How long a print takes, and why the lead time is what it is

Every product page states a ship window in business days, and we mean it as a promise, not a hope. Here is where those days go.

Printer hours, per product

These are slicer estimates for each product at its default options, from the production files we generate for every design. Real times vary a few percent with the text, the size and the color.

Two things stand out. Printing is slow: a 3D printer lays down plastic in 0.2 mm layers, one line at a time, and a solid looking tray is hundreds of layers. And the time scales with plastic, not with how complicated the shape looks. Freestanding letters are simple shapes but solid and deep, so they take longer than a two color plaque.

The six steps between order and dispatch

1. The change window. You can change or cancel an order within 12 hours by emailing [email protected], so nothing is printed before that window closes. Personalized pieces print exactly as typed, and this window catches a lot of typos.
2. Generate. Your text or measurements drive the model. This takes seconds, plus a check that the result is printable and matches your numbers.
3. Queue. One printer runs one job at a time. Orders are generally printed in the order they were placed, and a custom insert that needs 13 hours takes a day of printer time on its own.
4. Print. The hours in the table, plus warm up and plate changes. Two color pieces switch material between layers. Pieces with more parts than fit on one plate, like ten dividers or a split baseplate, need a second plate.
5. Check. Every measured piece is checked against the numbers on your order before it is packed. Plaques are checked against the text on the order.
6. Pack and label. Padded mailer or box, a printed slip with your options, and the shipping label.

Why each window is the number it is

Each window covers the printer time for a typical order of that product, the queue on a normal week, and a margin for a failed print. Prints do fail sometimes: a layer shifts, a first layer lifts. When that happens we reprint it, and the margin is there so the reprint can still ship on time.

• 4 business days: card trays, token trays, divider sets, bins, desk trays. Short prints, single color, quick to check.
• 5 business days: plaques, signs, letters and baseplates. Two color prints, longer jobs, and proofing against the order text.
• 6 business days: divider kits. Several plates per kit and assembly checking.
• 7 business days: custom box inserts. The longest single prints we make.

The cart shows the latest ship date across everything in it, because one order ships together.

Transit, after it ships

USPS Ground Advantage takes two to five days after dispatch to most US addresses. So a plaque ordered on a Monday typically ships by the following Monday and arrives that week. For a date that matters, a gift, a first day, an office move, order two weeks ahead.

Can it be faster?

Sometimes, if the queue is short. Email [email protected] with your deadline before you order and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible. We would rather say no than miss a date we promised.