Alphagraphics Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
40/100
Middle tier
40 this brand55 Business Services medianlikely 36–44 (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#2,393 of 3,069 graded brands
Why a C: Helped by financial health, unit economics, scale, legal record and transparency. Held back by unit growth. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $298K – $384K
- New Business Center Pathway format
- Avg gross sales
- $1.5M
- “All Reporting Business Centers CY2025”, 215 outlets; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 28.9%
1 in 3 SBA 7(a) loans to Alphagraphics owners charged off (77 of 266 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); Business Services median 14.9%. Loans approved FY2014–FY2021: 8 of 44 resolved loans charged off (18.2%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend.
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a Alphagraphics franchise requires a total initial investment of $298K – $384K for the New Business Center Pathway format (the filing prices $53K to $384K across three formats), including a $50K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 7.0%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $1.5M (Item 19 group “All Reporting Business Centers CY2025”, 215 outlets; gross sales, not profit). SBA 7(a) loans show a 28.9% charge-off rate on 266 resolved loans. Verdict grade: C (Middle tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · SBA 7(a) loan records (FOIA) · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored7 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Business Services median
Top edge: green = better than the Business Services median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $1.5M/year (outlet median $1.1M; Item 19 group “All Reporting Business Centers CY2025”, 215 outlets; gross sales, not profit).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 2 (6 opened, 4 closed).
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $44K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $68K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $273K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (4)
- -3 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (Item 20, outlet counts). Ask owners why outlets closed.
- 1 pending matter names the franchisor in Item 3 (litigation). Pending claims are allegations, not findings; for a system this size the score counts the legal record in the brand's favour. Read the matter in Item 3.
- SBA 7(a) charge-off 28.9% on 266 resolved loans, loans approved since FY1991, above the Business Services median of 14.9% (39 brands).
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no jury-trial waiver, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 215 units. Not on file here, so ask: supplier rebates.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match, or the lenders already lending to this brand in the SBA section. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 2.6× the Business Services median ($133K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask AlphaGraphics, Inc. (Item 1: 143 Union Boulevard, Suite 650, Lakewood, Colorado 80228) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Item 7 (startup costs) · 3 formats · 2026 FDD
Every building format
The filing prints a separate Item 7 table for each format.
3 formats, from $53K to $384K
| Format | Total investment | Page |
|---|---|---|
| New Business Center Pathway(the range shown above) | $298K – $384K | p.35 |
| Acquire And Convert Pathway | $63K – $273K | p.38 |
| Conversion Pathway | $53K – $249K | p.40 |
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $49.8K | $49.8K | |
| Opening/Reopening Performance Package | $14.5K | $14.5K | |
| Center Development Package | $152.1K | $152.1K | |
| MIS System (PrintSmith Vision) | $15K | $15K | |
| CRM System (Print Speak) | $257 | $257 | |
| agOnline System | $1.5K | $1.5K | |
| Real Estate & Leasehold Improvements and Construction | $12.5K | $45K | |
| Digital Printing Equipment | $0 | $3.6K | |
| Finance Costs | $0 | $17K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $600 | $6.8K | |
| Travel and Expense for Training | $2.1K | $4.2K | |
| Additional Funds – 12 months | $50K | $74K | |
| Total initial investment | $298K | $384K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.5% of gross sales |
| Technology feeMIS System (PrintSmith Vision) initial license fee $15,000; CRM System (Print Speak) initial license fee $250-$770; agOnline Premium System Fee $1,500 | $15,000 |
| Transfer fee | $49,750 |
| Total fee loadabove the Business Services median of 8.5% (heavy) | 9.5% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are 2.2× the Business Services median ($686K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Alphagraphics unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $1.5M (FDD p.80), and the royalty and ad fund take about $145K of that a year (Item 6). This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $44K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $341K Item 7 midpoint (New Business Center Pathway format) is a $273K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $44K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours. Alphagraphics' past SBA 7(a) loans averaged 6.8% at approval; 7(a) rates move with the prime rate, so 10.5% is a current-rate assumption, not this brand's history.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $68K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $341K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $273K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Alphagraphics unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19: $1,523,124 average for 215 outlets (All Reporting Business Centers CY2025). Use a figure for outlets like yours if yours differ.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “Tiered: 7% of Gross Sales, reducing to 5% after $1,371,933 in Gross Sales and $96,035 paid in Royalties during the Royalty Year, reducing further to 3% after $2,744,216 in Gross Sales and $164,649 paid in Royalties, subject to a yearly minimum”; “2.5% of Gross Sales (Brand Fund Fee), capped at $28,069/year for first center, $13,948/year each additional” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
Illustrative category typicals, not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Item 7 midpoint of $298K to $384K
Item 7's $50K to $74K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $273K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD · filed by AlphaGraphics, Inc.
