Ordering custom political campaign signs for the first time means juggling more variables than a typical print job: coroplast thickness, stake style, quantity breaks, and a filing deadline that isn’t moving no matter how the vendor’s website behaves. Get the size or material wrong and you either overpay for signs that blow over in the first storm, or underpay for stock so thin it curls in the yard by week two.
This guide pulls together current pricing, minimum order quantities, material specs, and production timelines from working sign vendors so you know what a realistic order looks like before you fill out a quote form. It also covers the disclaimer rules that trip up first-time campaigns, since a sign that isn’t compliant is a sign you’ll be reprinting.
Source: GoodGuysSigns/TheSignChef, SignsOnTheCheap, and 4over4 coroplast spec pages, retrieved August 2026
Materials and sizes: what actually holds up in a yard
Nearly every custom political campaign sign on the market is printed on corrugated plastic, commonly called coroplast, because it’s light, waterproof, and cheap to ship. The material comes in two thicknesses that matter for campaign buyers. Standard 4mm coroplast — roughly 3/16 of an inch — is what most shops default to for high-volume, price-sensitive runs, and it’s the norm for sizes up to about 18×24 inches. Heavier 10mm coroplast, about 3/8 of an inch, costs more per sign but stays flat and rigid in large formats and holds up better in sustained wind, making it the better call for highway frontage signs, corner lots, or any placement that needs to survive a full campaign season rather than a single weekend.
Sizes typically range from small 12×12 handheld or stake signs up to large-format 46×36 yard signs, with 18×24 and 24×24 as the two most common residential formats. For roadside visibility at higher speeds, campaigns often step up to 24×36 or larger. Double-sided printing costs more than single-sided but is worth it for any sign placed where traffic passes from both directions, since a blank back reads as a wasted impression.
Choosing the right custom political campaign signs for your race
The right custom political campaign signs for a city council race look nothing like what a statewide campaign needs. A local race with a few thousand doors to canvass typically runs on 18×24 single-sided yard signs, ordered in batches of 100-250 and restocked as volunteers ask for more. County and state legislative races usually add a run of larger 24×36 or 4×8 signs for high-traffic intersections and highway frontage, where visibility at 40-plus miles per hour matters more than unit cost.
Don’t order your entire run in one size. A mixed order — mostly 18×24 yard signs with a smaller batch of larger road signs for key intersections — covers both the volunteer’s front yard and the commuter’s drive far better than a single uniform size would.
What custom political campaign signs cost by size and quantity
Pricing on political yard signs is almost entirely a function of quantity, not just size. Low-quantity orders carry a premium because setup and short-run printing costs are spread across fewer units; once you clear a few hundred signs, the per-unit price can drop by more than half.
As a starting benchmark, one vendor prices single-sided 4mm coroplast signs from about $3.83 each at low quantities, while another advertises quantity-break pricing that falls to roughly $0.83 per sign once an order reaches the 100-unit tier — though that lower figure reflects a running promotional discount rather than a permanent list price, so treat it as a floor rather than a guarantee. Mid-size 18×24 signs generally run in the $2-$6 per-sign range in bulk, while larger 24×36-and-up formats run higher, from around $4 up to $10 or more per sign depending on material and finishing.
| Sign Size | Typical Bulk Price per Sign |
|---|---|
| 18×24 (standard yard sign) | $2 – $6 |
| 24×36 and larger (road frontage) | $4 – $10+ |
Minimum orders and how fast you can get signs in the ground
Unlike a lot of custom print categories, political sign vendors rarely enforce a hard minimum order. Several shops will print a single sign, which is useful for proofing a design before committing to a full run, while still supporting orders up to 1,000 or more signs for larger campaigns. That flexibility means you can order conservatively early in the cycle and place a second, larger order once you know which precincts need more coverage.
Turnaround is the other variable that catches campaigns off guard. Production time — the window between order approval and the sign leaving the printer — typically runs 3 to 5 business days across the industry, separate from shipping time. Several vendors offer faster options: some quote 24-hour production for standard orders, and rush service can get signs out the door within 48 hours when a debate announcement or last-minute endorsement changes your messaging.
| Vendor | Minimum / Maximum Order | Starting Price or Note |
|---|---|---|
| PrintPapa (18×24 political signs) | 1 sign minimum, 1,000 max | Quote-based per quantity |
| GoodGuysSigns / TheSignChef | 1-50 signs typical range | From $3.83 per sign, ships in 1-2 business days |
| SignsOnTheCheap | Price breaks at 5, 10, 20, 50, 100+ | As low as $0.83 per sign at the 100-sign break (promotional) |
| Crazy Cheap Political Signs | 1 sign minimum, up to 1,000 | Quantity discounts for matching design/material |
Disclaimers, ordinances, and other fine print
Every sign order should get checked against disclaimer law before it goes to print, because the rules are not uniform. Federal candidates are required to print a “Paid for by [campaign committee]” disclaimer, often in a bordered box, on all campaign materials including yard signs. States and cities layer their own requirements on top of that. San Diego, for example, requires the disclaimer text to use a non-condensed font at least 5% of the sign’s height — a rule that can force a redesign if your artist sized the disclaimer as an afterthought. New York, by contrast, exempts lawn signs and bumper stickers from its disclaimer requirement entirely, so what’s mandatory in one state may not apply a few hundred miles away.
Beyond disclaimers, check your city or county’s rules on right-of-way placement and posting windows — many jurisdictions restrict how close a sign can sit to a road, sidewalk, or intersection, and some cap how many days before an election signs can go up. None of this is standardized nationally, so a quick call to the local election clerk or campaign counsel before your first order ships is worth more than guessing.
Frequently asked questions
What size custom political campaign signs should I order first?
Start with 18×24 single-sided signs for residential yards — it’s the most common size, keeps per-sign cost down, and covers the majority of placements. Add a smaller batch of larger 24×36 or road-frontage signs once you’ve identified high-traffic corners and intersections worth the higher unit cost.
Is 4mm coroplast strong enough for a full campaign season?
For most yard placements, yes — 4mm coroplast is the industry standard for political signs up to about 18×24 inches. If a sign will sit in a high-wind location, on a highway shoulder, or needs to survive several months outdoors, upgrade to 10mm coroplast, which stays flatter and resists bending far better.
How many custom political campaign signs should I order for a local race?
There’s no fixed formula, but many local campaigns start with 100-250 signs and reorder in batches as volunteer requests come in, since most vendors have no minimum order and can turn around a second batch quickly. Ordering in waves avoids overprinting a design you might tweak after early feedback.
How fast can I get a rush order of political signs?
Standard production runs 3-5 business days industry-wide, but several vendors offer 24-hour production or rush service that ships within 48 hours of order approval. Rush pricing is typically higher, and that timeline covers production only — add shipping time separately when you’re working against a filing or event deadline.
Do I need a disclaimer on a yard sign for a local election?
It depends on your state and race type. Federal candidates must always include a paid-for-by disclaimer, but state and local requirements vary widely — some states require a minimum font size relative to the sign, others exempt lawn signs from disclaimer rules altogether. Confirm the current rule with your local election office before finalizing artwork.
The bottom line
The signs themselves are a commodity — coroplast, ink, a stake — but the decisions around them aren’t: matching size to placement, sizing your first order so you’re not caught short or sitting on excess inventory, and getting the disclaimer right before a single sign leaves the printer. Nail those three and the actual purchase is the easy part.
Get a design proof out first, confirm your state’s disclaimer requirement, then scale the order to match your ground game rather than guessing at a number up front.