A wedding access card is a printed pass, usually the size of a bank card, that a guest shows at the gate to get into the reception. In Lagos it costs between ₦20,000 and ₦90,000 per 100 cards to print, more with envelopes or foil, and it takes three to seven working days to arrive. It exists for one reason: the couple wants only invited people in the hall. This guide covers what printers actually charge, where the cardboard version lets planners down, and what changes when the pass is a QR code on the guest's phone.
What printers in Lagos charge for access cards
We priced four printers on 3 September 2026, from their own websites. Prices move, so treat these as a snapshot and check before you quote a client.
| Printer | 100 cards | 200 cards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sketchpen (Shomolu) | ₦20,000 or ₦40,000 depending on grade | ₦75,000 | Guest name and an entry number printed on the card |
| Accuxel (Ilorin, delivers nationwide) | ₦30,000 (₦300 per card, minimum 10) | ₦60,000 | Envelope and sticker included |
| PZIEL (Lagos) | ₦85,650 | ₦155,100 | 500gsm pearlescent card with foil. ₦525,500 for 1,000 |
| Hazken (Lagos) | ₦90,000 | ₦170,000 | ₦170,600 per 100 with envelopes, ₦180,000 for glitter |
So a 1,000-guest wedding lands somewhere between ₦200,000 for plain cards and over half a million naira for the foiled ones, before delivery, before envelopes, and before the reprint when the guest list changes. It always changes.
What the card is for, and where it fails
The card is not decoration. It is the gate's only way to tell an invited guest from a confident stranger. That is the job, and cardboard is bad at it for three reasons.
A card does not know who is holding it. Any card can be handed to a cousin at the car park. Some printers add a serial number or the guest's name, which helps, but only if the person at the gate has a list to check it against and the time to check it while a queue builds and an aunty shouts.
A card cannot be cancelled. When your client removes a guest after a family quarrel on Tuesday, that guest's card still works on Saturday. Cardboard does not receive updates.
The list closes when the printer starts. Cards are printed from the guest list as it stood on the day you sent the file. Every late addition means either a reprint, a handwritten card that looks like a forgery, or a name on a side list that the bouncer cannot find.
Planners pay for this every season. The gatecrashing problem is so normal here that it has its own name, mo gbo mo ya, and we wrote a separate guide on stopping gatecrashers.
What a QR access pass changes
A QR pass is a code that belongs to one named guest and lives in a database, not on a card. On Comtev, invitations and QR passes go out to the whole guest list in one tap, on WhatsApp, SMS or email. Each guest gets their own code in their message. At the gate your door staff scan it with an ordinary phone: green tick, the guest's own name on the screen, in.
Three things follow from the code being tied to a record instead of a piece of card.
A forwarded pass fails. The name on the scanner is the name of the guest the pass was issued to. Somebody else's pass arrives carrying somebody else's name, which is a short conversation.
Removed means removed. Cut a guest from the list and their pass stops working, even on the old invitation still glowing on their phone.
Late additions take seconds. Add a guest on the morning of the wedding and their pass is in their WhatsApp before you finish your tea. No reprint, no side list.
Door staff get scan-only access, so they can check people in and do nothing else in your account. You watch the live count from wherever you are standing.
What it costs, and what to charge your client
Comtev is free to run. What you pay for is the message sends, which you buy from us at wholesale inside the app. There is no printing bill, no envelopes, no delivery, and nothing to reprint.
Then you put e-access on your client's invoice at whatever price you decide. Clients already budget for access control; they currently pay printers for cardboard that cannot defend itself. On the pricing page there is a worked example of a wedding with two events and 2,100 guests, where the planner invoiced ₦900,000 for e-invitations and QR access cards, on top of RSVP tracking and guest-list collection, and kept ₦1,100,000 of a ₦1,650,000 invoice after paying us. Those figures are an example, not a quote. The point is that the door becomes a line you get paid for instead of a cost you pass through.
When you should still print
Some clients want a physical card as a keepsake, and some want the gele-and-foil moment of a card arriving in an envelope. Print it. Just do not ask the card to guard the door. Print the pretty card as an invitation, put the QR pass in the WhatsApp message, and let the code do the security. You get the theatre without the reprint, and your client gets both.
If your event has no gate to control, a village meeting or a church programme where everyone is welcome, you do not need access passes at all. Use the guest list for the headcount and skip the door.
FAQs
How much does a wedding access card cost in Nigeria?
From our 3 September 2026 check of four printers' own websites, between ₦20,000 and ₦90,000 per 100 cards, with foiled and enveloped versions up to ₦180,000 per 100. Delivery is extra and turnaround is three to seven working days.
Do guests need to install an app to use a QR pass?
No. The pass arrives inside their WhatsApp message (or SMS or email) and they show it on their phone at the gate. A printed copy of the code scans fine too.
What if a guest does not have a smartphone?
Print their pass. The code on paper scans the same way, and it is still tied to their name, so it still cannot be shared without the scanner noticing.
Can I still design a beautiful invitation?
Yes. Design and print whatever your client loves. The QR pass is about the gate, not the aesthetics, and it goes out in the same WhatsApp message as the invitation.
What does Comtev charge per pass?
There is no published per-pass price. You buy message sends at wholesale inside the app and set your own client price. Comtev never lets an invoice go below what you paid us.