How Fast Can You Get It? Our Production Times, Product by Product

"How fast can you get it to me?" is the first question in almost every conversation we have, and the honest answer depends entirely on what you are asking for. A roll-up banner and a set of painted-edge business cards are not the same kind of job, and quoting one number for both would be a lie in one direction or the other.

So here is the real breakdown.

Next business day

These are the pieces we can turn around fastest, because they print and finish in one pass:

• Roll-up banners — the retractable floor stands.
• Desktop roll-up banners — the counter-top version.
• Portable X-frame banner stands.

Custom banners: it depends on the width

Custom vinyl banners are the one case where the number changes mid-product. Up to 8 feet wide — the width of our press — a banner is one business day. Wider than that, it has to be printed in sections and joined, which puts it at three to four days.

If your deadline is tight, this is worth knowing before you design: an 8 x 4 ft banner and a 10 x 4 ft banner are a three-day difference, not a bigger-file difference. The full range is in Banners.

Four business days

Our paper products run four business days. That covers the finishing as much as the printing — a raised foil or painted edge card goes through several passes after the ink:

• All eight business card finishes: standard, raised spot UV, raised foil, Akuafoil, silk, plastic, leaf and painted edge.
• Postcards in 14PT, 16PT and 100lb gloss cover.
• Standard door hangers.

Those last two live in Marketing Products, along with the rest of our direct-mail and promotional print.

One to four business days

Labels and stickers — square, rectangular and round — sit in a range rather than on a fixed number, because the die-cutting depends on the shape and the run size. Small, simple jobs can be out in a day; bigger or unusually shaped ones take up to four.

Three to four business days

This is where most of the catalog lands, and it is the number to plan around if you are not sure:

• Flags of every kind, and flag hardware.
• Canopy tents and printed umbrellas.
• Display stands — tension fabric, pop-up walls, light boxes.
• Rigid signs: yard signs, A-frames, magnetic vehicle panels.
• Table covers, printed packaging and graphic design work.

What the clock does not include

This is the part that catches people out, so it is worth being blunt about it. Production time is time on the floor. It starts when you approve the proof, not when you place the order, and it does not include:

• Proof approval. Nothing goes on the press until you sign off on a to-scale digital proof. If the proof sits unread over a weekend, that is two days the presses were not running.
• Shipping. Transit is on top. If you are local, picking up at the shop removes this entirely.
• Installation. Signage, wall wraps and vehicle wraps need a crew and a scheduled date. Fabrication finishing on Thursday does not mean it is on the wall Thursday.
• Artwork fixes. A file that needs to be rebuilt, re-cut or colour-corrected adds time before production even starts.

How to make a tight deadline work

When someone genuinely needs it fast, these are the things that move the needle:

1. Ask about rush. Depending on the job and the queue, some pieces can be ready next-day even when the standard time is longer. It costs you one question.
2. Approve the proof the same day. This is the single biggest lever you control.
3. Pick up at the shop. We are at 7124 NW 72nd Ave, Miami, FL 33166. Collecting in person can save more time than any production shortcut.
4. Send print-ready artwork, or ask us to build it. Our in-house design team is usually faster than three rounds of back-and-forth fixes — ask for it with your quote.
5. Redesign around the width. As above — keeping a banner at 8 feet or under is often the difference between tomorrow and next week.
6. Split the order. If you need ten signs for Friday and forty more later, say so. We can run the urgent batch first.

When in doubt, ask before you design

Almost every rush problem we see could have been avoided with one phone call at the start, when the design was still flexible. Tell us the date you need it and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible — and if it is not, what would be.

Request a quote and we will come back with a firm price, a to-scale proof and a date within one business day. Or call (786) 332-2661 and just ask.