Best UPrinting Alternatives for Event Ticket Printing

July 10, 2026

UPrinting is a large, well-known, capable commercial printer and it does print event tickets. But it’s not the only online ticket printing service, and it’s not a fit for every event or planner. 

The reasons people look for alternatives to a commercial printer usually stem back to three things: the ordering experience, quality for the price, and service when something isn’t right.

This comparison covers where UPrinting delivers, where the gaps show up for ticket-specific printing, and which alternatives are arguably a better match.

Why People Look for UPrinting Alternatives for Event Ticket

A few things tend to send buyers looking elsewhere:

The shipping and handling charges can significantly inflate the final price. The most consistent complaint about UPrinting across buyer communities is that shipping and handling costs push the total well above the headline price, particularly on smaller orders. 

Support can be hard to reach when something goes wrong. Customer reviews repeatedly flag UPrinting’s support process as slow and narrow when orders arrive with problems. Eventgroove offers live phone support at 888.771.0809 and live chat with typical response times under 10 minutes. Its satisfaction guarantee is unconditional.

Standard production takes three business days, and a rush costs extra. UPrinting’s standard turnaround is three business days. Expedited 1-business-day production is available, but at added cost. Eventgroove’s standard production on most ticket and event printing orders is one business day, included in the base price.

Quality can be inconsistent. Buyers report occasional issues with spot UV coatings, color profiles, and blurriness on large-format prints. UPrinting is generally reliable on standard marketing collateral — the complaints cluster around more complex print elements and finishing. If a project has strict color requirements or intricate finishing, examining a proof or sample is advisable.

The event product catalog has real gaps. UPrinting prints a wide range of general marketing collateral but doesn’t carry event wristbands, drink tickets, roll tickets, raffle tickets, event credentials, or lanyards. For organizations planning events or fundraisers, that typically means sourcing from multiple vendors.

There’s no event-specific template library. UPrinting’s design options are upload-your-file or build from scratch online. Eventgroove offers both of those printing methods  plus a library of fill-in-the-blank ticket templates built around event use case. To customize, drop in your event details, add a logo, and the numbering and stubs are already built in. A custom design team is also available, with the first hour free.

The satisfaction guarantee is narrower than it looks. UPrinting’s “100% satisfied” language is prominent, but the policy requires complaints within 3 calendar days of delivery, limits reprints to defects at UPrinting’s sole discretion, and explicitly excludes color variation. Eventgroove’s satisfaction guarantee is unconditional.

There’s no connected platform. UPrinting is a print company — there’s no online ticketing, event registration, fundraising tool, or branded ecommerce storefront. Eventgroove’s print catalog integrates to a user-friendly online ticketing, fundraising, and ecommerce platform.

No loyalty program for repeat buyers. Though it offers lower pricing for bulk orders and incentives through its newsletter, UPrinting doesn’t offer a rewards program. Eventgroove’s free rewards program earns one point per dollar spent. Higher tiers unlock order discounts up to 15% and free ground shipping. For nonprofits and organizations that print for events regularly, Eventgroove also extends a 10% discount to registered nonprofits — applied automatically at checkout.

The Best Alternatives to UPrinting for Event Ticket Printing

Eventgroove — Best for Small and Large Event Printing 

Eventgroove is a Montana-based, veteran co-owned print company that has printed for event planners since 1997. Its catalog is built around the products that event organizers and nonprofits need, and its customer service is known for its helpfulness. 

What’s included in the ticket printing price:

The most practical difference between Eventgroove and a generalist printer is cost. Custom event tickets ordered from Eventgroove templates include sequential numbering, perforated stubs, and barcoding in the base price.

Design works the same way. Buyers who want to fill in a pre-designed template pay no extra. Buyers who prefer to upload a file or design from scratch using the ticket maker tool aren’t charged  when they add perforation or sequential numbering. Customers who need a custom design can work with Eventgroove’s in-house design team, and the first hour is free.

Other differentiators 

1 business day turnaround is standard:

Eventgroove’s standard ticket production time is one business day for most orders.  UPrinting’s standard is three business days and 1-business-day production costs extra. 

Helpful support:

Eventgroove’s customer support is well-known for its friendliness and solution-finding. The company is a small business, so hearing back from one of their human staff may take time if you’re reaching out on the weekend or outside of business hours. 

Anti-counterfeit options:

For high-value events where ticket fraud is a genuine concern, Eventgroove offers security printing that general commercial printers don’t carry. Customers can add glossmarks (visible only at an angle under light), holographic overlaminates, heat-sensitive media, and UV ink to their printed tickets.

A template library built for events:

Eventgroove’s event ticket templates are purpose-built for  concerts, festivals, rodeos, sporting events, galas, concerts, school events, fundraisers, and many other themes. UPrinting does not offer design templates. 

Large format and full event printing:

Eventgroove’s online print services catalog extends well beyond tickets, and specializes on what event organizers need. Planners can order event signage such as vinyl banners, feather flags, and yard signs, as well as programs, invitations, event credentials, flyers, stickers, custom merch, table tents and direct mail postcard services. Eventgroove’s in-house design team can also help with artwork — useful for organizations without a dedicated designer.

