Print basics

The campaign print timeline: what to order, and when

Print has lead times, and elections don't move. Work backward from election day with this order-by-order timeline.

Published Sat, Aug 29, 2026 · Updated Sat, Oct 17, 2026

• Timelines
• Canvassing
• Early voting
• Vote by mail

The one rule: count backward

Each piece of campaign print exists to be seen in a specific week. Postcards, flyers and brochures print within 2 business days of artwork approval; most other orders ship in 4–6, plus transit. So the question to ask is "when do I need it in hand?" Set that date, subtract two weeks for comfort, and you have your order date.

Here's the timeline for a typical local race.

Announcement week

The day you're public, you need three things within reach:

• Palm cards: your story, your top issues, your face. You'll hand out hundreds before the first debate.
• Yard signs for your earliest supporters. Signs up in week one show momentum.
• Business cards for you and your treasurer. Fundraising starts immediately.

This is exactly what The Kickoff Package bundles. Order it the week you file, before the announcement.

The long middle: canvassing season

Once you're knocking doors weekly, print gets used up fast:

• Door hangers for the doors that don't answer (that's most of them)
• Flyers for coffee hours, town halls, community boards
• Tri-fold brochures for house parties and donor meetings, where people sit and read

Reorder trigger: when a volunteer asks "do we have more?", you're already a week late. Reorder at half-empty.

When ballots drop: mail season

Mail should land when voting is possible. Too early is forgotten, too late is wasted. Plan your EDDM drops so the introduction piece arrives with the first ballots and your GOTV piece lands the weekend before election day. Mail has the longest total lead time of anything you'll print: printing, USPS processing, and delivery windows. These dates go on the calendar first.

The final two weeks: visibility surge

• Feather flags and A-frames at early-vote sites, where the voters are
• Rally posters for the closing events and supporter windows
• Bumper stickers and buttons for the volunteer army

The Election Day Package covers the polling-place kit in one order. Order it no later than two weeks out.

After you win

Thank-you postcards to your volunteers and donors are the cheapest goodwill in politics, and the first print order of your next campaign. We'll be here.

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