A file may be free, but paper, ink and print-shop services cost money. That difference matters to someone who wants to use psychological materials, especially when they need a complete set rather than a single page.
We compared publicly listed prices from several print shops in Kyiv and Tbilisi using one sample set: 12 double-sided A4 sheets and four single-sided sheets. That is 16 physical sheets and 28 printed sides. Pricing rules differ between providers, so the figures are estimates, not confirmed quotations for a completed order.
Four posters
1. One set of materials. Two prices.
The same set of psychological materials is estimated to cost 7 lari in black and white or 42 lari in colour. That is a sixfold difference under the selected rates, not a claim about every print shop in Georgia.
Tbilisi example: 12 double-sided A4 sheets plus four single-sided sheets, 28 printed sides in total. PHOTO MAIKO prices, October 2026. The actual cost of a duplex order may differ.
2. How much is really left?
The share of monthly income spent on printing does not tell us whether the materials are affordable after housing, food and other essential expenses. The pension of UAH 3,500 is a hypothetical example.
Hypothetical pension of UAH 3,500. Printing prices use Jera’s published rates in Kyiv, October 2026. This is not an estimate of the expenses of all pensioners in Ukraine.
3. Free to download. But what about printing?
Access to a digital resource is not the same as being able to print it. A home printer, a print shop or free distribution by an organisation each require different resources and arrangements.
A conceptual poster without a separate numerical calculation. It shows different ways of obtaining a paper copy.
4. Same budget. Different number of sets.
When the aim is to distribute printed materials to more people, choosing black-and-white rather than colour copies can affect how many people receive them. The comparison holds only at the selected rates and with the price per printed side unchanged.
One sample set has 16 physical A4 sheets and 28 printed sides. PHOTO MAIKO, Tbilisi, October 2026. The calculation assumes a constant price per printed side; actual order prices may differ.
Why prices can differ
In Kyiv, the lowest of the five calculations examined is Jera’s UAH 104 for a black-and-white set and UAH 240 for a colour set. Other published price lists produce higher totals. At IT Land, applying the per-printed-side rate gives UAH 140 and UAH 336. At Print KNUBA, the totals are UAH 168 for black and white and UAH 504–700 for colour, depending on page coverage. The poster prices therefore describe one relatively inexpensive offer, not a citywide average.
In Tbilisi, PHOTO MAIKO lists GEL 0.25 per black-and-white A4 side on its Georgian and Russian pages, but GEL 0.30 on its English page. For 28 sides, that means GEL 7 or GEL 8.40. Colour printing is listed at GEL 1.50 per side, or GEL 42 for the set. Print Georgia instead prices colour A4 pages by ink coverage, from GEL 0.50 to GEL 1.70. Applied to 28 sides, those rates produce illustrative totals of GEL 14–47.60, but the coverage category for our PDF and the duplex-printing price have not been confirmed.
The difference is not just a matter of individual print shops charging more or less. Some charge per printed side, others per double-sided sheet; some account for ink coverage, while others offer discounts for larger quantities. For example, Colibri lists GEL 0.70 for a single-sided colour A4 sheet when ordering at least 50. That bulk price cannot be applied to one small mixed-sided set.
Kyiv: estimated cost of the sample set
| Print shop | Black and white | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Jera | 104 UAH | 240 UAH |
| IT Land | 140 UAH | 336 UAH |
| УРБ | 156 UAH | 432 UAH |
| Фото-Копі-Центр | 168–224 UAH | 420 UAH |
| Print KNUBA | 168 UAH | 504–700 UAH |
Figures in hryvnias, calculated from published price lists as of 13 October 2026. Duplex orders and illustrated pages require separate confirmation.
These comparisons are not a statistical average for Ukraine or Georgia. The sample is small, conditions vary, and we did not place identical PDF orders with each provider. To find the actual price, the same file and specifications would need to be sent to several print shops for individual quotes.
Tbilisi: different pricing methods
| Print shop | Black and white | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| PHOTO MAIKO | 7 or 8.40 GEL | 42 GEL |
| Print Georgia | No comparable rate for a small set | 14–47.60 GEL, depending on coverage |
Print Georgia’s lower and upper bounds refer to different types of page, not to a confirmed price for our materials; its quote assumes 90 g/m² paper. PHOTO MAIKO’s language versions show conflicting black-and-white rates.
Another poster compares printing costs with a hypothetical monthly income of UAH 3,500. Even an accurate percentage does not show how much someone can spend after paying for housing, food and other essentials. Likewise, six black-and-white sets for GEL 42 are possible only if each set costs GEL 7. At GEL 0.30 per side, the same budget covers five sets.
Sources and verification date
Official price lists reviewed on 13 October 2026. Some pages do not state when prices were last updated, so this is a snapshot of advertised prices, not confirmation of the price payable at the counter.
Original graphics and texts created for the “balancium” project are shared under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. This licence does not cover third-party websites, price lists, organisation names or content owned by others.