How Much Does It Cost to Make a Calendar?
Practical and in high demand, custom calendars are effective brand ambassadors for your organization. You can give them to employees and customers while strengthening customer loyalty and your marketing outreach. But when it comes to creating a personalized calendar your recipients will love, sometimes your budget can interfere with your vision.
That is unless you know how to choose the best materials and customization options that will keep you on budget.
So, how much does it cost to make a calendar? That depends on the size, materials, quantity you need, and more. We’ll cover these factors so you can work within your budget and produce a high-quality customized calendar they’ll love.
Factors That Influence the Cost of Making a Calendar
Not all calendars are created equal. Some include heavier paper or stock and full-color graphics, while others are palm-sized with no frills. Multiple factors influence the cost of a customized calendar, including:
- Size and shape (Wall 8.5” x 11”, Poster 11” x 17”, Pocket 3.5” x 6”, etc.)
- Card stock and paper (gloss, textured papers, etc.)
- Thickness (aka, the caliper) and weight of the stock and paper.
- Number of pages
- Binding (spiral coil, saddle stitching, etc.)
- Special inks, lamination, and finishes (standard matte, spot-UV coating, etc.)
- Color photos and graphics
- Quantity of calendars
- Production and shipping speed
Any combination of the above will directly impact the cost of your calendar. Consider the following example. All other factors aside, let’s say you need 200 saddle-stitched pocket-sized calendars with 48 standard matte pages in three months. Their small size, simple production, and snail-paced shipping speed will keep the final cost low.
Whereas the price per unit would be higher if you want 350 poster-size, full-color calendars in less than five days. Here’s a more detailed cost breakdown of how each factor can influence the per-unit price.

Cost Breakdown of Calendar Production
Materials and Paper Quality
Choosing the materials for your calendar is one of the first choices you’ll make in the design process. The stock you choose for the cover and inner pages will vary in thickness and coating. A general rule of thumb to remember is the more bells and whistles/premium the paper, the higher the price will be.
Standard Options
For the inside of your calendar, a 70 lb uncoated matte or 80 lb gloss paper will likely be the most affordable option.
For the cover, you’ll want a thicker stock, 120 lb. (either coated or uncoated), to keep it looking professional, maximize its durability, and keep the price low.

Premium Options
Pages with a heavier weight in grams per square meter (GSM) — say 130 to 250 GSM — that are also coated or include special lamination will increase the price. For instance, UV high-gloss or soft-touch lamination on a 150 lb cover stock will cost more than an uncoated matte cover on 80 lb stock.
Of course, the materials you choose will also depend on how you plan to use the calendar. If you plan to give your employees functional desk calendars, you’ll likely want to avoid using coated or glossed pages, as they’re difficult to write on with a pencil or pen.
Looking for a more bespoke decor-enhancing calendar, complete with color photographs? Opting for linen-finished pages with a cover made from 250 GSM, triple-coated silk art paper will give you the luxury and lasting power you want.
No matter what, always think about the purpose and potential usability of your calendar and how you can bring that to life within your budget.
Calendar Size and Format
Custom calendars come in several sizes and formats. From sprawling desk calendars to medium-size wall calendars and small pocket calendars, the size and layout of your calendar will influence the price. Think about it this way — a larger poster calendar requires more ink to produce than a mini pocket calendar (all other factors, like binding and finishes aside).
The cost can also fluctuate based on the format or layout. A single-sheet monthly wall calendar with three or four months printed on each sheet will likely cost less than a 365-day daily calendar planner, based on ink and materials alone. Always choose the size and format that works best for your needs.
The most common calendar formats, shapes, and their standard sizes include:
Formats
- Wall Calendars (8.5” x 11”, 12” x 12”)
- Desk Calendars (5” x 11”, 8.5” x 5.5”, and 10” x 4.5”, & 22” x 17”)
- Poster Calendars (8.5” x 11”, 11” x 17”, & 27” x 39”)
- Pocket Calendars (4” x 6”, 5.5” x 8.5”, & 6” x 3.5”)
- Square (6” x 6” and 12” x 12”)
- Landscape (11” x 8.5”, 12” x 9”, 8.5” x 5.5”)
- Portrait (5.5” x 8.5” and 8.5” x 11”)

Customization and Design Costs
When you imagine what you hope your custom calendar will look like, what do you see? Color photos? Multi-colored fonts and sleek binding? Foil embossing? When planning your calendar project (and budget), it’s a good idea to think about your must-haves/non-negotiables versus your nice-to-haves/extra features.
Unique layouts, numerous color photos, heavy-duty card stock, finishes, and other custom features fall into the nice-to-have category. The same goes for using expensive specialized design software. They have the potential to drive up the price of your custom calendar.
Of course, high-quality customization also means your calendar will stand out, reminding whoever uses it of you and (or) your company. That alone is a long-term investment in your brand’s marketing, outreach, and new client acquisition.

Printing and Production Quantity
As a basic rule (with exceptions), quantity impacts price. Purchasing 15 calendars for your family and friends versus 150 for your next corporate trade show giveaway will impact the overall cost (including shipping).
But what if you plan to order a massive quantity of the same calendar? Large-scale/bulk production of your custom calendar creates an economy of scale, saving you money on the cost per unit/calendar. The scale of those savings depends on the custom calendar printing service you choose.
Here’s how it works at PrintingCenterUSA. Let’s say you order 250, 8.5” x 11” spiral wall calendars with 28 pages on 5-point gloss paper and a standard 80 lb. card stock cover. Your calendars will cost $9.00 per unit.
Now, let’s increase the quantity to 500 while keeping all the other customizations/conditions identical. Your cost per unit for double the quantity will decrease to $6.98.
Estimated Costs for Different Types of Custom Calendars
We thought we’d lay out a few examples to illustrate how much it costs to make a custom calendar. Each includes standard size and common customizations that you can compare to your calendar wishlist.

1. Wall Calendar (12”x12”)
Customizations
- Saddle-stitch binding
- 100 lb. cardstock matte on the cover
- 16-month calendar (36 pages)
- Cover & Inside ink: full color, both sides
- No cover finish
- Quantity: 750
Cost per unit: $6.80
2. Desk Calendar (10” x 4.5”)
Customizations
- Wire-O binding
- 100 lb. cardstock gloss on the cover
- 12-month calendar (26 pages)
- Cover & Inside ink: full color, both sides
- UV high-gloss cover finish
- Quantity: 250
Cost per unit: $6.00

How to Optimize Your Budget for Calendar Printing
No matter your budget, you can always get a high-quality calendar if you play your cards right. We recommend focusing on your must-have calendar elements and avoiding extra bells and whistles to keep you on track.
For instance, if usability is a top concern, opt for standard matte inside pages, not gloss. Go for a 12-month calendar instead of a 16 or 24-month version.
The bottom line? Always work within your budget. Teaming up with the right online calendar printing service that offers competitive pricing will ensure you get the most calendar bang for your buck!
PrintingCenterUSA’s Custom Calendar Printing Services
No matter your budget, you can create the custom calendar you need with the right team in your corner.
At PrintingCenterUSA, our team is well-versed in working with clients, no matter their budget. Our high-quality calendars come with a range of customization options – from the most budget-friendly to our premium range.
Let our team at PrintingCenterUSA help you create a custom calendar that won’t break the bank!