What Happens Between Ordering a Print and Unpacking It

Production, meaning printing, drying and any framing or stretching, usually takes three to seven business days. Shipping adds two to seven more depending on destination. If a deadline is close, order

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

A made-to-order print typically arrives within seven to fourteen business days. Production, meaning printing, drying and any framing or stretching, usually takes three to seven business days. Shipping adds two to seven more depending on destination. If a deadline is close, order early and confirm the current timeline before paying.

The Production Phase Explained

Nothing is pulled from a shelf. When an order is placed, the file is prepared, printed and then left to dry and cure before any handling. Ink that looks dry in an hour is not stable for a day or two, and framing wet prints is how edges get damaged. That curing window is the part most buyers never account for, and it is usually the reason a delivery estimate slips.

Framing or canvas stretching adds its own step. A framed poster needs mounting, glazing and assembly, and each of those is done by hand. A canvas edition like buy the canvas edition is stretched over bars and checked for tension before it is packed. Either route adds days. The honest range for production alone is three to seven business days, and it can stretch longer in busy periods.

Shipping and the Deadline Problem

Once packed, the print moves as a normal parcel. Domestic deliveries commonly take two to five business days. International shipments can take a week or more, and customs clearance is outside anyone's control. If the print is needed for an event, the shipping window matters as much as the production window, and both should be confirmed before ordering rather than assumed after.

The practical advice is blunt. Order at least three weeks before the date that matters. If a piece like the framed poster edition is intended for a specific wall or a specific evening, treat the last week as buffer, not as part of the plan. Current timelines for any order, including a framed poster print, are set out in the Auvrique Shipping Policy (S1), and it is worth reading before checkout rather than during a delay.

Why Made to Order Takes Longer

The alternative is warehouse stock, printed months ago and shipped the same day. Made to order exists because it avoids warehousing large editions that may never sell, and because it allows sizes and finishes to be chosen per order. The trade is time. The buyer accepts a wait in exchange for a print made for that specific order rather than pulled from inventory.

There is also a quality argument for the wait. Prints that ship immediately are often prints that were printed before anyone wanted them, then stored. A fresh print has not spent months in a tube or under plastic. Anyone weighing the choice between formats can read how to choose between canvas and framed poster prints, and anyone planning a wall can check what size print fits a small living room before the order, not after.

The delay is not inefficiency. It is the price of a print that did not exist until you asked for it.

Phase	Typical duration	What happens
Production	3 to 7 business days	Printing, curing, framing or stretching
Domestic shipping	2 to 5 business days	Packed parcel, courier transit
International shipping	5 to 10 business days	Transit plus possible customs delay

Typical timeline for a made-to-order print

Key takeaways

Expect seven to fourteen business days from order to delivery in most cases.
Production takes three to seven business days before the parcel ever ships.
Shipping adds two to five business days domestically and longer internationally.
For a fixed deadline, order at least three weeks ahead and confirm current timelines.

Related questions

Can a made-to-order print arrive faster if I pay for express shipping?

Express shipping only shortens the transit leg. It does nothing to the production phase, which is printing, curing and framing. If production takes five business days, express delivery might save one or two days at most. For a hard deadline, ordering earlier beats paying for faster transit.

Why does a framed print take longer than an unframed one?

Framing adds mounting, glazing and assembly after the print has fully dried. Each step is manual and adds days to production. An unframed print can be rolled and shipped as soon as it has cured, which is why it usually arrives sooner than the same image in a frame.

What should I do if my event is sooner than the estimated delivery window?

Contact the seller before ordering and ask whether the current production queue allows it. Some orders can be prioritised and some cannot, but the answer is only reliable if you ask in advance. A refund policy is no help on the night the print was meant to be on the wall.

From the Auvrique collection

Made to order · Every size