A raffle runs on paper you can trust: every ticket has a number, every stub has the same number, and on the day you can say who holds the winner. You can make all of it on your iPhone and print it at home. This guide covers planning the numbers, the stub, keeping a list of names, printing and cutting, and the draw, with Ticket Cat, our iPhone app for raffle tickets, gift vouchers and punch cards. For admit-one tickets for a play or a dinner, see how to make event tickets on iPhone.
Plan your numbers first
Decide how many tickets you'll offer before you print anything:
- Pick a count that fills whole pages. Tickets print ten to a page, so 100 or 200 wastes no paper.
- Start at 1, or carry on. If last year's raffle ended at 300, this year's can start at 301.
- Give each seller a letter. One book of A tickets for the school office, another of B tickets for the bake sale stall. You always know where a stub came from.
Make the tickets
The first time you open Ticket Cat it asks What are you making? Tap Raffle tickets. The app opens there from then on; the grid button at the top left of its home screen takes you back to the choice. Then, under New tickets, tap Raffle tickets. Every ticket gets a RAFFLE badge.
- Type over the sample. In the Tickets tab, under On the ticket, fill in Event name, Prize, Place and Small print. Use the small print for the draw time, like "Drawn at 4 pm". Words still marked Sample are left off when you print or share.
- Set the numbers. Under Numbers, set First number and How many. The stepper next to How many moves in tens. A new book starts at 100 tickets, and one book holds up to 9,999.
- Add a letter if you like. Before the number takes up to four characters, so A001, A002 and so on. Numbers are padded to the same width, at least three digits, so 7 prints as 007. The line under Numbers shows the range and how many pages of ten it takes.
Once names are on your list, you can't shrink the numbers so far that someone's ticket would drop off.
Set up the stub
Each ticket has a stub on the left with NO., the number and the event name, and a dashed tear line between stub and ticket. Under Stub:
- Name line and Phone line add blank lines labelled NAME and PHONE, so a buyer can write their details on the stub you keep.
- Print names from your list, when it's on, puts the name from your list on the stub instead of a blank line. Handy when people buy in advance.
Keep a list of who has which numbers
Open the Names tab and tap Add a name. Type the Name and, if you like, Phone (optional). Then pick one of two ways:
- How many: tap 1, 2, 5 or 10, or use the stepper. They get the next free numbers.
- Which numbers: type the ones they chose, like "12–15, 20".
Under the choice, the app says what they'll get, such as "Maria Lopez gets 001–005." If a number you typed already has a name, it tells you whose. Tap Add.
Switch to By number to see every number as a square, or search by name, phone or number when someone asks "which ones did I buy?"
Print and cut
Tap Print & share. Pick Tickets, choose Letter or A4, then Print tickets, Share PDF or Preview full size. Tickets come two across and five down, with light cut lines and small marks in the margins so each cut has a guide.
- Print one page first at actual size, not scaled to fit.
- Use card stock if you can. It holds up better than paper.
- Cut along the light lines, then fold each tear line a few times so the stub tears off neatly.
- Printing more later? Turn on Only some numbers and set From and To.
To print your sales record, pick Names list instead. It lists everyone by name with their phone, their numbers and a box to tick.
Draw a winner
You can draw the old way: put the stubs in a hat and pull one. Or open the Draw tab.
Under Draw from, pick Numbers with a name to draw only from tickets on your list, or All numbers (it shows your count, like "All 100 numbers") when tickets went out without names. Tap Draw a number. The numbers roll, then stop on one, with the name that goes with it, or "No name on the list". Each number is picked at random with the system's random number generator.
Have more than one prize? Tap Draw again. A number can win only once is on to start with, so a winning number won't come up twice. Every draw is kept under Drawn, numbered 1st, 2nd and so on, with its time. Swipe a draw to remove it, or tap Clear all draws, which asks first and leaves your tickets and names as they are.
Running the same raffle next year? On the home screen, tap the ⋯ on your tickets, then Duplicate. The copy keeps the words, look and numbers, with no names or draws.
Ticket Cat prints tickets and keeps your list. It doesn't sell tickets or take payments. Rules for raffles differ from place to place, so check yours.
Spreading the word?
A poster helps sell tickets. See how to make a flyer on iPhone.
What it costs
Raffle tickets, stubs, every design, your list of names, the draw, the names list and the PDF are free, as many as you like. There's no watermark: nothing is printed on your tickets except your tickets. There's no trial, no sign-up, no account, no ads and no subscription. Ticket Cat Pro, an optional one-time purchase, adds Door check-in with QR codes, your logo on tickets, and importing and exporting your list as a spreadsheet (CSV). It's one purchase for the whole app, so it also adds Pro's extras for gift vouchers and punch cards. 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 raffle tickets with numbers?
In Ticket Cat, pick Raffle tickets, tap Raffle tickets under New tickets, then set First number and How many under Numbers. Every ticket and its stub get the same number, padded to the same width (001).
How do I make raffle tickets with a name and phone number on the stub?
Under Stub, turn on Name line and Phone line for blank lines to write on. Turn on Print names from your list to print names you've already added.
How many raffle tickets fit on a page?
Ten: two across and five down on Letter or A4, with cut lines.
How do I draw a raffle winner on my phone?
Open the Draw tab, pick Numbers with a name or All numbers, and tap Draw a number. It shows the number and the name on your list.
Try Ticket Cat
Try Ticket Cat: free raffle tickets, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/ticket-cat