Starting a business in Dublin and not sure what to print first? Or running an established small business and wondering whether you're missing something? Here's a practical, no-nonsense guide to the printed materials every Dublin small business actually needs — in priority order — from the team at Copyprint.ie, Dublin's print shop on Dame Street since 1982. We work with new businesses every week and we've seen what makes the difference.
Start Here: The Three Essentials
If you're just starting out, get these three things printed first and nothing else until you genuinely need it. Every euro of your print budget spent on these three outperforms any other marketing spend at the early stage of a business.
1. Business cards. Every person you meet is a potential customer, referral, or partner. A business card makes you memorable and gives people something physical to keep, look at, and pass on. 250 cards costs from €40 at Copyprint.ie. That's the lowest cost, highest return print investment a new Dublin business can make. Read our guide on business card finishes to choose the right option for your brand, and our guide on designing a business card people actually keep before you finalise your artwork. For pricing by quantity, see our full guide on business card printing in Dublin.
2. A5 flyers. For local promotion, event announcements, door drop campaigns, and counter display. A5 flyers on 130gsm or 170gsm give you a versatile, affordable marketing tool that works across almost every small business category — retail, hospitality, trades, beauty, fitness, food. 500 flyers costs from €50–€70 and covers a significant local catchment area. Read our full guide on flyer printing in Dublin for sizes and pricing.
3. One good poster. An A2 or A3 poster for your window, front door, or the most visible wall in your premises. It doesn't need to say everything — it needs to communicate clearly what you do and how people can reach you. Every passing pedestrian and driver is a potential customer. A poster in your window works 24 hours a day. See our guide on poster printing Dublin.
Start with these three. Once these are in place and working, the rest follows.
Add These as Your Business Grows
Once you're up and running and have a clearer picture of what your customers need from you, these are the logical next investments:
: Letterheads, compliment slips, and branded envelopes matter for formal correspondence, proposals, invoices, and any situation where a physical document represents your business. For professional services, trades, and B2B businesses, branded stationery signals seriousness and attention to detail. It also builds brand recognition every time a document changes hands.
: If you work on site — trades, delivery, cleaning, maintenance, events — NCR pads give you an instant, professional paper trail at the point of work. One copy to the customer, one for your records, written in one go on the job. No signal needed, no app required.
: The minimum branded presence at any trade show, exhibition, market, or event. It travels in a carry case, sets up in under a minute, and makes any stand look professional and established. One investment that lasts years — only the graphic changes with your campaigns.
: For outdoor events, site hoardings, roadside visibility, and large shopfront promotion. See our guide on banner printing in Dublin for sizes and pricing.
Industry-Specific Print Priorities
Hospitality (restaurants, cafés, pubs): Menus, allergen information cards, table tent cards, and promotional flyers. See our restaurant printing service and our essential guide on allergy information printing for Irish restaurants for legal compliance requirements.
Trades (plumbers, electricians, builders, painters): Business cards, A5 flyers for door drops in target areas, and NCR job sheets and invoice books. 500 A5 flyers through letterboxes in a target postcode costs less than an hour of Google advertising and reaches people who aren't searching yet.
Retail: Posters for window display, promotional flyers, price cards, and stickers and labels for products and packaging. Branded stickers on your packaging turn every product into a marketing piece.
Professional services: Business cards in a premium finish — matte or soft-touch — letterhead, and compliment slips. The quality of your printed stationery communicates professionalism before the meeting starts.
Estate agents: Property particulars, door drop leaflets, business cards, and window display posters. See our guide on print marketing for Dublin estate agents.
How Much Should a Small Dublin Business Spend on Print?
For most businesses starting out, a sensible first print budget is €150–€300 covering: 250 business cards (€40–€50), 500 A5 flyers (€50–€70), and one A2 or A3 poster (€15–€25). That's a complete basic presence for under €150 at the low end. Add letterhead and compliment slips for another €60–€80 and you have a professional, consistent brand across everything.
Scale up as you grow. Don't try to do everything at once at the start — get the three essentials right and add to them as each genuine need arises. Print is a recurring investment, not a one-off expense.
How to Get Started
Come into 29-30 Dame St, Dublin 2 and we'll advise on what's right for your business and budget — no appointment, no obligation. We work with new businesses every week and we're used to helping people figure out what they need and what to prioritise.
Or email [email protected], call 01 677 4234, or order online at copyprint.ie/shop. Open Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Saturday 10am–4pm. Same day printing in Dublin available on most standard products.
Related printing guides: Printing Near Dundrum Dublin: Same Day Service from Dame Street · Same Day Printing in Dublin - Everything You Need to Know · How to Design the Perfect Business Card in 2025