What to print first
Start with what a customer touches in the first five minutes. Business cards come first because every conversation, invoice and handshake needs one; 250 cards are $44.95 all-in. Next, pick one outreach piece that matches how you find customers. Service businesses that go to the customer do best with door hangers or yard signs. Storefronts lean on a vinyl banner and flyers. Anyone who wants a whole neighborhood at once should look at EDDM, where we print and mail to every address on a USPS route. Third, add one retention piece: a loyalty punch card or a follow-up postcard. It is cheaper to bring back a customer you already won than to find a new one. Everything else can wait until those three are working. A focused start also makes it easier to see which piece is actually bringing customers in.
The core print toolkit by business stage
Just starting: business cards, a simple flyer and one banner or a few yard signs. The goal is to look real and be findable. Getting traction: add a neighborhood mailer or door hangers to reach new households on purpose, plus punch cards or appointment cards so first-time customers return. Branded shirts for the crew help too; full-color tees run about $17.88 each at 12. Established: menus or service menus with clear pricing, stickers for packaging and giveaways, seasonal postcards to past customers, and repeat EDDM routes on a schedule. The pattern holds at every stage: one piece to get noticed, one to get chosen, one to get remembered. Add pieces only when the previous ones are pulling their weight.
Budget tiers using real prices
| Tier | What's in it | Total (All-In) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 250 business cards ($44.95) + 250 flyers ($129) + 2×6 ft banner ($59) | $232.95 |
| Growth | 500 business cards ($54.99) + 1 EDDM route (from $398) + 500 punch cards ($54.99) + 5 yard signs ($109) | from $616.98 |
| Established | 500 business cards ($54.99) + 2 EDDM routes (from $796) + 1,000 menus ($229) + 500 die-cut 3” stickers ($219) + 3×8 ft banner ($89) | from $1,387.99 |
Match the piece to the job
Picking the wrong product is the most common way small businesses waste print money. Flyers ($129 for 250) are for handing out and pinning up, not mailing. Postcards ($109 for 500) are for mailing to people who already know you or handing out a single offer. Door hangers ($279 for 500) work when you or a crew can walk the neighborhood. EDDM (from $398 per route) is the hands-off way to hit every door on a route. Yard signs ($45 each, $109 for 5) work for job sites, events and directions. Stickers ($139 for 250 at 3”) turn packaging and laptops into free advertising. If you are unsure, our Print Kit Builder builds a list from one sentence about your business.
Keep it consistent and measurable
A small business looks bigger when every piece matches: same logo file, same colors, same fonts, same phone number and web address. If your logo only exists as a blurry screenshot, fix that before ordering anything; a logo cleanup and vector redraw is $49, and a matching three-piece design set is $189. Then make each piece measurable. Give every mailer or flyer its own offer code, QR code or landing page so you can tell which ones bring in customers, and reorder only the winners. Print in quantities you will actually use within a few months so offers and prices never go stale. Every order includes a free pro file check and a free digital proof, nothing is charged until you approve it, and we reprint if we get it wrong.
All-in pricing. Free proof. No checkout surprises.
Get a ready-to-order print kit for your business — cards from $39.95, shipping included.
Get a ready-to-order print kit for your business — cards from $39.95, shipping included. ⚡ Or build a full kitFrequently asked questions
What should a small business print first?
Business cards come first, followed by one outreach piece such as flyers, door hangers or an EDDM mailer, and one retention piece such as loyalty punch cards. That three-piece core covers getting noticed, getting chosen and getting remembered.
How much should a small business spend on print marketing?
A starter kit of 250 business cards, 250 flyers and a 2×6 ft banner is about $233 all-in. A growth kit with a neighborhood mailer route, punch cards and yard signs starts around $617. Start small, track results and reorder what works.
Is print marketing still worth it for small businesses?
Yes, especially for local customers. Print reaches people where they live and work, a mailer lands in every mailbox on a route, and a card stays in a wallet. It works best paired with a QR code or offer code so you can measure response.
What is the difference between flyers and postcards for marketing?
Flyers are thinner sheets meant to be handed out or posted, while postcards are sturdier cards built to survive the mail. Use flyers for in-person distribution and postcards or EDDM for mailboxes.
Do I need a designer before ordering print?
Not necessarily. Every order includes a free pro file check, and flat-price design help starts at $29 for a file fix or $79 for a custom one-piece design. You approve a free digital proof before anything is charged.