subject: Box Office Ticket Printing For Small Organizations [print this page] Every event organizer requires a way of supplying tickets to their patrons . But what are the options to be had and what are the comparative virtues of each option?
If you are only selling tickets to general admission events, then issuing tickets is very straightforward since it is possible to simply purchase a roll of admission tickets from numerous suppliers. But if you offer reserved tickets, it becomes rather more complex as obviously all tickets need to be uniquely numbered with row and seat number and maybe section or door numbers.
The most basic method adopted by many small venues is to simply design a ticket with the name and date of the event plus other information as required using a word processor, copy and paste the text so that multiple tickets can be printed on a single sheet of paper, and then print the pages , perhaps on coloured paper or take the file to the local printshop and request them to print the tickets. Then when tickets are being sold , the row and seat number is simply hand written on the ticket.
A more sophisticated method is to purchase pre-printed tickets from specialist suppliers . In this case, the complete batch of tickets required for the auditorium is printed complete with seat and row numbers. The ticket blanks can also be printed with security measures e.g. bar codes or holograms.
Another approach to printing tickets is to acquire software that is specifically designed to print box office tickets. In this instance, you specify exactly what you want printed on the ticket, together with pictures and logos. However you will still require an appropriate printer to print the tickets. Fortunately most programs offer the capability of printing tickets with a standard laser or inkjet printer where several tickets are printed on a single letter or A4 sized sheet of paper. You can purchase paper perforated for use as tickets from specialist paper suppliers for this particular purpose, or you can request your local printer to perforate sheets of paper to your specifications . With printing software you can also print tickets with specialised thermal ticket printers such as those manufactured by Boca Systems or Practical Automation. Unfortunately, such printers tend to be rather expensive and may be beyond the financial resources of small venue operators.
The most sophisticated means of printing tickets is probably to use ticketing software which will not just print fully customizable tickets , but will record ticket sales and payments , maintain customer records and considerably more including the option to sell tickets online. And nowadays, ticket sales software is surprisingly affordable , with many firms basically charging a system usage fee according to the value of all tickets sold through the system .
So for even the smallest organisations who are in search of a simple but sophisticated way of printing tickets, box-office ticketing software is definitely worthwhile taking into consideration for the added benefits it can provide.
