Print Kit for Contractors & Home Services: What to Order First
If you run a roofing crew, an HVAC company, a plumbing or electrical shop, a landscaping business or a cleaning service, most of your work comes from people within a few miles of your jobs. That makes print one of the most practical marketing tools you have: the truck parked in a driveway, the sign in the yard, the card left on the kitchen counter. The problem is knowing what to order first when every vendor tells you that you need everything. This guide lays out a print kit for contractors and home service businesses, in the order that usually makes sense, plus what can wait until the phone is ringing.
Before you order: get these basics right
Most wasted print in the trades comes from information that changes or is missing. Settle these first:
- Your license number. In Florida, Section 489.119 of the Florida Statutes says the registration or certification number of each contractor must appear in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract or advertisement. Requirements vary by trade and state, so confirm with your licensing board, then put your number on every piece in this guide: cards, magnets, signs and mailers.
- One phone number you will keep. Use a business line that will not change if you switch carriers or hire an office manager. Reprinting a fleet of magnets because of a new number is expensive.
- A short list of services. Pick the two or three services you most want to sell. "Roof Repair · Replacement · Inspections" reads faster than a list of twelve.
- Your service area. Naming the cities or county you cover (for example, "Serving Orange & Seminole County") tells people right away whether you can help them.
- A vector logo. Signs and vehicle graphics are printed large, so a blurry logo shows. Our guide on vector vs raster logos explains which files to ask your designer for.
Tier 1: the essentials for week one
Business cards
Cards are still one of the easiest ways for homeowners to keep a contractor's number. You hand them out at estimates, leave them with the invoice, tack them on supply house boards and give a few to happy customers to pass along. Standard Business Cards are the right starting point; they are available with multiple coatings and optional round corners. Keep the front simple: logo, name, phone, license number. Use the back for your services, service area and a QR code to your reviews or booking page.
Tip: if you work in kitchens, garages or anywhere a card might get damp or dusty, a matte or uncoated finish is easier to write on (for jotting an appointment time or a quote number). Our finish guide covers the trade-offs.
Car door magnets
Your truck is parked in front of a customer's house for hours, and every neighbor sees it. Car Door Magnets are printed on heavy-duty glossy material and come in several sizes. Magnets are a good first step because they move between vehicles, come off when you use the truck personally, and cost far less than a wrap. Put three things on them, big enough to read from across the street: what you do, your phone number and your license number. We cover sizing, placement and care in Car Door Magnets for Contractors.
Tier 2: get seen at every job
Job site yard signs
A yard sign at an active job tells the whole street who is doing the work, at the exact moment neighbors are thinking about their own roof, fence or AC unit. 4mm Coroplast Signs are printed in full color on rigid corrugated plastic with UV-cured inks, and they are waterproof for outdoor use. Use a short message such as "Another Roof By" followed by your company name, your phone number and license number. Always ask the homeowner before placing a sign, and check HOA and local sign rules. Our yard sign design rules show how to make a sign readable in three seconds.
Leave-behinds that stay in the house
After a service call, you want your number to be easy to find the next time something breaks. Magnet Business Cards are printed on 17-point magnetic stock with UV coating, so they can go straight on the fridge or the water heater. They work especially well for recurring services: HVAC maintenance, pest control, pool service, plumbing and appliance repair. Add a line such as "Next service due: ____" so you or the homeowner can write the date on it.
Tier 3: grow the neighborhood around your jobs
Door hangers
The houses next to a job are your best prospects: same age, same builder, often the same problems. A door hanger campaign around each job (where allowed) is a simple, low-cost way to reach them. Standard Door Hangers are printed in full color on several stocks with the option to print both sides. If you want people to keep a coupon, tearoff door hangers let you put an offer on a detachable piece. Lead with something specific: "We're working on a home on your street this week — free inspection for neighbors." Read our door hanger campaign guide before you plan routes, and respect "no soliciting" signs and local rules.
Postcards and direct mail
Once you know which neighborhoods bring your best jobs, postcards or EDDM let you reach every address on chosen mail routes without walking them. Seasonal timing matters in home services: AC tune-ups before summer, roof checks before hurricane season, gutter cleaning in the fall. Our EDDM guide and postcard marketing guide walk you through it.
Tier 4: when you are ready to invest
Once your crew and schedule are steady, a vehicle wrap turns each truck into a permanent billboard. For businesses in Orlando, KEOPSY offers vehicle wrap printing and installation with full and partial coverage options (25%, 50%, 75%), using 3M vinyl with gloss lamination and professional installation. A partial wrap plus your existing magnets can be a good middle step. Branded notepads or estimate sheets, trade show displays and job site banners can also wait until you know what your customers respond to.
Contractor print kit checklist
| Stage | Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Week one | Business cards | Estimates, invoices, referrals |
| Week one | Car door magnets | Visibility at every job and on the road |
| First month | Job site yard signs | Reach neighbors while the work is visible |
| First month | Magnet business cards | Stay on the fridge for repeat calls |
| Ongoing | Door hangers | Target homes around each job |
| Seasonal | Postcards / EDDM | Reach whole neighborhoods at the right time |
| When steady | Vehicle wrap | Permanent, full-size branding |
On every piece, double-check: license number, phone number, service area, and a QR code or web address you control. The QR code guide explains how to size and track them so you know which pieces bring in calls.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to put my license number on business cards and magnets?
In Florida, the statute linked above requires the contractor's registration or certification number on each advertisement and offer of services, and business cards, magnets, signs and mailers are all ways of advertising. Rules differ by trade and state, so confirm with your licensing board, but including the number is the safe default and it builds trust with homeowners.
Should I start with magnets or a vehicle wrap?
Many contractors start with magnets because they cost less, move between vehicles and are easy to replace if your phone number or services change. A wrap makes more sense once your branding is settled and you plan to keep the vehicle for several years.
What should go on a job site sign?
Keep it to your company name or logo, a short line about what you do, a large phone number and your license number. Anything more becomes hard to read from a passing car.
Get your crew's print right the first time
At KEOPSY, a real person reviews every file before it prints, checking for low-resolution logos, text too close to the trim, missing bleed and the small details that are easy to miss when you are running jobs all day. If you do not have a designer, the AI Design Studio helps you create business cards, magnets, yard signs and door hangers with your own logo, colors and photos. Start with the essentials, put your license number on everything, and add neighborhood marketing as your jobs grow.