Short answer: a printed promotional voucher in Dubai costs about AED 1 each — 20 books of 50 leaves, 5 × 7 cm, double-sided on 170 gsm glossy with sequential numbering and perforation, is AED 1,000 for 1,000 vouchers. Accounting voucher books (payment, receipt, petty cash) start at AED 135. The two features that actually matter are sequential numbering, which makes redemption auditable, and perforation, which keeps the stub with you when the voucher leaves. Everything else is presentation.
This guide covers what to print, how to number it, which security features are worth paying for, and what each option really costs. All prices are live store prices in AED, VAT inclusive, delivered across the UAE.
Three different things are called a “voucher” in Dubai
Before you order, be sure which one you mean — they are printed on different stock, with different finishing, at very different prices.
| Type | What it is | Typical spec |
|---|---|---|
| Promotional coupon | Discount or free-item voucher handed out in bulk — flyer drops, openings, events | Small format, 170 gsm glossy, numbered, perforated, bound in books |
| Gift voucher | Carries monetary value, sold or gifted, redeemed against a balance | Card stock 350–400 gsm, foiling or spot UV, numbered, often boxed or in a sleeve |
| Accounting voucher | Payment, receipt and petty cash books used by the finance team | NCR carbonless, 1+1 or 1+1+1, numbered, no branding beyond the letterhead |
Most enquiries that arrive asking for “voucher printing” turn out to be the first type. Most enquiries from accounts departments mean the third. Full range: voucher and business book printing.
Sequential numbering: the feature that pays for itself
Numbering is printed as a unique running number on every leaf — 0001 through 1000 across the whole run, not restarting per book. It costs very little and it is the difference between a campaign you can measure and one you cannot.
Practically, it gives you three things:
- Attribution. Issue 001–300 to the flyer drop, 301–600 at the mall activation, 601–1000 to your delivery riders. When vouchers come back, you know which channel worked — rather than guessing.
- Fraud control. A redeemed number is logged and cannot be accepted twice. Without numbering, a photocopied voucher is indistinguishable from the original.
- Liability tracking. For gift vouchers carrying real value, the number is what lets finance hold an accurate outstanding balance rather than an estimate.
Ask for the number range you want when you order, and keep the unissued books locked away — the number only protects you if you control who holds which range.
Perforation and book-making
Perforation is a line of micro-cuts that lets a voucher tear away cleanly while the counterfoil stays bound in the book. Two practical points:
- Keep the perforation at least 5 mm clear of text. Tears wander by a millimetre or two, and a terms line printed on the perforation will lose a row of type.
- Decide what stays behind. If the stub is your record, print the number on both the voucher and the counterfoil so the two can be matched later.
Standard book-making is 50 leaves per book. At 20 books that is 1,000 vouchers — a sensible issue size for a single campaign, and small enough to redesign before the next one.
Security features that are worth the money
Be realistic here: a printed voucher is not a banknote, and no commercial print finish makes one impossible to copy. What good finishing does is make casual copying obvious and expensive enough not to bother with.
| Feature | What it stops | Worth it for |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential numbering | Duplicate redemption | Everything — always include it |
| Perforation with retained stub | Disputes over what was issued | Any voucher handed out in person |
| Gold or silver foiling | Photocopying — foil scans as flat grey | Gift vouchers with monetary value |
| Spot UV on a dark background | Home-printer reproduction | Premium gift cards |
| PVC tamper seal over the code | Reading the code before issue | Prepaid codes and prize vouchers |
| Fine-line background pattern | Scanning — thin lines break up | High-value vouchers |
Foiling and spot UV are the two that deliver most per dirham, because both fail visibly when copied. 500 transparent PVC stickers, 3 × 3 cm with foiling, cost AED 575 and make a good tamper seal over a printed code — see stickers and labels. For how foiling, spot UV and embossing behave on card stock, our premium finishes guide covers each one.
One more line that costs nothing: print the terms on the reverse — validity period, one per customer, not exchangeable for cash, branch restrictions. Check the current UAE consumer protection rules on voucher validity before you commit an expiry date to print, because reprinting a thousand vouchers over one line is an avoidable expense.
