Text Message Invitations: Edit on Your Phone and Send by Text
A phone invitation is an image (or a short video) you send by text. Make it 1080 × 1920 pixels (a 9:16 ratio, the shape of a phone screen) or 1080 × 1080 if you'd rather it look like a card in the chat. Save it as a PNG or JPG for a still image, or as an MP4 if it's animated. Put the address and the RSVP details in the message, not only in the picture. The rest of this guide explains why, and how to edit and send it from your phone.
Which size should a phone invitation be?
Pixels are what matter on a screen. Inches and centimeters only matter when you print.
Tall 9:16 — Pixels: 1080 × 1920; Best for: Fills the screen when opened; also fits Stories and Status
Portrait 4:5 — Pixels: 1080 × 1350; Best for: A good middle ground for chats and social posts
Square 1:1 — Pixels: 1080 × 1080; Best for: Shows in full in most chat bubbles
Tall is the most common choice for a "phone invitation." The one catch: some messaging apps show only part of a very tall image in the chat bubble until it's tapped. That's why the safe area below matters.
Keep the important text in the safe area
Keep the name, date, time and place in the middle of the design, roughly 250 pixels away from the top and bottom edges. That area stays visible when the image is cropped in a chat bubble, and when it's posted as a Story, where buttons cover the edges.
PNG, JPG, PDF or video?
PNG. Sharp text and flat colors. A good default for an invitation with lettering.
JPG. A smaller file. Fine for invitations with photos, but small text can get a little blurry.
PDF. Great for printing, and links inside can be tappable. On a phone, though, it opens as a document, not as a picture in the chat. Send a PDF when guests will print, not as the main text invitation.
MP4 (animated). Short video, usually 5 to 15 seconds. Plays right in the conversation and stays light.
GIF. Loops everywhere, but files get big and colors are limited to 256 per frame, so gradients can look banded. If you have the choice, send MP4.
Texting it: what happens to the picture
How the image arrives depends on who you're texting.
iPhone to iPhone (iMessage, blue bubbles). Photos usually arrive in good quality. If invitations you send look blurry, open the Messages settings on your iPhone and make sure Low Quality Image Mode is off.
Group texts that include Android phones. Depending on the phones and carriers, these may go over MMS or RCS. MMS often shrinks pictures a lot, and small text is the first thing to suffer.
Big text, high contrast. Write the key details at a size you can still read on a shrunk image. Dark text on a light background survives compression better than thin script on a patterned background.
Test it before you send it to everyone: text the invitation to one iPhone and one Android phone, if you can, and open it on both.
How to edit the invitation on your phone
Save the file to your phone. Open the download link on your phone and save the image to Photos (or the PDF to Files).
Open it in an editing app. If your invitation is an editable template, open it in the app it was made for, such as Canva. If it's a finished image, a free photo editor with a text tool works. Keep the canvas at the same size (for example 1080 × 1920).
Change the text. Name, age, date, time and place. Use one or two fonts at most, and keep everything inside the safe area.
Export. PNG for a still invitation; MP4 for an animated one. Name the file something clear, such as "Noah-5th-birthday.png".
Send it to yourself first. Open it, zoom in, check spelling and the time. Fix it now, not after 30 people have it.
Send it. Image first, then a short message with the details.
Rather not edit at all? Add personalization when you order, and we'll put in the name, age and date for you.
The message that goes with it
The image does the looking; the message does the working. Put these in the text, where they're easy to copy and tap:
The address, as a map link, so guests can open directions with one tap.
How to RSVP, and by when: "Please text me by May 3."
Anything practical: parking, a gate code, "bring a swimsuit," allergy questions.
A simple template:
Noah is turning 5! We'd love to see you at his dinosaur party on Saturday, May 10, from 2 to 4 pm. Address and parking: [map link]. Please RSVP by text by May 3.
Collecting RSVPs
Reply by text. Simplest. Keep a note on your phone and mark each answer.
A link to a free online form. Useful for bigger parties: ask for the number of kids and adults, and allergies.
Ask everyone the same question. "Yes, no or maybe, and how many?" makes counting easy.
Send one reminder two or three days before the RSVP date to anyone who hasn't answered.
Privacy: what not to put in a group text
Group texts show everyone's number to everyone in the group, and every reply goes to all. For a class party, send the invitation one by one, or ask the teacher how families usually share contact details.
Keep your home address off the image. An image is easy to forward and save. Put the address in the message, or send it only to the families who say yes.
Don't combine full name, school and address in one picture that could be shared beyond your guests. First name and age are enough.
Kids' photos: if you add one to the invitation, remember it may get forwarded.
When to send it
Kids' birthday: 3 to 4 weeks before.
Baby shower or first birthday: 4 to 6 weeks before, since relatives may travel.
A reminder with the address: 1 or 2 days before.
Planning a themed party? Our dinosaur guide includes a text you can adapt: Dinosaur Birthday Party Ideas for Ages 3 to 5 (Including a Three Rex Party).
FAQ
What's the best size for a text invitation?
1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16) if you want it to fill the screen, or 1080 × 1080 if you want it to show in full in the chat bubble.
Can I print a phone invitation?
Yes, but it's sized for screens. At 300 dpi, a 1080 × 1920 image prints at about 3.6 × 6.4 inches. For a full-size printed card, use a print version, such as a 5 × 7 inch PDF.
Why does my invitation look blurry after I text it?
Usually because it went by MMS, or because Low Quality Image Mode is on in the iPhone's Messages settings. Send a test, make the text larger, and if the problem is MMS, send it as an email attachment or a link instead.
Shop this post
Birthday phone invitation to send by text, static
Animated birthday phone invitation (MP4)
Baby shower text invitation, editable
First birthday phone invitation with matching printable invitation
See all invitations, printable and for phones, in Invitations.
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