Student Society Print Planning for Manchester: Posters, Flyers and T-Shirts Before Welcome Week

Manchester is one of the UK's biggest student cities. UCAS lists several universities here, and every autumn thousands of new students pour into Fallowfield, Rusholme and the streets around Oxford Road.

For student societies, that means one thing: welcome week. The fair. The stalls. The scramble to get people to sign up before every other society does.

If you're on a society committee, you already know that the print side of welcome week can get messy. Committee members are scattered for the summer. Nobody's sure who's ordering what. And the posters arrive the day after the fair.

This guide fixes that. It covers student society print from start to finish: what to order, how to design it, and a timeline that works even when your committee is spread across the country.

What societies print

Most societies need a mix of these.

• Posters for noticeboards, the stall and your first events.
• Flyers to hand out at the fair and leave around campus.
• T-shirts so the committee stands out and members feel part of something.
• A banner so people can find your stall in a packed hall.
• A sign for the stall table with your name and what you do.

Start with a print plan

Before anyone designs anything, agree on these as a committee.

1. What are we printing, and how many?
2. Who's in charge of print? One person, so nothing gets missed.
3. What's our budget?
4. Where will everything be delivered?

That last one matters more than you'd think. More on that below.

Confirm the dates

Welcome week dates are set by each institution, and they change from year to year. Check the official dates with your students' union or university before you plan anything.

Posters and flyers for stalls

Freshers poster printing

Posters do two jobs. They catch eyes at the fair, and they keep working on noticeboards for weeks after.

• An A2 poster (420 x 594 mm) is big enough to read from across a busy hall and fits most noticeboards.

What makes a society poster work

• Your society name, big.
• What you actually do. "Weekly climbing sessions." "Film nights every Tuesday." Be specific.
• Your first event. Date, time and place.
• How to join. A QR code to your sign-up page or social channel.
• A great photo. Real members having fun beat clip art every time.

Welcome week flyers

• A5 flyers are perfect for handing out at the stall. They fit in a pocket or a tote bag full of freebies.
• Put your first few events on the back, so new members have dates to come along to.

Flyer tips

• Don't overload them. People are being handed dozens of flyers. Yours should be clear in two seconds.
• Include a QR code to your sign-up form or socials.
• Make it worth keeping. A term calendar on the back means it ends up on someone's wall, not in the bin.
• Think about the bag. New students come home from the fair with a heavy bag of leaflets. A flyer with a bold colour or a strong photo is the one they'll pull out first.

How many to order

Ask last year's committee how many people visited your stall and how many signed up. That gives you a real number to plan from. If you don't know, start sensible. Flyers left in a box in October do no one any good.

Society T-shirts

Matching tops make your committee easy to spot and make the whole society feel more real.

• A unisex t-shirt is the go-to for committee and member shirts.

Design ideas

• Society name and logo on the front.
• "Ask me about..." or "Committee" on the back for welcome week.
• A fun line or in-joke for member shirts. People love wearing something that feels like it belongs to the group.
• Leave the year off committee shirts if you want next year's committee to use them too.

Getting sizes right

• Use a quick online form for sizes.
• Share the size chart from the product page.
• Remind everyone it's a unisex fit.
• Set a deadline and stick to it.

Selling member shirts

Lots of societies sell shirts to members to raise funds. Start with a small first order, see which sizes sell, then reorder. Check the price table on the product page so you can work out a fair price to charge.

Pull-up banners for stalls

Fair halls are crowded and noisy. A banner is the easiest way to be found.

• A pull-up roller banner (800 x 2000 mm) stands about two metres tall, so people can see it over the crowds.
• It rolls into its own base, so one person can carry it and set it up in a minute.

Banner design tips

• Name and logo in the top third. That's what people see first.
• A big, bold image. Show what your society does.
• Few words. People walk past at speed.
• No dates or years. Then it works for every fair, open day and event for years.

A sign for the table

An A1 foam board (594 x 841 mm) makes a smart sign for the front of your stall or a "Sign up here" board. It's rigid, light and stays flat. It's for indoor use, and it's printed only, so plan how it'll stand, like leaning on the table or on a stand you bring.

Pack a stall kit

• Sign-up sheet or tablet with your form open.
• Pens. Lots of pens.
• Tape and scissors.
• Spare flyers in a box under the table.
• Water and snacks. Fair days are long.

Check your union's rules

Most students' unions have rules for societies about posters, stalls and branding. Some ask you to use their logo, some have set places where posters can go, and some need posters approved first. Check before you design, not after you've printed.

Order timeline

Here's how timing works for student society print sent to Manchester.

• Standard UK shipping is 2 to 3 working days of production, then about 2 days for delivery.
• Working days are Monday to Friday. Bank holidays don't count.
• Same-day delivery is only for London and inside the M25.

The summer problem

Here's the catch. Most committees order in summer, when members are at home all over the country, and term addresses might not be ready yet. So decide early where the order goes.

• Someone's home address, then they bring it when they move back.
• A committee member already in Manchester, if anyone's around.
• The students' union, but only if they confirm they'll accept deliveries for societies. Ask first.

Watch the August bank holiday

The late August bank holiday falls right in the middle of most societies' ordering window. It doesn't count as a working day, so plan around it.

Treat these dates as a guide, not a promise. With welcome week, there's no second chance, so give yourself time.

After welcome week

The fair is just the start.

• Keep spare posters for your first big events and a second-semester recruitment push.
• Store your banner carefully. It'll be back out for open days and next year's fair.
• Write down what you ordered, how much was used and what ran out first. Hand those notes to next year's committee. They'll thank you.
• Collect committee shirts back from anyone leaving, so they can be passed on.

Have your best welcome week yet

Good student society print gets you seen, remembered and signed up. Order early, keep it clear, and your stall will be the one people talk about.

Choose your posters, flyers, shirts and banner, upload your designs and we'll print and send them. Questions? Call us on 020 7701 2515. You can also read more about our poster printing in Manchester City Centre.