Flashlamp-pumped organic dyes (e.g. Rhodamine 6G) are considered as an amplifying medium. Calculations have been made for optimising the small signal gain and the concentration of the active molecules for given dye cell dimensions. Under the assumption of weak pumping the maximum useful gain is only dependent on the geometrical dimensions of the cell. An optimum concentration could be derived resulting from the compromise of uniform gain distribution over the cylindrical cross section of the medium and maximum absorption of pump power. It is shown that the near uv-radiation of the flashlamp is very efficient in achieving the desired inversion. Some experiments supporting the theoretical results are given.