Financial performance
- Range (low → high)
- $140K→$9.5MSource: 2026 FDD, page 80
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Median of the top and bottom 25%
- $442K→$2.9M
- Bottom group → top group: the median of the top and bottom 25% as the filing reports them
Percentile ranks within Business Services
Each rank is among the Business Services brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
Item 19 · 6 groups
Item 19 by group
The 2026 filing reports gross sales for 6 groups of outlets. The headline average on this page is the “All Reporting Business Centers CY2025” group (215).
| Group | n | Average | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Reporting Business Centers CY2025headline above | 215 | $1.5M | $1.1M |
| Top 25% Business Centers CY2025 | 53 | $3.4M | $2.9M |
| Lowest 25% Business Centers CY2025 | 54 | $426K | $442K |
| All Business Centers reporting expense data (159 Centers) (2025) | 159 | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Top 25% of Table 19-3 Business Centers (39 Centers) (2025) | 39 | $3.9M | $3.3M |
| Lowest 25% of Table 19-3 Business Centers (40 Centers) (2025) | 40 | $571K | $593K |
Average gross sales are 4.5x the investment midpoint. Gross sales are not profit: payback depends on margins the FDD does not disclose.
vs Business Services medians
How Alphagraphics compares
Category median of published Business Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Who are you contracting with?
AlphaGraphics, Inc., owned by U.S. Business Holdings, Inc.
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- AlphaGraphics, Inc.
- Parent company
- U.S. Business Holdings, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- WorldFly S.p.A.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- AlphaGraphics, Inc. of Tucson (AGIT)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Paolo Fiorelli
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 143 Union Boulevard, Suite 650, Lakewood, Colorado 80228
- Franchisor revenue
- $24.6M
- latest fiscal year in the 2026 FDD; $23.8M the year before
Overview
About
Providers of customized print and marketing communication products and services to businesses, including multi-channel marketing campaigns, brand identity, graphic design, offset and digital printing, bindery, mailing and fulfillment, direct mail, large format graphics, signage, vehicle wraps, promotional products, packaging, and digital marketing
- CEO
- Paolo Fiorelli
Is the system healthy?
-3 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (232 to 229, -1.3% in total, -0.6% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 20
- 1 for every 11 open outlets · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 14
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units fell from 232 in 2023 to 229 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Government records
SBA loan data
Lenders charged off 28.9% of 266 resolved SBA 7(a) loans, above the 14.9% category median. 7(a) is the SBA's main small-business loan; a resolved loan was paid in full or charged off.
- Loans on file
- 346
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $127.4M
- Average loan
- $368K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 28.9%
- 77 of 266 resolved loans
- Paid in full
- 71.1%
- of resolved loans
- Charge-off, loans approved FY2014–FY2021
- 18.2%
- 8 of 44 resolved loans; newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend
- Lenders
- 38
- Average interest rate
- 6.8%
- Jobs reported
- 923
- Lender concentration
- 40%
- top lender's share
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Benchmark: the median Business Services brand charges off 14.9% (39 brands with a published rate, same cumulative window and source). This brand is 14.0 points above it.
The approval-year breakdown covers 264 of the 266 resolved loans and 77 of the 77 charge-offs (FY1992 to FY2021).
SBA 7(a) · charge-off rate by approval year
Alphagraphics: above all franchise loans in 9 of 10 rated years
Hollow rings on the axis: years with fewer than 10 resolved loans, not rated (too few to judge; recent years are too early to judge while loans are still being repaid). Their numbers are in the table.
Show the numbers by year
| Year | Resolved | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 17 | 4 | 23.5% |
| 1993 | 6 | 2 | Too few |
| 1994 | 10 | 3 | 30.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | 0 | Too few |
| 1996 | 16 | 4 | 25.0% |
| 1997 | 20 | 7 | 35.0% |
| 1998 | 15 | 2 | 13.3% |
| 1999 | 12 | 4 | 33.3% |
| 2000 | 12 | 8 | 66.7% |
| 2001 | 8 | 6 | Too few |
| 2002 | 9 | 3 | Too few |
| 2003 | 21 | 5 | 23.8% |
| 2004 | 14 | 5 | 35.7% |
| 2005 | 8 | 3 | Too few |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | Too few |
| 2007 | 7 | 3 | Too few |
| 2008 | 8 | 3 | Too few |
| 2009 | 9 | 3 | Too few |
| 2010 | 5 | 1 | Too few |
| 2011 | 4 | 2 | Too few |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | Too few |
| 2013 | 6 | 1 | Too few |
| 2014 | 5 | 1 | Too few |
| 2015 | 13 | 5 | 38.5% |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | Too few |
| 2017 | 6 | 2 | Too few |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | Too few |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | Too early |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | Too early |
Dashed line: all franchise 7(a) loans approved the same year.
Source and method
Top lenders financing Alphagraphics franchisees Each lender’s rate counts only its own resolved loans; a 0.0% often means few of that lender’s loans have been resolved, not that none will fail. A lender with fewer than 10 resolved loans reads “Too few”.
Showing 3 of 38 lenders. The full SBA lending report below lists the top 10 by loan count, with states and the yearly trend.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
A 28.9% charge-off rate means about 1 in 3 resolved SBA 7(a) loans to this brand was charged off. The approval-year chart above shows which years they came from.
