- Posters build buzz at $88.86 for 100 while black and white slips carry the actual logistics at $32.36 for 249, a fraction of the poster cost.
- The poster count does not need to match student enrollment since posters go up in shared spaces, not in every backpack.
- Code
hotprintsusa-10-off-for-copiesdoes not apply to either posters or black and white slips; both sit outside its scope.
A PTA planning a spring carnival fundraiser usually needs two different print products, not one: posters to get the whole school and neighborhood talking about the date, and plain black and white slips that go home in every kid’s backpack with the actual logistics, ticket prices, and volunteer sign-up. Prices below are base print figures from 55printing.com, checked live in July 2026. Shipping is a separate line in the cart.
Posters build buzz, slips carry the details
Use posters to build buzz in shared spaces (100 at $88.86 base) and plain black and white slips for the actual logistics sent home with every family (249 at $32.36 base). Splitting the job this way keeps each piece doing what it is actually good at, and keeps the take-home slip cheap.
A poster taped up in the school hallway, the front office, and a few nearby businesses does the job of reminding people the carnival exists. It does not need to carry every detail, since nobody reads fine print off a hallway wall. A one-page black and white slip sent home with each student is where the real logistics live: date, time, ticket prices, what to bring, and a tear-off volunteer sign-up. Splitting the job this way keeps each piece doing what it is actually good at.
Price anchors for a 249-student elementary school
| Product | Quantity | Base price | Approx. per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posters, 11×17, color front | 100 | $88.86 | $0.89 |
| Black and white slips, letter | 249 | $32.36 | $0.13 |
The poster count does not need to match the student count, since posters go up in shared spaces, not in every backpack. The slip count should match or slightly exceed enrollment, since every family needs one copy to know what is happening and when.
Scenario: a PTA volunteer running the spring carnival
A volunteer coordinating a carnival for a 249-student elementary school orders 100 posters at $88.86 to place around the school building, the front office, a nearby grocery store bulletin board, and a few storefronts along the main street the school sits on. The poster count covers every spot the volunteer identified with room to spare for a torn or missing one, without paying for hundreds more than the visible display spots actually need.
For the take-home logistics, the volunteer orders 249 black and white slips at $32.36, matching the school’s enrollment so every family gets one copy sent home in a Friday folder. The slip lists the date, ticket prices, a QR code to a digital sign-up form, and a line for parents to note if they can volunteer a shift. Keeping the slip in plain black and white instead of color keeps the whole run under $35, which the PTA treats as a rounding error against the rest of the carnival budget.
The same volunteer learned from a prior year’s carnival that sending the slip home only once led to a lot of parents asking the same questions again closer to the date. This year, a second small batch of the same slip goes home the week of the event as a reminder, reusing the same file so there is no redesign cost, just a second small print order at the same per-slip rate.
Posters
- Build awareness in shared, visible spaces
- Do not need to match enrollment, just visible display spots
- Cost $88.86 for 100, the higher-value piece of the two
Black and white slips
- Carry every logistics detail parents actually need
- Quantity should match or slightly exceed enrollment
- Cost $32.36 for 249, cheap enough to reprint as a reminder batch
Code hotprintsusa-10-off-for-copies is scoped to eligible color copies products on 55printing.com. It does not apply to posters, and it does not apply to black and white slips either, since the black and white product sits outside the code’s scope the same way posters do. Do not expect a discount line on either piece of this order. Check the deals hub for any fundraiser-specific code we verify later.
Artwork tips for a volunteer-run print job
- Keep the poster to one headline, one date, and one QR code; a poster crowded with sponsor logos and rules is harder to read from a hallway
- Put every logistics detail on the slip, not the poster, since the slip is what parents keep
- Use the same QR code on both pieces so the digital sign-up link stays consistent
- Save the final files so a reminder batch closer to the event needs no redesign
Send the take-home slip home twice: once weeks ahead to give parents time to plan, and again the week of the event as a reminder using the same file. The second batch costs almost nothing extra and measurably improves turnout and volunteer sign-ups.
Turnaround for a date the school calendar already set
A school carnival date is usually locked in months ahead on the school calendar, which makes standard turnaround the right default for both the poster and the slip. Order the slip run about two weeks before the Friday folder it needs to go home in, and the poster run with enough lead time to get displays up around the neighborhood before the last few weeks of buildup.
Order posters for buzz and black and white slips for logistics, then see the live total for each before you check out.
FAQ
Should the take-home slip be color instead of black and white?
Color adds cost without adding real value here, since the slip is a logistics document, not a visual piece. Save the color budget for the poster where visibility actually matters.
How many posters does a single school actually need?
Count the actual display spots: hallway boards, front office, and any nearby businesses that allow flyers. Most single-school carnivals need far fewer than 100, which is why rounding up to that tier still leaves spares rather than running short.
Can I combine the poster and slip into one order to save on shipping?
They are different products with different quantity tables, so they usually need separate line items even in one cart. Check whether the cart combines shipping across product types before assuming it does.
Does the coupon apply to either the posters or the slips?
No. The code is scoped to eligible color copies products only. Neither posters nor black and white copies qualify, regardless of what fundraiser they support.
What if enrollment changes slightly between ordering and the event?
Round the slip quantity up to the next tier rather than ordering the exact enrollment number. A few spare slips for late enrollees or a torn copy cost far less than a rushed reorder days before the event.
Is a reminder batch worth a second print order?
Yes, for events where the first notice went home weeks earlier. A short reminder batch using the same file costs little and measurably improves turnout and volunteer sign-ups compared to sending the notice only once.
