If you’ve never bought custom raffle tickets before, the first surprise is how much prices swing between printers for what looks like the same product. One shop quotes $45 for a thousand tickets, another quotes $28.95, and a third wants to talk about setup fees before giving you a number at all. The difference usually comes down to stock weight, numbering method, and how fast you need the order — not the ticket itself.
This guide walks through what a real order actually costs, what pushes the price up, how long printing takes, and the size and numbering specs you need to get right before your raffle drawing — not after.
Source: PrintRunner, RaffleTicket.com, and perforatedpaperonline.com, retrieved August 2026
What custom raffle tickets actually cost
Base pricing for custom raffle tickets is quoted per thousand, and it varies more between printers than you’d expect for a commodity product. In practice, a 1,000-ticket order lands somewhere between $29 and $45 before any add-ons, and the gap tends to track shipping speed and how much design help is bundled in rather than paper quality.
Smaller runs cost more per ticket, as with any print job — expect to pay a premium if you’re ordering 250 or 500 tickets instead of a full thousand, since setup costs get spread across fewer pieces. If your event is annual, ordering a slightly larger batch than you need this year and storing the extras is usually cheaper per ticket than reordering a small batch next year.
Add-ons that change the final price
The quoted base price almost never includes everything you’ll want. Printing on the back of the ticket — for sponsor logos, rules, or a second raffle prize tier — is billed as a separate line item, not bundled into the front-side price. Uploading your own artwork or logo instead of using a stock template also carries a flat fee, and faster shipping is priced per thousand rather than per order.
None of these are large individually, but stacking two or three of them on a 1,000-ticket order can add 30-40% to what you initially budgeted. Ask for the fully-loaded price — front printing, back printing, artwork, sequential numbering, and shipping — before you compare quotes across printers, since a low base price with expensive add-ons can end up costing more than a higher base price that includes them.
| Add-on | Typical extra cost |
|---|---|
| Printing on the back | +$15 per 1,000 |
| Custom artwork or logo upload | +$10 flat |
| USPS Priority shipping | +$5 per 1,000 |
How fast you can actually get them
Turnaround time is where printers differentiate themselves more than on price. Several shops advertise a 24-hour turnaround on standard orders, which is fast enough to order custom raffle tickets the same week as your event if nothing goes wrong with the proof. More typical is 1-3 business days for standard production, with some printers extending a 48-hour guarantee specifically for orders of 5,000 tickets or fewer.
Larger or more heavily customized runs — sequential numbering across multiple books, two-sided printing, non-standard sizes — tend to run 3-5 business days from artwork approval rather than from the moment you place the order. That distinction matters: the clock usually doesn’t start until you’ve approved a digital proof, so build in a day or two for back-and-forth on the design before you count on the printer’s advertised turnaround. If your event date is fixed, confirm the ship date in writing rather than assuming the fastest advertised window applies to your exact order.
Size, stock, and numbering specs
The de facto standard for a custom raffle ticket is about 2″ x 5.5″ total, split between the ticket a buyer keeps and a matching stub that goes in the drawing drum. Perforation between individual tickets on a sheet or roll runs around 40 teeth per inch for a clean, easy tear; the perforation between the ticket and its stub is intentionally coarser, around 13 teeth per inch, so the stub separates on purpose at the drawing rather than falling off in someone’s pocket.
Stock is almost always 65-67 lb cardstock — vellum bristol for pastel colors, cover stock when you want saturated, bright colors. Both hold up to handling and repeated shuffling in a drum without going limp. If you’re numbering tickets, confirm the printer prints the same sequence on both the ticket and the stub; that matching pair is what lets you verify a winner against the stub pulled from the drum, and it’s worth double-checking on your proof before the full run goes to press.
Numbering and Recordkeeping
Many state and local raffle regulations require sequentially numbered tickets so a nonprofit can reconcile tickets sold against tickets printed after the event — this is separate from the drawing mechanism itself and is worth checking against your specific state’s charitable gaming rules before you finalize your order. Even where it isn’t strictly required, sequential numbering makes it far easier to track sales across multiple sellers or locations and to prove, if anyone asks, that the drawing wasn’t rigged.
If you’re printing in books rather than loose tickets, ask the printer how numbering carries across books — you want continuous numbering across the whole print run, not each book restarting at 1, or your reconciliation math won’t work.
Frequently asked questions
How much do custom raffle tickets cost per 1,000?
Base pricing runs roughly $28.95 to $45 per 1,000 tickets depending on the printer, before add-ons like back printing, custom artwork, or expedited shipping. Smaller quantities cost more per ticket.
What’s the minimum order for custom raffle tickets?
Most printers sell in tiers starting around 250-500 tickets, with better per-ticket pricing at 1,000 and up. If you expect to reuse tickets for an annual event, ordering a larger batch now is usually cheaper per ticket than reordering a small batch later.
How fast can I get custom raffle tickets printed?
Some printers advertise 24-hour turnaround on standard orders. More typical is 1-3 business days for production, plus shipping, and that clock generally starts after you approve a digital proof rather than at the moment you place the order.
Do raffle tickets need to be sequentially numbered?
Many state and local charitable gaming rules require it so tickets sold can be reconciled against tickets printed. Check your specific state’s requirements, and if ordering in multiple books, confirm the numbering runs continuously across the whole print run rather than restarting per book.
What size are standard raffle tickets?
The common format is about 2″ x 5.5″ total, combining the ticket a buyer keeps with a perforated stub that goes into the drawing. The stub-to-ticket perforation is intentionally coarser than the perforation between tickets so it separates cleanly but not accidentally.
Can I print on both sides of a raffle ticket?
Yes, most printers offer back printing for sponsor logos, rules, or a second prize tier, but it’s typically billed as a separate add-on rather than included in the base price — expect roughly $15 extra per 1,000 tickets.
The bottom line
The fastest way to avoid a bad surprise on a custom raffle tickets order is to get one number, not three: base price, add-ons, and shipping, all in a single quote for the exact quantity and options you need. Confirm the numbering scheme matches your reconciliation process, check your state’s rules on sequential numbering before you finalize artwork, and build in a day or two of buffer for proof approval even if the printer’s advertised turnaround looks tight. Get those details locked down before you order, and the ticket printing itself is the easy part.