What are the risks?
Main risk: a shrinking system. Franchised outlets fell from 232 to 229 over the two years to 2025.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade C: Middle tier, 40/100 (category median 55); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a C, factor by factor
- Financial health HelpsAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive
- Unit economics HelpsAvg gross sales $1.5M on a $341K investment midpoint, 4.5x (gross sales, not profit)
- Unit growth Weighs on it, weakest dimension-3 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (232 to 229, -1.3% in total, -0.6% a year compounded); turnover 1.7%
- Scale Helps229 franchised units; franchising since 1979
- Legal Helps1 matter naming the franchisor among the Item 3 matters we list (0.4 per 100 outlets)
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (-33 points)SBA loan record: the SBA charge-off rate (28.9% on 266 resolved loans) is between 20% and 50%, a range the score counts against a brand, so it took 15 points off. The score uses fixed ranges, not the category median, so a rate below its category median can still cost points.Score limits: a ceiling the method sets for specific risks (such as a very high SBA charge-off rate, high turnover or an auditor's going-concern doubt) took 18 points off.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
One pending action: AlphaGraphics sued former Georgia franchisees for breach of Franchise Agreement, misappropriation of trade secrets, and violation of post-term non-compete after they began operating a competing business using AlphaGraphics customer data; court entered a stipulated injunction and compelled remaining claims to arbitration (hearing scheduled Aug 2026); defendants asserted counterclaims for breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Litigation case detail1 matter · Item 3
Litigation cases
The franchisor
Pending (1)
AlphaGraphics, Inc. v. Wendy Fletcher Race & Lloyd Wellington Race
pendingBrought against a franchisee · filed 2024-10-11 · U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado; American Arbitration Association · 1:24-cv-02831-PAB-SBP; AAA 01-22-0000-5324
“… U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado Case No. 1:24-cv-02831-PAB-SBP and American Arbitration Association Case No. 01-22- 0000-5324.”Page 16 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 1 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Territory size | “Protected Area containing approximately 6,000 total businesses, determined via demographic mapping software; not an exclusive territory (franchisor may compete via other channels/brands, subject to restriction on establishing another AlphaGraphics Center within the Protected Area)” |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | A manager may run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | City where franchisor's headquarters is located (Lakewood, Colorado) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | Colorado |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
A development fee of $12,500 per unit you commit to, credited toward each unit's franchise fee while you keep to the schedule.
Every term, with its page
- Development fee
- $12,500 per unit committed.
2026 FDD p.1
“If you sign an area development agreement, you must pay a development fee equal to $12,500 for each franchised business to be developed (minimum of one franchised business ($12,500), and maximum of two franchised businesses ($25,000)), which will be applied toward the applicable initial franchise fees noted above if and when you sign a franchise agreement for that franchised business.” - Credit against the fee
- $12,500 per unit is credited toward each unit's initial franchise fee.
2026 FDD p.42
“Franchise Disclosure Document | 2026 Page 35 110487255.1 If you commit to develop one or two additional Franchised Business Centers under an Area Development Agreement, we will credit the $12,500 of the Development Fee against the applicable initial franchise fee when you execute the relevant Franchise Agreement.” - Signed, not yet open
- 20 franchises sold but not open at year end (Item 20, Table 5; see Growth). Ask how long they have been waiting and why.
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee ($13K times the units you commit to). Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 66 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 5 hrs
- Training location
- Training facility at franchisor's headquarters; online self-directed e-learning offsite
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor approves franchisee-proposed site
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- PrintSmith Vision (MIS System)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Franchisee contacts
We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Alphagraphics franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Alphagraphics franchise ranges from $298K to $384K for the New Business Center Pathway format, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. Across every format the filing prices, totals run from $53K to $384K (three formats). This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.
What do Alphagraphics franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Alphagraphics FDD, average gross sales were $1.5M (Item 19 group “All Reporting Business Centers CY2025”, 215 outlets; gross sales, not profit). The median is $1.1M. What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns Alphagraphics?
Alphagraphics is franchised by AlphaGraphics, Inc. Its parent company is U.S. Business Holdings, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is WorldFly S.p.A.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Alphagraphics FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Alphagraphics FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Alphagraphics' franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate. What is measurable is Alphagraphics' SBA charge-off rate: 28.9% on 266 resolved loans. Put plainly: 1 in 3 SBA 7(a) loans to Alphagraphics owners charged off (77 of 266 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); loans approved FY2014–FY2021: 8 of 44 resolved loans charged off (18.2%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. A franchisee can repay and close, or default and keep trading.
How many Alphagraphics franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, Alphagraphics has 229 franchised units and 0 company-owned (229 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 2 (6 opened, 4 closed).
Is Alphagraphics a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Alphagraphics a C Verdict grade (Middle tier) with a verdict score of 40 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by financial health (audited financials), unit economics, scale, legal record and transparency. Held back by unit growth (-3 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025: 232 to 229, -1.3% in total, -0.6% a year compounded). The “Why a C” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Business Services franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.