Custom Event Tickets: Numbering, Perforation, and Rounded Corners Explained

A ticket is usually the first physical thing someone gets from your event. It also has a job to do at the door, at the raffle draw, or at the coat check. Good tickets look the part and make the logistics easier.

Our custom printed Tickets are printed on durable 14pt coated cardstock, with three optional finishing features: sequential numbering, perforation, and rounded corners. Here's what each one does and when to use it.

Sequential numbering: every ticket accounted for

Numbering gives each ticket its own number in order, so no two tickets are the same. It's the feature that turns a nice-looking card into something you can actually track.

• Raffles and 50/50 draws - the number is the entry. Without it, there's no draw.
• Admission control - count how many tickets were sold versus how many came through the door.
• Reserved or limited events - tie a number to a table, seat, or guest list.
• Fundraisers - reconcile sales across volunteers by giving each seller a numbered block.

Tip: leave a clear, uncluttered area in your design for the number. Numbers dropped onto a busy photo or dark background are harder to read in a dim venue.

Perforation: clean tear-off stubs

Perforation adds a line of tiny cuts so part of the ticket tears off neatly. It's what makes a proper stub possible.

• Raffle tickets - the buyer keeps one half, the other half goes in the draw.
• Admission tickets - staff tear the stub at the door, and the guest keeps the rest as a souvenir.
• Vouchers and claim tickets - drink tickets, coat checks, prize claims, and redeemable offers.

Pair it with numbering. For raffles especially, numbering plus perforation is the standard combo: both halves carry the same number so the winning stub matches the ticket in someone's pocket. Keep important text away from the perforation line so nothing gets torn in half.

Rounded corners: small upgrade, longer life

Square corners are the first thing to bend, fray, and dog-ear, especially on tickets that live in wallets and pockets for weeks before the event. Rounded corners stop that and give the ticket a more finished, premium feel.

Worth it for: tickets sold well in advance, season passes, galas, and anything you want guests to keep as a memento.

Which combination fits your event?

• Charity raffle or 50/50: numbering + perforation.
• Concert, theatre, or festival admission: numbering + perforation, with rounded corners if tickets go out early.
• Gala or formal fundraiser: numbering + rounded corners for a polished keepsake.
• Drink or food vouchers: perforation to create strips of tear-off tickets, numbering if you need to reconcile them.
• Simple event pass: plain tickets on 14pt coated stock do the job fine.

Design checklist before you order

• Event name, date, time, and venue, clearly readable at arm's length.
• Price or "complimentary," if relevant.
• Any conditions: age limits, no refunds, draw date and licence details for raffles.
• A clear zone for the number, and text kept well away from any perforation line.
• Enough contrast to read in a dark venue. Low-light check-ins are unforgiving.

Promoting the event too?

Tickets handle the door. Getting people there is a different job. See our guide to matching postcards, flyers, brochures, and door hangers to the job. When you're ready, configure your order on the Tickets page. We print in Markham, Ontario and ship across Canada.