Introduction
In political campaigning, there are no “do-overs.” Election Day is set in stone. Whether you are running for a local school board seat or a national office, the signage you order needs to arrive on time and correct. A delay of even a few days can mean missing a major rally, losing visibility during early voting, or failing to respond to an opponent’s attack.
Choosing a printer isn’t just about finding the lowest price per unit; it’s about finding a partner who understands the high stakes of election season. When vetting a political printer, you need to look for four non-negotiable traits: Redundancy, Capacity, Experience, and Focus.
Redundancy
Machinery breaks. It is an unfortunate fact of manufacturing. If you are using a small local shop with only one large-format printer, a single mechanical failure can bring your entire campaign’s visibility to a grinding halt.
What to ask:
- “Do you have backup equipment?”
- “If your main flatbed printer goes down today, can my order still ship tomorrow?”
Why it matters: A professional political printer invests in redundancy. They don’t just have one machine; they have a fleet. If “Printer A” goes down, “Printers B, C, and D” pick up the slack immediately. You should never have to hear the excuse, “We are waiting on a repair tech.” Your printer should have built-in insurance against mechanical issues.
Capacity
Running a campaign often involves sudden surges in demand. You might need 500 yard signs to launch your campaign, but three weeks later, you might need 5,000 signs urgently because a poll showed a tight race in a specific district.
What to ask:
- “What is your daily output capacity?”
- “Can you handle a rush order of (X) amount without pushing back the delivery date?”
Why it matters: Capacity isn’t just about being able to print a lot; it’s about being able to print a lot quickly. A shop with high capacity allows you to be agile. If you need to pivot your messaging or flood a zone with signs over a weekend, you need a partner with the industrial horsepower to make it happen without choking their production line.
Experience
Political printing is legally distinct from printing a menu or a birthday banner. There are strict laws regarding disclaimers, union bugs, and financial reporting.
What to ask:
- “Are you familiar with FEC disclaimer requirements?”
- “Can you ensure the ‘Paid for by’ text is legible and compliant?”
- “Do you have experience shipping to multiple district offices?”
Why it matters: An inexperienced printer might overlook a missing disclaimer, which could lead to fines or your signs being legally removed from public spaces. Furthermore, experienced political printers understand the logistics of a campaign. They know how to split shipments between headquarters and field offices and how to package signs so volunteers can easily distribute them. Experience saves you from unforced errors.
Focus
During election season, print shops get busy. But for a generalist printer, your rush order for yard signs is competing with a local restaurant’s window cling and a real estate agent’s open house banners.
What to ask:
- “How much of your business is dedicated to political printing?”
- “How do you prioritize orders during election season?”
Why it matters: You want a printer who shifts their focus entirely to political season when it starts. A focused political printer understands that a campaign order takes precedence over non-urgent commercial work. They align their production schedule with the election calendar, ensuring that when the pressure is on, their facility is geared specifically toward getting campaign materials out the door.
Conclusion
Your signs are the silent volunteers that work 24/7 for your campaign. Don’t entrust them to a shop that treats your election like just another job. By prioritizing Redundancy, Capacity, Experience, and Focus, you ensure that your message gets in front of voters exactly when it needs to be there.
At Good Guys Signs, we don’t just talk about capacity and redundancy; we built our entire shop around it.
With over 65 years of signage sales experience, our team understands the unique pressures of the campaign trail better than anyone. We know that when the race heats up, you can’t afford excuses. That’s why we ramp up to two full production shifts during political season, ensuring your signs are being printed while your opponent is sleeping.
Our facility is designed to handle the massive surges that come with winning campaigns:
- Massive Capacity: We have the horsepower to churn out over 8,000+ signs a day.
- Unrivaled Redundancy: We don’t rely on a single point of failure. We operate multiple flatbed digital printers for high-resolution imagery.
- Screen Printing Muscle: For bulk orders, we run 5 in-line screen print presses simultaneously with a 6th on standby for backup.
When you choose Good Guys Signs, you aren’t just buying corrugated plastic and ink. You are buying the peace of mind that comes from a shop with the history and the firepower to deliver, no matter what.