The Hidden Costs of Out of State Printing for Virginia Campaigns

A friendly note for teams trying to stretch every dollar and every hour

Campaign budgets are tight, and campaign schedules are unpredictable. It is no surprise that some teams consider out of state printing when a quote looks a little cheaper.

But for political campaigns in Virginia, those low prices often hide real costs that show up later. Here are a few things that do not appear on most estimates but almost always show up in the middle of a busy election season.

1. Shipping delays hurt voter contact

When your materials come from far outside Virginia, you are at the mercy of long shipping routes and unpredictable sorting facilities. If your palm cards or political mailers arrive two days late, that delay affects your voter outreach.

Late materials can mean:

• missed early voting days

• fewer doors knocked

• less time for volunteers to distribute yard signs

• political mail landing after absentee ballots are already returned

Timing is one of the biggest competitive advantages in political printing. A late shipment wipes that out. Remember, we offer same-day turnaround, and free UPS shipping!

2. Rush fees turn “cheap” into expensive

Out of state vendors sometimes advertise low printing prices. What they rarely advertise are the extra costs that show up when the timeline changes.

Campaigns often end up paying for:

• rush production

• overnight shipping

• last minute changes

• emergency reprints

What looked affordable becomes costly once urgency enters the picture.

3. Communication takes longer

Campaigns do not operate on a nine to five schedule. They operate on a whenever-the-next-crisis-hits schedule.

Out of state printing often means slower responses, longer approval cycles, and more steps between you and the person handling your work. That lag time works against the speed of a Virginia election cycle. We have a set account manager for each campaign, we are not a campaign churn!

Local printing partners understand the pace of the campaign season here. They know how quickly things shift and how important it is to turn around updates fast.

4. Lost momentum is a hidden cost

Campaign materials are fuel. Every yard sign, every piece of campaign literature, every direct mailer helps keep your message visible. When materials arrive late, you lose momentum.

Missing momentum often costs more than the materials themselves. It is lost visibility, lost conversations, and lost opportunities to persuade or remind voters.

5. Local knowledge matters more than people think

Political printing in Virginia comes with unique election calendars, deadlines, and regional dynamics. A printer inside the Commonwealth already understands the terms you use, the regions you target, and the tight windows you face.

You do not have to explain why something is urgent. You do not have to justify why you need materials for a specific weekend. They already know. That shared understanding saves time and reduces stress.

Out of state printing is not always wrong, but it carries risks that campaigns rarely see until it is too late. If you are running a race in Virginia, keeping your printing in-state often leads to fewer surprises, smoother days, and stronger voter outreach.

Before you send your next print job across the country, take a moment to ask

Is this really saving us anything?

Many campaigns discover that the simplest path is keeping it in-state!