Print turnaround is quoted in business days, and almost every missed deadline comes from misunderstanding which days are being counted and from when.
What our standard turnaround means
Standard turnaround on most of our products is 3–5 business days from proof approval. Business days exclude weekends and Victorian public holidays. Express (2 business days) and next-day options are available on most products at checkout.
Turnaround is production time. Delivery is separate and sits on top of it — how long depends on where you are, and freight is quoted on your actual order weight and postcode at checkout.
When the clock starts
At order placement. Because you approve your proof before you pay, the clock starts as soon as the order is in — not when someone gets around to checking your file.
That distinction matters when comparing printers. If a file check happens after you order and a problem is found, some printers restart the clock from when you fix it, which can quietly add days to a "next day" promise.
The 10am cutoff
Approve your proof by 10am and, stock and turnaround permitting, your job goes on press that day. Approve at 11am and the first production day is generally the next one.
On a tight deadline that single hour is the difference between two dates, so it is worth uploading artwork the day before rather than the morning of.
Planning backwards
Work back from the date you need the job in hand:
- Delivery transit time to your address.
- Production — 3–5 business days standard, or fewer if you buy express.
- Your own approval time. A booklet proof genuinely needs reading.
- Artwork fixes if the file check flags something.
- Weekends and public holidays, which are not business days.
That last one catches people every time. A 5-business-day job placed on a Thursday before a long weekend is more than a week in calendar terms.
The two things that actually blow deadlines
First, artwork problems found late. Missing bleed, RGB colour and low-resolution images are the recurring three — all catchable in ten minutes with the checklist.
Second, slow proof approval. The proof sits waiting for you, and nothing moves until you approve it. On a multi-page job — a 32-page booklet, say — budget real time to read it properly.
You can check where an order is at any time at track your order, using your order reference and the email address you ordered with. Full detail on timing is in turnaround and cutoffs.