How Much Does a Giant Check Cost?
Print shop custom design, DIY materials, a purchased template, or a browser-based designer — here's what each option actually costs, all in.
The honest answer is "it depends on the method," because a giant check's total cost is really two separate line items — designing it and printing/mounting it — and different approaches bundle or split those costs very differently.
| Method | Design cost | Print/mount cost | Total (typical) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY foam board | $0 (your time) | $15-30 in materials | $15-30 |
| Free template + local print shop | $0 | $15-40 mounting | $15-40 |
| Purchased template (Etsy, etc.) + print shop | $5-15 | $15-40 mounting | $20-55 |
| Print shop full-service design + print | $40-150 | Often bundled | $55-190 |
| Online designer + print shop mounting | ~$10 | $15-40 mounting | $25-50 |
DIY foam board: the lowest cash cost, highest time cost
Foam board, paint markers or a paint pen, and a straightedge run around $15-30 depending on how many colors you want. The real cost is time — realistically an hour or more to measure, rule straight lines, and hand-letter the payee name and amount legibly at a large scale. See our full DIY comparison for what typically goes wrong.
Free or purchased templates
A free Word, PowerPoint, or Canva template costs nothing upfront but often costs resolution — many aren't built at print DPI, so the result can look soft at full size (see our template quality guide). A purchased Etsy-style template ($5-15) is often better designed but still depends heavily on the individual seller's file quality.
Full-service print shop design
If you don't want to design anything yourself, many print and sign shops offer custom design services — you describe what you want, they build it, you approve a proof, they print it. This is the most expensive route because you're paying for a designer's hourly time, typically $40-150 depending on complexity and revisions, often bundled with the printing.
Online designer + local printing
A browser-based tool separates the two costs cleanly: a flat fee (commonly around $10) covers the design and a high-resolution export, and you take that file to any local print shop just for the physical mounting — no design labor charge from the print shop at all, since you're bringing a finished, print-ready file.
Digital-only use skips the print cost entirely
If the check is only ever going to appear in a photo, video, or social post — not physically held or displayed — you can skip the print/mount cost altogether and just use the exported PNG.
See the exact cost before you commit
Design the whole check for free. Only pay $10 when you're ready to download the clean, high-resolution file.
Open the Free Designer →No signup, no subscription, no print-shop design fee
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest way to make a giant check?
A DIY foam board version is usually the lowest cash cost (roughly $15-30 in materials) if you already value your own time at zero, but it trades money for an hour or more of measuring and hand-lettering plus an inconsistent finished look.
How much does a print shop charge to design and print a giant check?
If the print shop designs the layout from scratch, expect $40-150 depending on the shop and how much revision is involved, plus the mounting cost. If you bring your own print-ready file, most shops only charge for the printing and mounting — typically $15-40 for a 36x18 foam board mount.
Is an online giant check designer cheaper than a print shop?
For the design itself, yes — a flat one-time fee (often around $10) replaces a print shop's design labor charge. You'll still pay a local print shop separately for physical mounting if you want a printed foam board or coroplast version, but you skip their design fee entirely.