole sheet). Most designs come with a recommended stock baked in, but you can switch to any of the alternatives at the cascade page.
Sizes, formats, and finishing
Birth announcements work best in formats that fit cleanly into a standard envelope and that hold a photo at a readable size. The most popular formats below all sit in our standard envelope range with no upgrade required.
| Format | Dimensions | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat A6 | 105 x 148 mm | Single-sided photo or text announcement, classic postcard scale. |
| Flat A5 | 148 x 210 mm | Hero photo, landscape layouts, multi-photo grids. |
| Folded A6 | 148 x 210 mm folded to 105 x 148 | Photo on the front, full birth story inside, room for siblings or parents on the back. |
| Square 130 | 130 x 130 mm | Modern square aesthetic, equally good for photo or type-led designs. |
Trim options include rounded corners, scalloped edges, and ticket-style scallops. Premium envelope upgrades are available for cotton and pearlescent envelopes if you want the unboxing to match the card.
Customising your announcement
Wording, names, and birth stats
Every template ships with placeholder wording you can replace with your own. Names, birth dates, weights, lengths, time of birth, and parents' names are all editable from the cascade page. If you need a layout tweak that the cascade page does not allow (a longer name, a different sibling order, or an adoption-friendly rewrite) note it in the order comments and our designer team will adjust before printing.
Photos, ultrasounds, and multi-image layouts
Photo cards accept high-resolution JPEG or PNG uploads. For best results upload images at the highest resolution your camera or phone allows. Ultrasound images work beautifully on photo templates; designers will colour-correct and crop on request if you flag it in the order comments. Multi-photo cards (two or three images on one card) are popular for twins, sibling shots, or before-and-after newborn photos.
Sample packs: feel the paper before you order
We send a curated sample pack containing each of the five card stocks, all three print methods, and example photo and non-photo designs for $5. The pack ships within 5 to 7 business days and is genuinely the best way to know whether you want flat foil on cotton or metallic ink on smooth white before you commit to an order.
Wording, etiquette, and when to send
The traditional window for sending birth announcements is two to eight weeks after the baby arrives: late enough that you have a usable photo and a routine, early enough that the news still feels fresh. There is no hard rule. Many families send within the first six months, especially if a newborn shoot is scheduled later or if the holidays land before you have time to send.
What to include
A complete birth announcement typically includes:
- Baby's full name (and nickname if you want to use one)
- Date of birth
- Time of birth (optional but traditional)
- Weight and length at birth
- Parents' names
- Sibling names if applicable
- One or more photos (optional)
Wording tone: formal, warm, or playful
Formal: "We are delighted to announce the arrival of [Full Name], born on [Date] at [Time]." Warm: "Our family of three became four on [Date]. Meet [Name]." Playful: "She's here! [Name], born [Date], and already running the show." Pick the tone that sounds like your family, then match it to the design style for a card that feels coherent.
Who to send to
Immediate family, close friends, work colleagues, neighbours, anyone who attended the baby shower, and anyone who sent a gift or congratulations during the pregnancy. A typical order falls between 30 and 80 cards. Order a small extra batch. It is common to think of more people once the cards are in hand, and reprints are slower than getting the count right the first time.
Production, turnaround, and shipping
Production takes 5 to 7 business days from order confirmation. Standard Australia Post shipping is 3 to 5 business days, with express options available at checkout for capital cities. Free standard shipping applies to orders over $350. International shipping is available to most countries; rates and lead times calculate at checkout. If you are working to a tight window (a christening, a Christmas card combo, a newborn shoot deadline), flag it in the order comments and we will do our best to accelerate.
Pricing depends on the design, the print method, the card stock, the size, and the quantity printed. A real-time price is shown on every cascade page as you customise. Adjust the quantity and stock to compare options side by side before adding to cart.
Pair your announcement with the rest of the suite
Many families order matching pieces alongside their announcements: baby shower thank you cards for thanking shower guests, and baby shower invitations if the shower is yet to happen. For weddings and anniversaries that overlap with new arrivals, our wedding thank you cards and save the date cards use the same premium stocks and print methods.
Frequently asked questions
The traditional window is two to eight weeks after birth. That gives you time for a newborn photo and a settled routine while still feeling timely. Anywhere up to six months is acceptable, especially if you are scheduling a later photo shoot or waiting until the holidays.
Most families order between 30 and 80 cards. Think about immediate family, close friends, work colleagues, neighbours, and anyone who sent a gift during the pregnancy. Order a small extra batch. It is common to think of more recipients after the cards arrive, and reprinting is slower than ordering a few spares upfront.
Not at all. Many of our most-popular designs are typography or illustration-led with no photo. Photo cards are great for sharing first images with people you do not see often. Non-photo cards work beautifully if you prefer a text-led announcement, are still waiting on a newborn shoot, or want something that doubles as a keepsake.
Yes. Ultrasound photos work on any of our photo-card templates. Our designer team will colour-correct and crop the ultrasound for best print quality if you flag it in the order comments. Many families pair an ultrasound on the front with a newborn photo on the back of a folded card.
Digital is full-colour flat printing on smooth or textured stock: best for photo cards and faster turnaround. Flat foil adds a smooth metallic finish (gold, silver, rose gold, copper) on type or accents. Metallic printing uses pearlescent inks that catch light with a subtle shimmer, perfect for soft, gender-neutral designs without raised texture. The print method is set on the cascade page and the price updates as you switch.
Absolutely. Adoption and surrogacy announcements use the same designer templates with reworked wording. Many families celebrate the day the adoption was finalised (sometimes called "gotcha day") rather than a birth date, and our designer team will rework any of the standard wording to fit your story without changing the design.
Yes. The sample pack contains all five card stocks (cotton, smooth white, kraft, ivory, pearlescent), examples of all three print methods (digital, flat foil, metallic), and example photo and non-photo designs. It costs $5 and ships within 5 to 7 business days Australia-wide.
Yes. Most baby announcement designs are also available as baby shower thank you cards, and our designer team can adapt almost any other design from our collection if you want a coordinated suite. Flag the request in the order comments or contact our designer team before ordering to confirm the adaptation.
Production takes 5 to 7 business days from order confirmation. Standard Australia Post delivery adds 3 to 5 business days. Express shipping is available at checkout for capital cities. Free standard shipping applies to orders over $350. International shipping is available to most countries with rates calculated at checkout.
Yes. The cascade page handles standard customisations: names, dates, weight, length, photos. For anything beyond that (longer names, sibling order, adoption wording, layout tweaks), add a note in the order comments and our designer team will adjust before printing. There is no extra charge for minor designer adjustments on most templates.
Yes. Twin announcement cards are designed to share two names and two sets of stats side by side. For triplets or higher-order multiples, our designer team will adapt any twin template. Flag it in the order comments and we will rework the layout.
Most needs can be met by tweaking an existing design (colour palette, photo orientation, wording layout). For genuinely custom designs from scratch, contact our designer team via the cart page after selecting the closest existing template. Custom design fees and timelines are quoted per project.
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