What a Custom Print Order Actually Takes

A made-to-order print is not pulled from a shelf. The honest timeline runs from printing to framing to transit, and each stage adds days the buyer needs to plan around.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

A custom-ordered print typically arrives within 10 to 20 working days. Printing takes 2 to 4 days, framing or canvas stretching adds 3 to 7, and shipping runs 3 to 10 depending on destination. Custom dimensions or non-standard frames sit at the slower end of that range. Note that Auvrique does not currently offer Julio Gonzalez editions, so these figures describe the general made-to-order art shipping timeline rather than a specific catalogue item.

The timeline broken into stages

Custom print delivery time is best understood as three stages stacked end to end. Production comes first. A print is generated only after the order is placed, which usually takes two to four working days for standard sizes. Framing or canvas stretching follows, and this is where most of the wait accumulates. A made-to-order frame involves cutting, joining, mounting and a quality check before anything ships.

Transit is the final stage and the least predictable. Domestic shipments commonly take three to five working days once the parcel leaves the workshop. Cross-border orders, particularly those crossing customs, can add another week. Anxious planners should budget the full range rather than the best case. Anyone weighing format choices can compare the options in the difference between canvas and framed prints before committing, since format directly affects production time.

What slows a made-to-order order down

Three variables push a delivery past the standard window. Non-standard dimensions require custom cutting at every stage, which can add several days. Large formats, anything above roughly a metre on the long side, move more slowly through both production and carrier networks. And peak periods, the weeks before major holidays, compress workshop capacity across the industry.

The honest answer for a buyer planning around a date is to order early and treat the estimate as a midpoint, not a promise. A reader with a hard deadline, a birthday or a move-in date, should contact the seller directly before ordering rather than after. For a sense of how these timelines vary by product, the framed poster delivery timeline for Wojciech Weiss covers a comparable case, and custom canvas print timing for Stefan Luchian addresses the canvas version of the same question.

What extends the wait

Custom dimensions that require non-standard cutting and mounting
Large formats that move slowly through production and transit
Peak seasonal periods when workshop capacity is compressed
Cross-border shipments that pass through customs inspection

Ordering a Gonzalez print specifically

Julio Gonzalez, the Spanish sculptor and painter who worked in Paris in the early twentieth century and is associated with welded iron sculpture, is not currently part of the Auvrique catalogue. That matters for this question. Any timeline quoted here describes the general process for made-to-order editions, not a confirmed availability for his work.

A buyer set on Gonzalez should check availability directly with any seller before planning around a delivery date. Where his work is offered as a reproduction, the same production logic applies as for any edition, so the ten to twenty working day range remains a reasonable planning figure. For related reading on placing his work, the best sizes for a Gonzalez print and popular Gonzalez styles for home decor both cover the decisions that come before checkout.

The estimate is a midpoint, not a promise. Anyone with a deadline should order as if the slow end will happen.

Stage	Typical duration	Notes
Printing	2 to 4 working days	Longer for custom dimensions
Framing or stretching	3 to 7 working days	The largest variable in production
Shipping	3 to 10 working days	Customs can extend cross-border orders

Typical made-to-order print timeline

Key takeaways

A custom print order typically takes 10 to 20 working days from order to delivery.
Framing and stretching, not printing, account for most of the production wait.
Custom sizes, large formats and peak seasons all push delivery toward the slow end.
Julio Gonzalez editions are not currently offered by Auvrique, so availability should be confirmed before planning around a date.

Related questions

Can I expedite a custom print order?

Some sellers offer expedited production or faster shipping, but framing is the stage that is hardest to compress because each frame is cut and assembled to order. The practical shortcut is to choose a standard size and a stock frame, which removes the custom cutting steps entirely and often saves several days.

Does a canvas print arrive faster than a framed print?

Usually, marginally. Canvas stretching is a simpler process than building and fitting a frame, so production tends to run a day or two shorter. Transit time is identical once the parcel ships. The difference is small enough that format should be chosen on appearance, not on speed.

What happens if my print arrives damaged?

Reputable sellers replace transit damage without argument, but the window for reporting it is short. Inspect the parcel on arrival and photograph any damage to the packaging before opening it. Contact the seller within a few days rather than weeks, because claims made promptly are straightforward and claims made late are not.

From the Auvrique collection

Made to order · Every size