Real voucher printing prices in Dubai
| Product | Specification | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 voucher books | 5 × 7 cm, 170 gsm glossy, double-sided, numbered + perforated, 50 leaves per book (1,000 vouchers) | 1,000 |
| 10 NCR books A5 | One-colour, 1+1 carbonless | 390 |
| 5 NCR books A5 | One-colour, 1+1 carbonless | 265 |
| 5 NCR books A4 | One-colour, 1+1 carbonless | 294 |
| 10 NCR books A5 | Four-colour, 1+1 | 400 |
| 10 NCR books A4 | Four-colour, 1+1 | 500 |
| Petty cash vouchers | Standard book | 135 |
| Receipt vouchers | Standard book | 145 |
| Payment vouchers | Standard book | 145 |
| Delivery order books | Standard book | 185 |
| Invoice books | Standard book | 225 |
| LPO books | Standard book | 235 |
| Computer invoices, white copy | 2 or 3 colour, 35 boxes | 3,940 |
| Computer invoices, white copy | 2 or 3 colour, 50 boxes | 5,200 |
The headline number to remember is AED 1 per voucher at 1,000 pieces, fully numbered and perforated. Against a campaign where each redeemed voucher brings a customer through the door, that is the cheapest line in the marketing budget.
Premium gift vouchers on card stock
A voucher carrying real monetary value should not be printed on 170 gsm. Use card stock with a finish that resists copying and survives a wallet. The business card range doubles as gift voucher stock at the same sizes and finishes:
- 1,000 cards, matt laminated 350 gsm — AED 119
- 1,000 cards, matt lamination with spot UV — AED 290
- 1,000 cards, rounded corners, spot UV, velvet lamination, 760 micron — AED 420
The 760 micron option is genuinely thick — it feels closer to a hotel key card than a business card, which is exactly the signal a gift voucher should send. Numbering is added at finishing. Browse card printing.
Presentation: the detail that lifts redemption
A gift voucher handed over loose in a hand is treated as paper. The same voucher inside a printed card is treated as a gift, and gifts get used.
- Thank you cards — from AED 235, with round corners at AED 265, or foiled at AED 395
- 35 A5 thank you cards, 350 gsm, single-sided with matt lamination — AED 370
See thank you cards, and our guide to the small print that wins repeat orders for how UAE retailers use them alongside vouchers.
How to order
- Decide the issue size. 1,000 vouchers in 20 books is the standard campaign unit.
- Specify the numbering range — start number, end number, and whether the counterfoil carries the same number.
- Send print-ready artwork — CMYK, 300 dpi, 3 mm bleed, with 5 mm clearance from the perforation line. The artwork checklist covers the rest. No artwork? Use the free design service.
- Approve the proof. Production is five business days from approval; accounting books are quicker.
- Delivery across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the same week; northern emirates add a day.
FAQ
What is the minimum order for printed vouchers in Dubai?
Twenty books of 50 leaves — 1,000 vouchers — at AED 1,000. Smaller runs are possible digitally, but the price per voucher rises sharply because numbering and perforation are finishing operations with a fixed setup, regardless of quantity.
Does numbering cost extra?
On the 20-book voucher product, numbering and perforation are both included in the AED 1,000. On other formats numbering is a finishing step added at quoting — tell us the range when you order rather than after the proof, because it affects how the sheets are laid out.
Can I print vouchers with a QR code or barcode?
Yes, and it pairs well with numbering: the barcode speeds up redemption at the till while the printed number stays readable if the scan fails. Keep the code at least 2 cm and print it dark on light — our QR code design rules explain why reversed-out codes on glossy laminate fail so often.
What is the difference between a voucher book and an NCR book?
A voucher book has single printed leaves that tear off at a perforation. An NCR book is carbonless: writing on the top copy transfers to the sheet beneath, so you keep a duplicate of what was written. Use NCR when someone fills the form in by hand — receipts, delivery orders, job cards. Our NCR invoice book guide covers 2-part versus 3-part in detail.
How long do printed vouchers take?
Five business days from final artwork approval for numbered and perforated voucher books. Accounting voucher books are typically faster. If a campaign date is fixed, order two weeks out — the delay is almost always artwork revisions, not production.
Should gift vouchers have an expiry date?
Most retailers print one, and it keeps the outstanding liability on your books manageable. Check the current UAE consumer protection position on minimum validity periods before you commit, print the expiry clearly on the front rather than buried in the terms, and keep a register of issued numbers so you can answer a query about any individual voucher.
Get your vouchers printed
Tell us the quantity, size and numbering range and we will quote the same day — or send your campaign idea and we will design the voucher for you. WhatsApp +971 52 210 0909 or call 052 210 0909.
Start here: voucher and business book printing · thank you cards · express printing.
