What to Expect When a Custom Print Ships

Made-to-order art is printed after you buy it, so the wait has two parts. Here is how production and transit add up, and how to estimate an arrival date before you commit.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

A custom print order typically takes 2 to 5 business days in production, then 3 to 10 business days in transit depending on destination. Most made-to-order art delivery lands within two to three weeks of purchase. Framed pieces and canvases sit at the longer end because mounting and framing happen after printing.

The Two Stages of the Wait

The honest answer is that no single number covers it. A custom print does not sit on a shelf waiting for an order. It is produced after the purchase, which means the total shipping time for a custom Robert Motherwell print is really two numbers added together. Production comes first, usually two to five business days, and covers printing, drying, and any mounting or framing work. Transit comes second and depends entirely on where the parcel is going.

The anxious buyer tends to fixate on the second number and forget the first. That is understandable. Production is the part you cannot track, so it feels like dead time. In practice it is the more predictable stage. A canvas print, such as the kind you might buy the canvas edition of, takes longer to produce than a flat poster because the print has to be stretched and set before it can be packed. Framed work adds a further day or two.

Framed poster versus canvas print

How to Estimate Your Arrival Date

Start from the order date, not the payment date. Add production time, then add transit time for your region. Domestic deliveries within the United States or Western Europe usually run three to seven business days in transit. International shipments can stretch to ten or beyond, and customs handling sits outside anyone's control. A realistic planning figure for most orders is two to three weeks door to door, with framed and canvas pieces at the upper end.

One practical tip. Order before you need the piece on the wall, not after. If the print is meant for a specific date, a move, a visit, a gift, work backwards from that date and leave a week of slack. The Auvrique Shipping Policy sets out the current production and transit windows in detail, and it is the only source worth trusting over any general estimate, including this one.

Canvas editions ready to order

What Moves the Timeline

Framed and canvas formats add production days that flat posters do not
Oversized dimensions can require longer print and curing time
International transit and customs clearance are the least predictable stage
Holiday periods extend both production queues and carrier transit times

A Note on This Artist Specifically

Motherwell's large abstract compositions, the broad black forms and open fields, translate well at scale, and scale is what affects the wait. A big canvas format takes longer to produce and ships in heavier packaging than a standard poster. If you are weighing formats for a large wall, it is worth reading about sizing for a 2x3 meter wall before ordering, since the right size decision and the timeline decision are linked.

It should be said plainly that availability changes. If a specific Motherwell edition is not currently offered, the same production and delivery arithmetic applies to comparable large-format abstract work, and the wait will be similar. The Auvrique FAQ answers most delivery questions directly, and the contact page is the fastest route to a firm date for a specific order.

What size print fits a large wall

The tracking number only tells you half the story. The quiet days before it exists are the ones that test patience.

Stage	Typical duration	What affects it
Production	2 to 5 business days	Format, size, framing
Domestic transit	3 to 7 business days	Carrier and region
International transit	5 to 10+ business days	Customs and distance

Typical made-to-order timeline

Key takeaways

Custom prints are produced after purchase, so the wait combines production and transit.
Two to three weeks door to door is a realistic planning figure for most orders.
Framed and canvas formats sit at the longer end of every range.
Order before you need the piece on the wall and leave a week of slack.

Related questions

Why does a custom print take longer than a ready-made one?

A ready-made print is packed the day you order it. A custom print is printed, dried, and in many cases stretched or framed after the order comes in. That adds several business days before the parcel ever reaches a carrier. The trade is a piece made to your specification rather than pulled from stock.

Can I track a custom print order while it is in production?

Usually not. Tracking begins once the finished piece is handed to a carrier, which means the production stage happens without a live status. Order confirmation and a dispatch notice are the two checkpoints most sellers provide. If the silence is uncomfortable, a direct message to the seller usually gets a production status.

Does a larger print size mean a longer wait?

Generally yes, though modestly. Large formats take longer to print and cure, and canvases must be stretched before packing. Oversized pieces may also move through carriers more slowly. The difference is typically a few business days, not weeks, but it belongs in any calculation with a fixed deadline.

From the Auvrique collection

Made to order · Every size