Design and branding · Delivered online · anywhere in Ireland
Graphic and print design
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Graphic and print design: what the job involves
Designing printed and digital material — flyers, posters, menus, brochures, business cards, signage and packaging — and preparing artwork a printer can use without problems. The designer usually hands over print-ready files; the printing itself is often separate.
Also asked for as: graphic designer · flyer design · menu design · brochure design · business card design
How the job is usually done
- Agree the brief: the item, size, quantity, text, images, deadline and where it will be printed
- Collect the content: logo, brand colours, final text, photos and any legal or allergen wording
- Design a first draft, or two or three options if agreed
- Revise through the agreed rounds, ideally with all feedback from one person in one message
- Proofread, then get the customer’s written approval of the final proof
- Prepare print-ready artwork to the printer’s specification: bleed, crop marks, CMYK colour and embedded fonts
- Send the files to the printer or the customer, and check the printer’s digital proof
Graphic and print design: what is included
Usually included
- Layout and design of the agreed items
- An agreed number of draft options and rounds of revisions
- Print-ready PDF artwork, and web versions if agreed
- Sourcing licensed stock photos, if agreed in the offer
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Printing, delivery and the printer’s charges, unless the offer says so
- Writing the text, unless copywriting is included
- Photography, beyond stock images
- Translation of the text into other languages
- Changes after the proof has been approved and sent to print
Materials and who supplies them
- Text, logo and photos — supplied by the customer
- Stock images and fonts — licensed by the designer for the job, or by the customer
- Paper, finish and print — chosen with and supplied by the printer
How long it takes
A flyer, menu or business card usually takes a few days to a week; a multi-page brochure or packaging range takes several weeks, and late text or images are the usual cause of delay.
When to book
Allow time for the printer as well as the design — especially before Christmas, festivals and the back-to-school rush, when print queues are long.
Graphic and print design: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
The author of a work — here the designer or illustrator — is the first owner of its copyright. The exception is an employee working in the course of employment, whose employer owns it. Paying a freelancer or a studio for the work does not by itself move the copyright to the customer.
Applies to: the designer, and the customer who commissions the work
Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, section 23 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
An assignment of copyright, in whole or in part, is not effective unless it is in writing and signed by or on behalf of the person assigning it. If you need to own the design outright — to register it as a trade mark, to change it freely or to stop anyone else using it — get a signed written assignment, not just an invoice.
Applies to: the designer, and the customer who wants to own the work
Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, section 120(3) · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
Copying or adapting a work without the licence of its copyright owner infringes the copyright. Stock photographs, illustrations, icons and fonts used in a design are somebody else’s work: they are used under the licence the designer or the customer bought, and that licence sets where, how often and for how long they may be used.
Applies to: the designer, and the customer who publishes the work
Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, section 37 · irishstatutebook.ie · Checked 10 October 2026
What graphic and print design costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Number of items and pages, and how much layout each needs
- Number of drafts and rounds of revisions
- Whether the text is final or still being written
- Stock images, illustrations or photography needed
- Print specifications: special finishes, die-cuts, folds or packaging nets
- The deadline
What you should get at the end
- The print-ready PDF artwork, and web or social versions if agreed
- Editable source files, if agreed in the offer
- Licence details of any stock images and fonts, and who they are licensed to
- A written note of who owns the copyright in the design, or a signed assignment if agreed
- A copy of the approved proof
What the provider should hand over
- Send the print-ready file and web versions, named clearly
- List the stock images and fonts used and their licences
- Confirm what the customer may reuse and edit, and whether source files are included
Safety
- Read the final proof slowly before approving it: once it is printed, a wrong phone number or price is your cost
- Do not use images found on Google or social media: they are someone’s copyright and can lead to a claim
- Food menus and labels may need allergen and other information required by food law — check with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland or your local environmental health officer
Graphic and print design: before you hire
Questions to ask before you hire
- How many rounds of revisions are included?
- Will you supply print-ready files to my printer’s specification?
- Are the stock images licensed for my use, and in whose name?
- Will I get the editable files to update it myself later?
- Is printing included, or only the design?
What you can do yourself
Simple social graphics and one-off flyers can be done with an online template tool; anything going to a commercial printer is worth handing to a designer who knows bleed and colour set-up.
What to put in your task
- What do you need designed?
- How many pages or sides in total?
- Are the text and photos ready?
- Do you need the designer to arrange printing?
- When must it be printed or published?
Photos that help
- Your logo and brand colours, in the best files you have
- The current version of the item, if you are updating it
- Examples of designs you like
- The printer’s artwork specification, if you have a printer already
Design and branding
Need graphic and print design? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals anywhere in Ireland reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about graphic and print design
Does graphic and print design need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.irishstatutebook.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
What does print-ready mean?
A file, usually a PDF, set up to the printer’s exact size with bleed (a few millimetres of extra image beyond the cut), crop marks, colours in CMYK and fonts embedded. Without these, the printer may reject the file or trim off part of the design.
Can I use photos from the internet?
Not without permission. Almost every image online is somebody’s copyright, and using it without a licence is infringement. Use your own photos, licensed stock images, or images whose licence clearly allows commercial use.
Will I get the editable file?
Only if it is agreed. Many designers hand over the final PDF and keep the working files, or supply them for an extra charge. If you want to update a menu or price list yourself, ask for an editable file at the start.