A school play, a club night, a quiz or a raffle at the summer fair: paper tickets still do the job, and you can make them on your iPhone and print them at home. This guide walks through what a ticket usually has on it and how to number it, then how to make tickets with Ticket Cat, our ticket app for iPhone.
What goes on a ticket
Most event and raffle tickets carry the same few things:
- The event's name, the date and the place. Add the time if people need it to turn up.
- What the ticket is for: "General admission", a seat like "Seat 12", or the prize for a raffle.
- A line of small print, like when the doors open. Keep it to one line so it stays readable.
- A number on every ticket. It's how you tell tickets apart, count what's gone and find who has which one.
Number them so they're easy to read
- Pick where the numbers start and how many you need. A second batch can start where the first one ended.
- Pad the numbers to the same width: 001, 002 … 100. They line up, and nobody mixes up 1 and 10.
- Put a letter in front for each batch, like A001 for one night and B001 for the next.
- Use every number once, or you'll have trouble at the door and at the draw.
Give every ticket a stub
The stub carries the same number as the ticket: one half goes to the guest, the other stays with you. Keep a list of each name and their numbers as you hand them out. It's your guest list on the night.
Make the tickets in Ticket Cat
- Pick the kind of ticket. On the home screen, under New tickets, tap Raffle tickets or Event tickets (or tap + at the top right and pick one). Event tickets say "Admit one"; raffle tickets say "Raffle". Both kinds come with a list of names and a draw.
- Fill in the ticket. In the Tickets tab, under On the ticket, type the event name, the entry (or the prize, for a raffle), the place and a line of small print. Tap Add a date if you want one, and turn Show the time on or off.
- Type over the sample. Words marked Sample only show the look: anything still marked Sample is left off when you print or share.
- Choose the look. Under Look, pick one of five designs (Bright, Classic, Bold, Simple or Festive) and one of nine colours.
- Set the numbers. Under Numbers, set the First number, How many tickets you need, and up to four characters Before the number if you like (M001, M002 …). Numbers are padded to the same width, at least three digits, so they line up.
- Set up the stub. Every ticket has a stub with the same number. Under Stub, turn the Name line and Phone line on or off. With Print names from your list on, the stubs of numbers on your list show the name instead of a blank line.
Every name, number and draw is saved the moment you make it, so you can close the app any time.
Keep track of who has which numbers
Open the Names tab and tap Add a name. Type the name, and a phone number if you like, then choose How many to give them the next free numbers, or Which numbers to type the ones they picked. A number that's already taken can't go to someone else.
Switch to By number to see every number on a board, or search the list by name, phone or number.
Print them at home
Tap Print & share and pick Tickets at the top. Under Options, choose Letter or A4. The tickets come ten to a page, with cut lines between them. Then:
- Print tickets sends them to your printer.
- Share PDF sends the PDF to Mail, Files or any app, for example to a print shop.
- Preview full size shows the PDF before you print.
Print one page first to check it. Print at actual size, not scaled to fit, and cut along the light lines. Card stock holds up better than paper.
Already printed 1 to 40? Turn on Only some numbers and print 41 onwards. Pick Names list instead of Tickets to print each person with their numbers and a box to tick.
Run the draw for a raffle
Open the Draw tab. Under Draw from, pick Numbers with a name, so only numbers on your list can come up, or All the numbers (it shows the count, like "All 100 numbers"), for tickets handed out without names. Tap Draw a number to see the number and the name that goes with it.
A number can win only once is on to start with; turn it off if a number may come up again. Each draw is kept under Drawn with its time.
Ticket Cat prints tickets and keeps your list. It doesn't sell tickets or take payments, and the draw is a tool for picking a number at random. Rules for raffles differ from place to place, so check yours.
Spreading the word?
See how to make a flyer on iPhone for a poster to go with your tickets.
What it costs
Tickets, stubs, every design, your list of names, the draw and the PDF cost nothing, as many as you like. Nothing is printed on your tickets except your tickets: no watermark. There's no trial, no sign-up, no account, no ads and no subscription. An optional one-time Pro unlock adds door check-in with QR codes, your logo on the tickets, and CSV import and export. More on the Ticket Cat page.
Your tickets, names and draws are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them.
Quick answers
How do I make tickets for an event for free?
In Ticket Cat, tap Event tickets, type your event, the date and the place, choose where the numbers start, then print them ten to a page or share the PDF. All of that is free, with no watermark.
How do I make raffle tickets with numbers?
Choose where the numbers start and how many you need, pad them to the same width (001), and put the same number on the ticket and its stub. Ticket Cat numbers every ticket and stub for you, with a letter in front if you like.
Can I print event tickets at home?
Yes. Ten to a page fits Letter or A4. Print one page first to check, then cut along the lines. Ticket Cat can also print only the numbers you still need.
Try Ticket Cat
Try Ticket Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/ticket-cat