Custom Event Tickets

Stopping Copies and Fakes

Any event that sells out is at risk of photocopied or home-printed tickets turning up at the door. A few printed features make copying much harder without adding a lot to the cost. Foil stamping is the easiest, because it cannot be reproduced on an office printer or scanner. A small holographic foil patch works well for larger nights.

Other options include a printed microtext line, a background pattern in a light tint that breaks up when copied, and a serial number in a second ink colour. Barcodes or QR codes printed with variable data let you scan tickets at the door if you have a simple scanning app, and mark each one as used so it cannot be shown twice.

None of these features needs to make the ticket look fussy. A neat foil logo in one corner reads as a premium design touch as much as a security measure.

Card Weight, Size and Finish

Tickets need enough body to survive a pocket or purse. A 350 to 400 gsm silk or uncoated card is the usual choice; it feels substantial, tears cleanly along a perforation and can be written on with a biro if you need to add a name or table number by hand. For premium dinners and balls, an extra-thick card or a textured stock feels more like an invitation.

The standard ticket size is long and narrow, often around 150 by 55 mm with the stub included, which fits easily into a wallet. Smaller 120 by 50 mm tickets suit raffles and club nights. Larger 200 by 75 mm formats give room for artwork and seating detail at theatre productions and gala events.

Matt or silk finishes are easiest to write on. Gloss looks vivid but can smudge if staff need to add details in ink. Our card and finish options page lists the weights and coatings we print tickets on.

What to Print on the Ticket

The front should carry the event name, venue, date, start time and price paid or ticket type, such as adult, child or concession. Seat, row or table number comes next if you allocate places. The back can hold terms of entry, an age guidance note, accessibility information, a map or the logos of sponsors.

Keep the most important details large and in the same place on every ticket so door staff can read them at a glance under low lighting. If you run several ticket types, use a colour band or a bold letter in a corner so staff can spot a child ticket or a VIP pass instantly without reading the small print.

Read the final layout aloud before you approve it. Wrong start times and venue names are the most common ticket errors, and they are far cheaper to fix on a proof than with a stack of correction stickers. Guests on a special list can be given printed VIP passes for events carrying the same details.

Matching Print for the Same Event

Tickets often go out alongside posters, programmes, flyers and table plans. Keeping the same artwork across all of them makes the event feel organised. We can print matching table cards, drinks vouchers and backstage passes in the same run so colours and fonts line up.

Ticket wallets or small envelopes are a nice addition when tickets are sold as gifts or posted to guests.

For multi-day events, a different ticket colour for each day lets stewards check entry at a glance, and a small calendar-style day marker printed in the corner removes any doubt. If you sell family or group tickets, one larger ticket with several stubs, one per person, keeps the group together at the gate and still gives you an accurate head count when you tally stubs at the end of the evening. Many organisers also order matching table tents for the venue so the evening looks planned from the door to the tables.

How to Order Event Tickets

Send us the size, quantity, number range, stub layout and any security features you want. You will receive a custom quote by email within one working day, with low minimums quoted per job. Tickets start from £0.25 each on simpler formats, depending on card and finish. A free proof shows the layout and numbering so you can check the first and last numbers before printing.

Production is 4 to 7 working days after approval, with free tracked UK mainland delivery in 2 to 3 working days. If tickets arrive misprinted or damaged, report it within 10 days and we will reprint or refund. Book in good time before ticket sales open so you are not printing the night before the box office opens. Larger weekend events often move up to our multi-day festival tickets.