Running a Political Campaign? In this guide, you'll learn about the best printing materials for successful political campaigns.
What are political materials?
Political materials are the tools used to promote a candidate or campaign. This can include signs, banners, flyers, and campaign literature. When planning a campaign, these items will help bring attention and support to your cause.
Why use political materials?
Printing products for campaigns create several benefits:
- Helps get out the vote for important election
- Increases awareness of your platform and supporters
- Reinforces key points about voting/election
- Increases name recognition (turns voters into donors)
- Builds momentum, especially if you have a strong volunteer force
How do I get started with printing the right products?
Start by assessing what materials are needed for your campaign. You might need some items immediately while others can be saved for the final weeks of the election.
This will depend on your budget and knowledge of when to distribute material in order to create the most impact.
Once you know what is needed, it's time to turn to reputable printing companies for help. They'll work with you throughout the entire process to ensure that you receive quality products at affordable prices.
Political Signage:
The first step in planning effective political signage is making sure it reflects your values and those of the community as much as possible.
Voter turnout is typically low during local elections, so it's important to reach a high number of people in order to effectively spread the word.
Placing signage at high-traffic areas is a good way to do this.
A few key things to remember when planning political signs include:
- Be clear about your message.
- Avoid shocking or questionable language.
- Make sure all information (candidate name/party affiliation/etc.) on signage is correct
- Always check with local laws before implementing design ideas and always choose quality materials.
Political Banner Printing:
Creating banners for an event or election is an excellent way to let voters know exactly what's happening and where. Post office support is also extremely helpful when trying to make sure banners get the visibility they deserve.
Successful banner printing starts with creating a design that is eye-catching, yet reflects your campaign well. Avoid using bright colors; rather, choose simple options that will stand out amongst other signage but won't overshadow it.
Effective banner printing continues with proper placement of your material.
A few key places include:
- Bus stops
- Parks
- Post offices
- Schools
- Sports fields
- Sports arenas
- On streets
- Near voting locations
- Door-to-door canvasing events
- Event venues
Not only are these places high traffic areas where a lot of people will be able to see your banner, but they also help get out the vote.
There are a variety of materials used in making banners for political events and campaigns.
The three most common include:
Plastic Vinyl Cloth
While plastic is more affordable, vinyl banners last longer and can withstand harsher weather conditions. Cloth is a good option when money isn't an issue since it won't rip or tear easily, even during adverse weather conditions.
Political Campaign Literature:
Choosing the right material for printable campaign literature begins with choosing what you plan to use it for. If you're handing out flyers at an event, choose a thicker paper that's likely to stand up to wear-and-tear.
Stickers are also an excellent option for campaign literature; they're easy to share and can go on anything from phones to helmets, depending on the size.
Depending on your budget, you may want to order material in bulk. This is especially true if you plan handing out leaflets via post office (the USPS now requires political campaigns to use pre-printed envelopes).
Quality printing companies will work with you throughout the process of creating campaign materials so that everything comes together at the right time.
Using Political Posters:
Printing posters for a political campaign is an excellent way to reach many people at once. Not only do they stand out due to their sheer size, but most communities hang them up outside of government buildings or community centers instead of on street lamps and other public property.
Political poster printing begins with creating an eye-catching design that represents your campaign well.
As with all campaigns, avoid using bright colors, instead going for simple options that will stand up against sunlight and weather conditions without looking outdated after a few days.
Keeping the time frame in mind is also key when designing a poster; it should be designed so that it doesn't look out of date two weeks from now, even if you have to sacrifice some creativity along the way.
When it comes to political poster printing itself, there are many things to consider:
Material Thickness
Thicker paper is easier to hang outdoors and won't rip or tear as easily when hung outdoors.
Multiple Sizes - You can order your material in multiple sizes depending on what you plan to do with it. For example, political posters are often created in both A1 and A0 printing sizes, while leaflets may only need to be ordered at a smaller size.
Printable Areas
Since the majority of political poster printing is done digitally, you'll have more options when it comes to which parts of the image can actually be printed
Colors - CMYK or Pantone?
Whether or not you want your design colorized is up to you Size
How big do you want your posters?
They can range anywhere between 24 x 36 inches all the way up to 2 x 8 feet.
Political Campaign Postcard Printing:
Postcards are excellent for ensuring that no mailbox goes without political information during an election. They're also good for handing out at events, when placed in a clear sleeve with other postcards.
Printing postcards is similar to printing posters; since they are printed digitally, you can choose which parts of the design are allowed to be printed. However, there are several differences between the two options:
Thickness
Postcards are typically thinner than posters so that they can easily fit into mailboxes.
Color vs Black-and-White - Postcard material will cost more if it's colorized Printing
Sizes - While posters can be ordered in sizes up to 2 x 8 feet, postcards are usually only available in standard 6 x 4 inch sizes
Paper Weight Postcards tend to be made with lighter paper, which is more likely to curl when placed in a mailbox.
Printing Leaflets:
Leaflets are one of the most common forms of campaign literature in any election cycle. They're also one of the cheapest options, so they're popular among local campaigns without large budgets for printing materials.
When it comes to leaflets themselves, there are three different types that you can order from your printers:
Single-Sided - The majority of political leaflets are printed on single-sided paper
Double-Sided - A small number of leaflets use double-sided printing
Trifold - These are rarely used outside of religious communities, but may still find their way into politics if spread by churches and other religious organizations.
Sizes - Leaflet printing can produce leaflets in any of the standard sizes, including A5 (4.1 x 5.8 inches), A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches) and A3 (11.7 x 16.5 inches).
Color vs Black-and-White
Leaflets are almost always printed in full color; however, they can be ordered in black-and-white if needed Printing Sizes - Most political leaflets are only available in standard sizes like 4 x 6 inches or 8 1/2 x 11 inches Material Thickness .
How much does political mail cost?
As mentioned above, the cost of political poster printing can vary significantly depending on which material you use and how many copies you need.
By far the most cost effective option for political poster printing is single-sided paper; however, this leads to a number of major issues:
The only way to fix them once torn is by taping or gluing them back together.
Neither of these options will look professional over time. You cannot hang them outdoors without risking damage or tearing.
Larger posters printed on lighter paper may require stapling to keep them up If hung outdoors, larger prints are likely to tear in high winds.
While double-sided posters address several of these issues, they also have their own problems:
They tend to curl when hung outdoors. Most double-sided printing is used with heavier paper, which can lead to tearing when mounted or handled improperly.
Quality Political Poster Prints Cost
The most expensive option for political poster printing tend to be leaflets printed on thick material with double-sided printing. While these are by far the sturdiest option available, they also come at a significantly higher cost than all other printing materials.
Since leaflets are most commonly given away by campaigners, this increases their chances of being discarded before your message can be read - especially when placed in trifold format.