Making a flyer can be an excellent way to advertise a business, event or even a missing pet. By placing flyers on light poles, in stores and restaurants or even in local libraries, you can get information out to the general public. The ease of making a flyer makes them ideal for many different purposes and the expense of flyers is less than other advertising methods.

Things You Will Need

  • Printer

  • Paper

  • Computer

Determine the number of flyers that are needed. The exact number will vary by need and purpose, and ensure that there are enough flyers to put up at the local library or local businesses that allow flyers.

Stick to plain paper. Regular white computer paper is less expensive than colored or fancy papers. Printing in color can result in higher expenses, especially when you need to print several hundred flyers.

Design the flyer with a computer word-processing program like MS Word or a similar program that allows you to include text and graphics. Design it so it uses only black ink and is not too wordy. Simple flyers are not only less expensive, but they are also eye-catching and easy to read. Keep the words to the point, in order to grab the audience's attention. If you need to add pictures, include those that are black and white with simple lines so that they don't use up too much ink.

Change the printer settings on the computer. If you have a color printer, choose "grayscale" to print in black and white. If you have the option, also choose “fast print” to avoid using too much ink. Some computers or printers will have different menus for printing options, but most will have options for a quick print or fast print that minimizes the use of ink.

Print out the flyers at home. Companies that print fliers will usually end up being more expensive than printing the flyers at home. Printing 300 flyers at home will cost around $25, depending on the amount of ink in the printer, the type of ink and the type of paper purchased. Paper can be purchased in bulk for about $7 and the rest of the cost comes from the ink used for the printing. Most plain black ink cartridges can print a couple hundred pages when set on minimum ink settings. Keep in mind the cost will vary based on the type of printer and specific ink purchased, as well as how the paper is purchased. Printing the flyers through a company will typically cost more as they often charge according to the number of pages.