Cheap Playbill Printing: How to Save Money Without Sacrificing Quality

Actress practicing in front of an empty theater

For every theater production, event, and performance, your playbill plays a crucial role. It’s not just informative; it sets the tone for the event and gives audience members a keepsake that they’ll treasure forever. However, printing professional-level playbills can quickly become expensive.

Fortunately, there are many ways to print an affordable custom playbill without sacrificing quality. In this guide, we’ll give you the tips and tricks you need to save money while printing playbills that audience members love.

The Importance Of Cheap Printed Playbills

Playbills provide more than a rundown of the evening’s performance. They help the audience engage with the show, give credit to the cast and crew where credit is due, and add a professional touch to any event. Many attendees take them home and keep them as souvenirs of your performance, particularly after school performances and concerts.

However, your production has a budget; from design to printing, each step of the print process can incur expenses. However, on the flip side, each step of the print process is also a place to save some money. With some planning and smart decision-making, you can create beautiful playbills without going over budget.

ZoePrint’s Top Cheap Playbill Printing Tips

From start to finish, the following ideas can help you save money during the print process.

Design Tips For Budget-Friendly Playbills

You can start saving money as early as when you start your design. Choosing a simple design can reduce both the time it takes to design and the cost it will be to print. Here’s what to think about when it comes to decreasing costs through design.

Simplicity is key. The fewer pages you have in your playbill, the cheaper it will be to print. Include essential information, such as a cast list and names of the acts or numbers being performed, and eliminate information that isn’t necessary for your audience to know.
Go small. You can choose from a range of playbill sizes. While you might feel tempted to pick the largest option to showcase pictures and add details about your production, a smaller size is generally the more budget-friendly option. Consider a size such as 5.5x8.5, which offers enough space to include all the information you need without costing as much as larger options such as 8.5x11.
Use free design tools. You don’t need to purchase expensive software to produce a great playbill. When you use a free website such as Canva, you can adapt free templates or create a design yourself. You can also export your file as a print-ready PDF.
Print covers in color. Color printing adds visual interest to your program, but printing in black and white is generally a cheaper option. You can strike a balance between these by printing your covers in color and interior pages in black ink to save some money while inviting event attendees to pick up your program and read more.

Paper Options That Save You Money

The type of paper you choose to print your playbills on can significantly affect your overall printing costs. There’s no need to spring for the most expensive paper out there.

Pick uncoated or matte paper over glossy. In general, matte and uncoated papers are slightly less expensive than glossy paper. Matte paper also provides a classic and professional feel at a lower cost, which makes it a great budget option.

Choose a lighter paper weight. Your program doesn’t need to be on the thickest possible paper out there. Pick a lighter-weight paper, such as 70# or 80# text paper, which can reduce costs without sacrificing quality. This is a particularly good idea if your playbills will only be used one time.

Print in Bulk

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s worth remembering. When dealing with any kind of printing, printing in bulk is an easy way to cut down on costs. In general, the more copies you print, the lower the price per copy will be. Therefore, try to make an estimate of how many copies you’ll need in total and order them all at once.

As well, ordering from an online printing company such as ZoePrint can often save you money. By offering streamlined services, they can cut down on operations costs and pass those savings on to you.

Order A Proof

A simple yet critical step to avoid costly printing mistakes is to order a proof of your playbill before you print the final version. This is a print or digital copy of your design, provided by your printing partner, that shows exactly how the final product will look.

Take a thorough look through the proof, inspecting every page for typos, and ensuring that your design looks how you intend. This is the time to fix any last mistakes and catch any formatting errors. Once you’ve taken a good look at your proof, you can order your programs and be sure that they’ll look great.

Work With The Cheap Printing Experts

Affordable playbill printing that doesn’t sacrifice quality is absolutely possible, as long as you use the right strategies. Hopefully you now have some inspiration that can help you print your custom playbill without breaking the bank.

When you’re ready to print, partnering with ZoePrint will help you get the best print quality for cheap. We print programs that will make your production one to remember, and our competitive prices help you stay within budget.

To print your top-tier custom playbill at a price you’ll love, order online or contact ZoePrint to get a custom quote!