Last Updated on June 18, 2026
What Business Cards, Leaflets, Banners, Van Wraps and Shop Signs Actually Cost in the UK
Executive summary
Print and signage are the marketing costs small businesses most often guess at, because the spread is huge and the quotes feel arbitrary. A thousand leaflets can cost £30 or £400. A van can be lettered for £120 or wrapped for £4,500. The difference is rarely a rip-off, it is materials, coverage and how much design sits behind it.
This report sets out the real UK prices in 2026 for the print and signage a small business actually buys, what drives each number, and where the spend is worth it.
Key takeaways
- Online print is cheap at volume. A thousand standard leaflets cost from around £30, rising to £400 for premium finishes. A hundred A5 flyers start near £35, and business cards from around £15.
- Distribution costs more than printing. Printing and delivering 5,000 folded leaflets door to door runs roughly £595 to £1,150 combined.
- Vehicle graphics scale with coverage. Simple van lettering starts from about £120, basic name and contact vinyl £200 to £500, a partial wrap £590 to £1,500, and a full wrap £1,200 to £4,500.
- Roller banners are cheap and reusable, commonly £30 to £90 each. A shop fascia sign typically runs £500 to £2,000, more if illuminated.
- Design is usually billed separately, around £150 to £500, and VAT at 20% applies to everything.
- Cheap print is false economy if the design is weak. The cost is in the print run, but the return is in whether anyone keeps or reads it.
Contents
Print: cards, leaflets and flyers
Online trade printers have made small-run print genuinely cheap. The price depends on quantity, size, paper weight and finish far more than anything else.
| Item | Typical UK price, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Business cards (standard pack) | From around £15 |
| 100 A5 flyers | From around £35 |
| 1,000 leaflets, standard | From around £30 |
| 1,000 leaflets, premium finish | Up to around £400 |
Prices are for printing only, before design and VAT. Premium foils, heavier stock and special folds push the higher figures.
The cost of getting leaflets delivered
Printing is the cheap part. Getting leaflets into letterboxes is where the real budget goes. Printing and distributing 5,000 folded A5 leaflets door to door typically costs between £595 and £1,150 all in, depending on area, targeting and whether they go solo or shared with other leaflets. Treat distribution as the main line item, not an afterthought.
Vehicle graphics and wraps
A signwritten vehicle is one of the best value adverts a local business can buy, because it is a one-off cost that markets for years. Price tracks how much of the vehicle is covered.
| Option | Typical UK price, 2026 | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Simple lettering | From around £120 | Name, number and a logo in vinyl |
| Name and contact vinyl | £200 to £500 | Fuller text and basic graphics |
| Partial wrap | £590 to £1,500 | Branded panels, part coverage |
| Full wrap | £1,200 to £4,500 | Full colour coverage of the vehicle |
Add design at around £150 to £500, plus vehicle preparation £50 to £150 and removal of old graphics £100 to £300 where needed. All figures before 20% VAT.
For events, markets and shopfronts, two items cover most needs. Roller banners are cheap, portable and reusable, commonly £30 to £90 each, and are the best value display item a small business can own. A shop fascia sign is a bigger commitment, typically £500 to £2,000 depending on size and materials, and more again if it is illuminated. Because a fascia sign is fixed and long-lived, it is the one place not to cut corners on design.
What drives the price
- Quantity for print. Unit cost falls sharply with volume. A thousand leaflets is often barely more than a hundred, so order in sensible batches.
- Coverage for signage. Lettering, partial wrap and full wrap are three very different prices. Match it to your budget and how bold you want to be.
- Finish and materials. Foil, heavy stock, illumination and premium vinyl all add cost. They can be worth it, but only when the item is seen up close or kept.
- Design. Usually billed separately. Good design is what makes the print worth printing, so budget for it rather than treating it as free.
- VAT. Quotes are often shown without it. Add 20% to plan accurately.
Methodology and sources
Compiled June 2026 from current UK print and signage pricing, including Solopress, Banana Print, VC Print, Specialist Print and instantprint for print and distribution, and Zero Signs, Surrey Sign, It’s A Wrap UK, D4P Media, Checkatrade and Signlink for vehicle and signage costs. Print figures are for production only, before design and VAT. Roller banner and shop fascia figures are typical UK market ranges and vary with size, materials and illumination. Vehicle figures vary with vehicle size, coverage and design complexity.
What to do next
Decide what each item is for before you order: leaflets for a specific local push, a wrapped van as a long-term advert, a fascia sign as a permanent shopfront. Budget design separately and add VAT. What every other marketing channel costs sits in the UK Marketing Cost Index, what a logo and brand identity to put on it all costs is in our logo and branding costs report, what directories charge for local visibility is in our UK trade directory costs data, and how much marketing should cost overall is in our guide to UK marketing costs.
