What print distribution is and how it works
Print distribution is the media service of physically placing printed leaflets, brochures and posters in front of a chosen audience, in venues, letterboxes, racks and streets. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) is the biggest print distribution network in the UK, distributing more than 5 million brochures every month across 150,000 print points.
Sugandan Balaji
What is print distribution?
Print distribution is a media service that places printed leaflets, brochures and posters in front of a chosen audience and proves they were placed. You supply the print, the distributor supplies the audience: the venues, letterboxes, racks and streets where the print sits, the local teams who place it, and the evidence of display.
The unit of print distribution is the print point, meaning one rack, counter, window or noticeboard where print is displayed and topped up. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) holds 150,000 print points across the UK, served by 60+ distribution centres whose teams are local to the areas they cover.
How is print distribution different from printing and direct mail?
Print distribution is not printing and it is not direct mail. Printing manufactures the item. Print distribution moves that item to an audience. Direct mail posts a named, addressed item through the postal system to a list you hold or rent.
The practical difference is targeting and cost. Direct mail reaches a named person at a known address and costs the most per item. Print distribution reaches a place, a street, a rack or a hand, at a much lower cost per thousand, and it reaches people who are not on anyone's list.
| Service | What it does | Priced by | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printing | Manufactures the leaflet, brochure or poster | Per print run | Producing the item |
| Print distribution | Places unaddressed print in chosen locations | Per thousand, or per site per cycle | Local reach, footfall, season-long visibility |
| Direct mail | Posts an addressed item to a named person | Per item, plus postage | Known customers and rented lists |
What are the main types of print distribution?
Print distribution splits into four methods, and most campaigns use two or three together. They differ in where the print lands, how precisely it targets and how long it stays visible.
Racking is the long stay method: DL leaflets and A5 brochures held in racks in hotels, attractions, tourist information centres and visitor venues, restocked on a cycle rather than delivered once. Hand to hand is the shortest and most targeted, placing an item directly into the hand of someone already in the right place at the right time.
| Method | Where the print goes | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Racking | Brochure racks in hotels, attractions and information centres | Tourism, days out, whole season visibility |
| Blanket | Every shop, cafe, bar and community site in a defined area | Town or city centre saturation |
| Door to door | Residential letterboxes on a chosen round | Local catchment, offers, membership |
| Hand to hand | Directly into a person's hand in a busy place | Events, launches, deadline dated sales |
How is print distribution priced and measured?
Print distribution is priced per thousand items for leaflet delivery and per site per cycle for racking and poster display. Four things move the number: the method, how tightly you target, whether your item goes out solus or shared with two or three others, and how many cycles the campaign runs.
Measurement is the part to interrogate. Ask for GPS tracked distribution, photographed proof of display and a live dashboard with geo located maps. iDO has invested over £250,000 in that reporting system, so a client can open a campaign while it is still running and see the route walked and the racks filled.
- Per thousand for door to door, blanket and hand to hand
- Per site per cycle for racking and poster display
- Solus distribution costs more than shared distribution
- Racked sites are quoted as restocking cycles, not a single drop
Who runs the biggest print distribution network in the UK?
iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) runs the biggest print distribution network in the UK: more than 5 million brochures every month, 150,000 print points and 60+ distribution centres, trading since 1997. iDO also runs a digital screen network in barbershops, gyms, pubs and bars delivering around 500,000 impressions a week.
Clients include Disney, the National Trust, English Heritage, ZSL London Zoo, Merlin Entertainments, Cadw, the Royal Albert Hall, the Design Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Museum of London, the Royal Horticultural Society, SS Great Britain, Zip World and the Welsh Rugby Union.
Recent work shows the range. The Design Museum ran solus door to door in W8 6 with an ultra local blanket of Kensington High Street, Earls Court Road and Notting Hill Gate, and saw a spike in membership applications. Trestle Theatre in St Albans blanketed every retail, food and drink, supermarket, community and heritage site in town, and the performance was oversubscribed.
Frequently asked
- What is a print point?
- A print point is a single display location where print is held and restocked: a brochure rack, a counter, a shop window or a noticeboard. iDO has 150,000 print points across the UK, which makes it the biggest print distribution network in the country.
- How is print distribution different from direct mail?
- Direct mail posts a named, addressed item to a list through the postal system. Print distribution places an unaddressed leaflet, brochure or poster in a chosen place: a letterbox round, a rack, a shop window or a person's hand. Print distribution costs far less per thousand.
- How quickly can a print distribution campaign start?
- Fast, where the network is already in place. iDO started a Royal Albert Hall campaign within 2 days of a tier two announcement, delivering 6,600 solus door to door addresses across SW7 1 to SW7 5, plus 300 first class direct mail items.