The History of NHS Print

Since 5 July 1948, the NHS has been one of the biggest producers of printed material in the country — and it started with one of the largest single leaflet drops in British history.

The 1948 Household Leaflet

In the months before the NHS launched, the Central Office of Information distributed a leaflet called Your New National Health Service to every household in the country, explaining in plain terms that the new service was free at the point of use for everyone — rich or poor, man, woman or child. A copy is preserved today in The National Archives. By the time the NHS opened, around 95% of the population had already signed up, a genuinely remarkable result for a single piece of print.

From Persuasion to Moderation

Once the service launched, the tone of NHS print shifted — from persuading people to sign up, to helping manage demand and explain how to use services appropriately. That basic pattern, print doing the job of clear public communication at national scale, has repeated at every major NHS moment since, right through to COVID-19 public health material.

A Standardised Identity

The now-familiar NHS visual identity, the blue lozenge and the Frutiger typeface, was standardised in the 1990s, giving decades of separately-produced hospital and surgery signage, letterheads and patient material a single recognisable look.

What NHS Print Looks Like Today

Digital tools like the NHS App and e-prescriptions have taken over some jobs print used to do, but print hasn't gone away — patient information leaflets, appointment letters, hospital and surgery signage, and public health campaign material are all still printed, often precisely because print remains more accessible than a screen for many patients.

Where This Connects to What We Print

Surgeries, community health groups, charities and NHS-adjacent organisations still need exactly this kind of printed material today — waiting room posters, campaign leaflets, event banners and clear signage. We print banners, posters, leaflets and business stationery through our large format & signage and business stationery & publications services.

Frequently asked questions

When did NHS printed communication begin?

With a household leaflet distributed nationally in the months before the NHS launched on 5 July 1948, explaining the new service to every home in the country.

Is NHS print still used today?

Yes — patient information leaflets, appointment letters, and hospital and surgery signage are all still printed, alongside digital tools like the NHS App.

When was the NHS visual identity standardised?

The blue lozenge and Frutiger typeface identity now used across the NHS was standardised in the 1990s.

Browse our large format & signage printing and business stationery pages, or see the History of the Printing Press for the story behind print itself.