An all-in-one event printing and management platform:

Eventgroove also operates an online ticketing, fundraising, and ecommerce platform. Organizations that want to print physical tickets, sell tickets online, and run a fundraiser can manage everything, including selling branded merch, through the same company.

The satisfaction guarantee:

Eventgroove’s satisfaction guarantee is unconditional. UPrinting’s requires complaints within 3 calendar days of delivery, limits relief to defects at their sole discretion, and explicitly excludes color variation reprints.

Nonprofit pricing:

Registered nonprofits receive a 10% discount on Eventgroove orders, and has no cap. 

Print rewards program: 

Eventgroove’s free rewards program gives repeat buyers one point per dollar spent, with tiered benefits that scale as cumulative spending grows. Customers can earn up to 15% off every order and free ground shipping at the top tier.

Best for: Event organizers, nonprofits, fundraising committees, venues, and any buyer who needs tickets with numbering, stubs, or security features and the fastest standard turn around time.

UPrinting — Best for Restaurant and Business Printing 

UPrinting is a well-regarded commercial printer whose catalog and featured products skew heavily toward food service and business buyers. Customers can purchase custom printed menus, coasters, bottle labels, dine-in signs, take-out bags, packaging, pouches, and packing tape. It does print event tickets, with sequential numbering and perforated stubs available as paid add-ons. However, event printing isn’t what it specializes in. For a product where the details matter as much as they do with tickets, that distinction is worth knowing before you order.

One area where UPrinting has an edge: its EDDM service covers saturation mailing by postal route without a recipient list. Eventgroove does offer direct mail for postcards — printing, addressing, and USPS First-Class mailing from a recipient list — but not route-based EDDM. For event organizers who use saturation mailing to promote their events, that’s worth factoring in.

Where it falls short for event buyers: no wristbands, drink tickets, roll tickets,raffle tickets, table tents event name badges, or invitations. Uprinting also does not offer anti-counterfeit security printing, or an online ticketing, fundraising, or ecommerce platform. Items ordered on Uprinting have a 3-day standard production with 1-business-day as a paid upgrade, and a satisfaction policy that limits claims to 3 calendar days after delivery. The 10% nonprofit discount is available for 501(c)(3) organizations, capped at $150 per order.

Best for: Restaurants, hospitality businesses, retailers, and product brands with broad commercial print needs.

VistaPrint — Best for General Marketing Print

VistaPrint does print event tickets, but its design experience is limited to upload or build-from-scratch — there are no pre-designed ticket templates with sequential numbering and perforated stubs built in. Buyers who don’t have print-ready artwork will have design work to do before ordering. Standard turnaround starts at 5 days at the base price.

VistaPrint doesn’t offer event wristbands, drink tickets, roll tickets, raffle tickets, event name badges, lanyards, anti-counterfeit ticket options, a nonprofit discount, a print rewards loyalty program, or an online ticketing platform.

Best for: Buyers who need general marketing materials and want tickets as a simple add-on with their own print-ready file.

How to Choose

You want numbering, stubs, and barcoding included in the price — not added at checkout → Eventgroove. These are standard on every ticket order at no extra cost.

You need 1-business-day production without paying an upgrade fee → Eventgroove. That’s the default at EG. At UPrinting, it’s a paid expedite option on top of a 3-day standard.

You need wristbands, drink tickets, event signage, flyers, or roll tickets alongside your ticket order → Eventgroove. UPrinting and VistaPrint don’t carry these. Eventgroove’s event wristbands catalog covers Tyvek, vinyl, cloth, and silicone wristbands, plus a full range of event-specific print products. 

You need anti-counterfeit protection → Eventgroove. Glossmarks, holograms, heat-sensitive media, and UV security ink are available at checkout — not a custom quote. 

You’re a registered nonprofit with a larger order → Eventgroove. Both Eventgroove and UPrinting offer 10% discounts for 501(c)(3) organizations. UPrinting’s is capped at $150 per order; Eventgroove’s is not. On a $1,500+ order of tickets, wristbands, and signage, that cap is a real difference.

You’re placing a broad commercial print order→ UPrinting. If the main order is business, hospitality, or food service printing and you want a single vendor, UPrinting’s catalog covers it.

The Bottom Line

UPrinting prints event tickets, and if you’ve got print files or a design in mind, they can print them for you. But it’s built for business and marketing buyers, not for events. Eventgroove has built its entire catalog around events and fundraisers.

Eventgroove has built its entire catalog around events and fundraisers. Tickets printed from templates come with sequential numbering, stubs, and barcoding already built in. Customers who design their own tickets using the ticket maker add those elements to the design themselves — and there’s no extra charge either way. 1-business-day production on most orders is the default, and planners can order everything they need to run and manage their events, while saving money through Eventgroove’s rewards program.

Eventgroove is headquartered in Montana, veteran co-owned, and has been printing for events and nonprofits since 1997. For questions about event print orders, reach the team at 888.771.0809 or via live chat.