Print communications guide

Why print still matters

• It bridges the digital divide. Not every member has a smartphone, a data plan, or quiet time to scroll. A flyer in the hand or a notice by the time clock does not need a login.
• It reaches members who skip social media. Many members mute work-adjacent groups, never joined the local page, or do not use Facebook or Instagram at all. Print still finds them on the floor.
• It is a physical reminder the union is here. A posted notice is hard to swipe away. It tells everyone walking past that this local is present in the workplace, not only online.

Best practices

• Glance Test. Can a member understand the main point in three seconds, from arm's length? If not, enlarge the headline or cut copy until they can.
• Keep the word count low. Aim for a short headline, a few lines of body, and the facts (what, when, where). If you need a paragraph, the flyer is doing a newsletter's job. Cut it.
• One clear call to action. Ask for one next step: show up, scan the code, talk to a steward, or share with a co-worker. Two asks on one flyer means neither gets done.
• QR codes bridge print and digital. The paper keeps the key facts visible. Point the code to the live signup or event page, then scan it on a phone before the print run.
• Large, high-contrast type. Hallways, parking lots, and picket lines are not desks. Keep the text large and dark on a light field (or the reverse) so it still reads outdoors.

Workplace realities

• Put boards where members already stop. Break rooms, time clocks, and the entrance people actually use beat a quiet corridor. If you have more than one site, give each site a board you can keep current.
• Take down expired notices. A meeting flyer still up a week later makes the union look asleep. Pull it the day after, and keep standing pieces (contacts, health and safety, how to find you) current.
• Check your collective agreement. Employer rules for union boards live in your collective agreement and any posting policy. Some workplaces only allow union materials on designated boards.

• Design for black and white. Colour ink is expensive, and many shop copiers only do greyscale. If the flyer still reads without colour, it will also read in colour — and it will survive a cheap copy.
• Keep text contrast high. Pale grey on white fails on a tired copier and in a dim hallway. Dark text on a light field (or the reverse) is the difference between a notice people read and one they walk past.
• Use a unionized print shop when the run is big. Home and copy-shop letter printing is fine for a meeting stack. For bulk runs or official campaign printing, prefer a unionized print shop when one is available.
• Print one proof first. Letter (8.5×11) is the cheapest stack; tabloid (11×17) is worth it for boards that must read from across a room. Read the proof at arm's length in hallway light before you copy fifty.

• Lock the facts once. Date, time, place, and who to contact must match everywhere. If one channel is wrong, members will trust none of them.
• Post paper first when you can. Hand the flyer or pin the notice, then share a photo of the printed piece on social (with photo consent for anyone visible). Members who only see the feed still see the union on the wall.
• Let print send people digital. A QR code on the flyer or board can open the live page, the RSVP, or the membership form when details change after you print.