Don't spend a single cent on election signs until you read this material
Never before have I encountered such a large variation in pricing as I found in the print industry. My preference to source locally failed badly, as small local print shops charge horrendously high prices. Stay away from them for any volume orders.
In 2019, we we able to source 16" X 24" coroplast, 2-Colour, 2-Sided, screen printed lawn signs for $2.50 each from Process Color out of Calgary. Metal step stakes were $.80 to $.90 each depending on quantities. Because the entire industry is moving away from screen-printing, the cheap 2-Colour option is now rare.
Process Colour has eliminated their screen-printing line and now offers only 4-Color digital. And they no longer offer the best pricing. Canada Lawn Signs in Winnipeg still does screen-printing but their pricing structure suggests it is only an option for very high volume production runs. I have never ordered from Canada Lawn Signs so I cannot speak to their quality or service.
While a more pricy option, 4-color digital offers the possibility for full colour creative on small signs. Paying 4-colour digital prices to print a 2-colour design would be a mistake.
The spreadsheet below is presented for purposes of price comparison. 4Elections Canada seems to have the edge price wise. Feedback from EDAs who used them in 2019 is positive.
ePrintFast in Toronto is my go-to supplier for most items. Shipping cost to the West Coast is a factor.
VistaPrint seems to be a worldwide operation and was mentioned by PPC HQ as a possible supplier, so I hope HQ can negotiate corporate pricing better than what is shown on the VistaPrint website. VistaPrint has a decent web interface that seems quite automated.
Process Color - Election Signs
Process Color is based in Calgary and is the only supplier I have encountered that does 4' X 8' signs. These ship on a double-wide pallet. We bought 50 of these in 2019 and they were good quality. Note that it might be possible to achieve the same signage area with 2 of the 4' X 4' signs commonly made by other suppliers. Shipping would also be simplified but all-in pricing might be affected.
Process Color does not publish pricing on the web but the link below shows their current rate sheet. Prices have increased substantially in 2 years. About a 25% increase for the 4' X 8' signs
Dwayne Beninger | Manager of Business Development P 403.259.0162 Ext. 133 C 403.826-8844 E [email protected] A Bay F, 7007 5th Street SE, Calgary, AB T2H 2G2
Canada Lawn signs is based in Winnipeg and still does 2-Colour screen printing in lower volumes. But notice that their pricing structure favours the higher quality 4-Colour digital option, for quantities less than 500 units. H-Frame Stake pricing requires a sign purchase at the same time.
Yard Signs Canada in Concord, Ontario is another potential vendor that also offers Bag Signs, if you prefer that option.
4Elections is one more option in Ontario. I was just made aware of this supplier that still does screen printing at low cost. Check this one out. $4.45 per sign, 2-Color, 2-Sided, including step-stake at a quantity of 250.