Flyer Printing Costs Explained

Flyer Printing Cost: Important Factors Explained

• The number of flyers you need

While you might think that ordering fewer flyers = lower price, ordering in bulk is actually a great way to save money when it comes to your flyer printing costs. At Avenue Printing, we offer our customers special pricing options so that our customers end up with the cheapest per-flyer price possible. This way, your business can hold onto flyers for future use and you get the best unit costprice.

• Paper used for the flyers

 There are several types of paper used when printing flyers, each of which will incur its own cost. Typically, a printing company will have a designated (house paper) paper which it uses for flyers, however, there are different options for those who wish to customise their finish according to their particular needs. Flyer paper options include: 

• Paper stock
• Card stock
• Gloss coated paper
• Silk coated paper
• Uncoated paper

Your flyer is going to be making an impression on your clients and customers, so having a sleek, elegant finish is ideal. However, you also don’t want to needlessly waste money: if you’re distributing flyers unsolicited (for example, for a local takeaway or as a politician) you don’t want to be spending excessive amounts of money on heavy, glossy, laminated flyers that might end up stuffed in a menu drawer or worse – in the bin!

Nonetheless, even unsolicited flyers should make a good impression. Using paper with a minimum of 120 GSM (grams per square metre) is a good way to ensure that your flyers remain high quality and luxurious to touch, without blowing your budget. You’ll also need to take into consideration the following factors:

• Page size (A4, A3, etc)
• Paper weight
• Paper thickness
• One sided or double sided
• Colour or mono

Don’t forget that once paper reaches around 170 GSM, it will require creasing, which will add to your overall cost. 

• Page count 

Another important factor to take into consideration is how many pages your flyer will have. Most flyers will be one page, folded to give the impression of more pages. However, some flyers double as menus or price lists, so they’ll perhaps need to have more pages, hence more folds, or have a particular style or design which can incur extra costs. The more pages your flyer requires, the higher the price of your flyer printing. 

• Size

Flyers come in all different shapes and sizes, and when it comes to giving your customers a good impression, sometimes a more creative size can help your business stand out from its competitors. If you want to create the optimal design for your flyer, make sure to speak with one of our Avenue Printing account managers who will have worked on similar projects before and will be able to give you expert advice. Optimising the number of flyers to a printing sheet can, especially on longer runs, save a fortune. 

Flyer printing costs: Other factors

There are several other factors that can contribute to the cost of your flyer printing:

• The type of ink used
• How the flyer is designed or folded
• Special delivery methods required (if any)
• Flyer finishes 

What types of flyer finishes are available?

In order to make your flyer stand out from its competitors, you can add certain finishes so that the flyer makes a memorable impact on potential clients and customers. Finishes are a great way to give your business an elegant design or a high-end, luxury look. Don’t underestimate the power of a pretty flyer – often, a bespoke design makes all the difference between a flyer that goes straight in the bin and a flyer that gets left out on the kitchen table.

Foiling  

One popular flyer finish is foiling, wherein we apply foil to text, logos or over designs and logos. Foil finishes give a real dazzling look to the completed flyer, and show your customers (or potential customers) that you’re a serious business with attention to detail. On the downside, foiling is quite expensive and will inevitably increase your flyer printing costs. Foiling can also be quite difficult to apply to smaller texts or images, so always discuss foiling with your account manager before proceeding with your order. 

Metallic

A metallic finish is a great option if you want the same dazzling effect as the foiling, without the same finicky process or intense look. Metallic ink provides an irridescent, glamorous effect like foil does, without the hefty price tag. 

Die-cutting

Die-cutting is a creative method which involves cutting shapes in your flyer to hide or reveal information underneath. Some customers who specialise in promotions, have had flyers cut into the same shape as the products they are selling. If you want to show your customers that you’re an engaging and creative business, die-cutting is a great option for a flyer – although it will incur more costs, as the printing process for die-cutting is slightly more complicated.

How long does it take to produce a flyer?

When it comes to the production time for printing flyers, everything will depend on the above variables. The production time will largely be impacted by the quantity of flyers ordered – if you’re placing a bulk order, it will obviously take longer than a batch of 100. The printing paper, the design and any extra finishes required will also add extra time. If you have a particular deadline, the best option is to speak to one of our dedicated account managers, who will be able to help give you a concrete answer. For simple, short run jobs, 1 to 2 days is typical.

What are the different types of flyer designs?

When you picture a flyer, you might imagine a one-sided piece of paper advertising a local bar, nightclub or new sandwich cafe. But flyers can be printed in all different kinds of designs – if you’re going for a creative audience or want your customers to know that you’re innovative and engaging, you might want to opt for a creative flyer design.

Half-fold

The simplest flyer design, a half-fold, is a piece of paper folded for easy readability, often following the same format as a letter or newspaper. 

Accordion or concertina fold

The accordion fold is aptly named due to its similarity in design to the musical instrument: accordion designs are best for flyers with little nuggets of information on each section, or small images.

Bi-fold

The bi-fold leaflet is similar to a booklet or mini brochure, and is a great flyer design for those who wish to add lots of information, graphics and data into their flyer. You can make this design more creative with die-cutting or extra finishes. 

Tri-fold

Tri-fold is a common type of flyer, and includes three folded panels ideal for small bites of information. This flyer design is simple while remaining more creative than a simple half-fold or bi-fold.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to mail flyers?

The price of your shipping costs will depend on whether you want your printing company to deliver your flyers to your customers, or whether you simply want them delivered to you. Speak to one of our account managers for an overview of potential costs. 

How much does flyer design cost?

When it comes to designing your flyers, you can either use the printing company you’re using or hire a freelance graphic designer. There are many talented artistic freelancers who will give you a high-quality product for a good price, but you can expect to pay anything from £50 to £500 for a professional flyer design. 

How can I save money on designing and printing flyers?

If you want to save money on your flyer printing costs, there are a couple of factors at play: if you’re on a budget, you can use these tips to bring down the cost of your flyer printing:

• Change size of your flyers (i.e. A4 paper costs more than A5 paper)
• Hire an entry level freelance graphic designer online to take care of the design aspect
• Settle on a fixed number of colours to be used on your flyers; a 4-colour process (CMYK) is the best budget-friendly option
• The type of paper used – heavier paper will be more expensive
• Extra finishes – cutting back on extra finishes (or choosing the most economic) is a great way to cut back on cost

Related Reading 

• How much does brochure printing cost?
• How much does prospectus printing cost?
• How much does catalogue printing cost?
• How much does it cost to make flyers?
• Event programme printing costs explained
• How much do booklets cost to print?
• Read more about our corporate printing services?
• Employ us as your printing partner