The Real Timeline for a Made to Order Print

A custom print is not pulled from a shelf. Production and shipping run on separate clocks, and the second one is the variable most buyers forget to plan for.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

A made-to-order print is produced after you order, not before. Production typically takes 2 to 5 business days, and shipping adds roughly 5 to 10 business days depending on destination. A realistic door-to-door estimate for a Jacqueline Lamba print delivery time is one to three weeks, with framed pieces at the slower end.

Production Comes Before Anything Moves

Nothing sits in a warehouse waiting for your order. The image is printed, checked, and framed or stretched only after the purchase is confirmed, which is why the clock starts at checkout rather than at dispatch. Production usually runs two to five business days. Canvas work takes less handling than a framed piece, where the frame assembly and a final inspection add a day or two.

That production window is the part you can predict. It barely changes between a small framed poster and a large canvas, so ordering early matters less here than people assume. What varies is everything after the box is sealed. If the deadline is tight, the honest answer is to count production days first, then add shipping with a margin, not a hope.

Shipping Is Where Timelines Stretch

Once packed, a print travels like any parcel, and distance does most of the work. Domestic deliveries commonly land within five to ten business days of dispatch. International shipments can run longer, and customs handling is the one stage no seller controls. Anyone ordering across a border should read the fine print on duties and delays before committing, as covered in the guidance on international print shipping restrictions on shipping prints internationally.

Framed pieces travel slower than rolled or stretched canvas for a simple reason. Glass and rigid frames need more protection, which means heavier packaging and sometimes a different carrier tier. A canvas edition such as In the Woods the In the Woods canvas edition tends to move through the same networks with less fuss. Neither is fragile in the way people fear, but the packaging difference is real.

What moves the date

Distance between the print facility and your door
Framed construction, which adds packaging weight and handling time
Customs processing on any cross-border shipment
Peak seasonal volume, which slows carriers everywhere

Planning Around a Hard Deadline

If the print needs to be on a wall by a specific date, work backwards. Take the latest realistic total, around three weeks for an international framed order, and treat anything faster as a bonus rather than a plan. Ordering two weeks before an event is gambling. Ordering five weeks ahead costs nothing and removes the anxiety entirely.

It is worth knowing what you are buying before you wait for it. The choice between a canvas and a framed piece affects both the timeline and the look, and the trade-offs are laid out plainly in the comparison of canvas and framed options choosing canvas or framed prints. Lamba's underwater blues and dark surrealist interiors reward the decision either way, but the calendar should not make it for you.

The production date is fixed. The delivery date is a negotiation with distance.

Order type	Production	Shipping
Canvas print, domestic	2 to 4 business days	5 to 10 business days
Framed poster, domestic	3 to 5 business days	5 to 10 business days
Any format, international	2 to 5 business days	7 to 15 business days

Typical ranges, not guarantees

Key takeaways

Production takes two to five business days and starts only after the order is placed.
Shipping adds five to ten business days domestically and more across borders.
Framed prints travel slower than canvas because of heavier protective packaging.
For a fixed deadline, allow up to three weeks total and order earlier than feels necessary.

Related questions

Can I track a print once it has shipped?

Custom prints ship with tracking in nearly all cases, and the number is sent when the parcel is handed to the carrier. Tracking usually goes live within a day of dispatch. If a tracking number sits inactive for more than two business days, that is a question for the seller, not the carrier.

Do framed prints really take longer than canvas?

Slightly, yes. Framing adds assembly and inspection steps in production, and the finished piece needs sturdier packaging in transit. The difference is usually one to three days in total. It is rarely a reason to change format, but it matters when a deadline is close.

What happens if a print arrives damaged?

Carriers break frames occasionally, and a made-to-order model works in your favor here. The piece is reprinted rather than repaired, so a damage claim typically ends with a replacement rather than a patch job. Photograph the packaging and the print before discarding anything, since carriers ask for evidence.

From the Auvrique collection

Made to order · Every size