People ask "how long does it take" when what they mean is "will these be in my hands by the 14th." Your order has three separate clocks running. Two of them we control. The one that actually blows deadlines is the one you control.
The three parts
| Stage | How long | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Proof | Website orders: the mockup you build is the proof, done before checkout. Custom quotes: we send a digital proof, and it sits until you approve. | You |
| Production | Starts right after checkout on a website order, or the moment you approve a custom quote's proof. See below. | Us |
| Shipping | 3 to 5 business days standard, 3 day expedited available | The carrier |
Approval is where orders die
On a website order, the live mockup you build on the product page is your proof. What you see there is what we print, so the approval happens before you check out. On a custom quote, nothing prints until you approve the digital proof we send by email or SMS, whichever you pick. Either way it is a hard rule, because once ink is on 100 shirts there is no undo.
What we see over and over is an order that sat for six days because the sign-off waited on somebody on vacation, or on a committee. Meanwhile the deadline burned and the production clock had not even started.
So decide who is approving and tell them it is coming. If a group is deciding together, get them looking at the mockup, or at the proof on a custom quote, the same day. This moves more orders across the finish line than expedited shipping does.
Then read it properly. Check the spelling of every name, check the year, and check that the logo is the current one and not the version from four years ago. We print what you approve.
How long production takes
Production is usually the shortest part of the clock, which surprises people. Most orders finish production in a day or two, and nearly all are done within three business days. That holds whether you are running DTF, screen print, embroidery or laser engraving. The long pole is almost never the printing.
What actually stretches a timeline is everything around production. Waiting on artwork, waiting on a sign-off, or waiting on a blank that has to come in from a mill. If your event is three weeks out, you are not racing our presses. You are racing how fast you get the design signed off and ordered.
So the honest full answer is this. Approval takes as long as you take. Production is usually a day or two. Shipping is 3 to 5 business days, or 3 days expedited if you need it. Door to door, a typical order lands in about a week.
Two things about production are true regardless of the number that goes in that table.
A first order has a step a reorder does not. Screen printing burns and registers screens before anything runs. Embroidery has to digitize your logo into a stitch file and test sew it, which is what the one-time $20.00 digitizing charge pays for. DTF and engraving skip setup entirely. So the same 50 shirts move faster as a reorder than as a first order.
And quantity matters less than you would guess. Once screens are set, the run itself is fast. Going from 50 shirts to 150 is not three times the production time, because the setup is most of the front end.
Shipping
Standard is 3 to 5 business days after production finishes. If that is too slow, 3 day expedited is available and the cost shows at checkout, so you can see what buying time costs before you commit to it. Everything ships with tracking. We do not do local pickup.
Business days means business days. A Friday ship date with 3 to 5 business days lands the following Wednesday to Friday, not Monday. Holidays push it further. If your event is a Saturday, do not plan on the box arriving Friday.
Reorders are much faster
Once you are in our system, a reorder is usually a one line email or text. Something like "need 20 more medium navy polos." No proof round, because the design is already approved and on file. No digitizing, because we kept the stitch file. For ongoing accounts where we hold blank inventory, reorders typically run 2 to 3 business days before they ship. If your organization orders the same gear more than once a year, ask about the reorder program when you place the first bundle.
Working backward from a date
Take your event date and walk it backward.
- Subtract shipping. Standard is 3 to 5 business days, so use 5.
- Subtract production for your method and quantity.
- Subtract however long your people will actually take to sign off on the design. Be honest with yourself here.
- Add a buffer for the thing you have not thought of. Somebody always adds four shirts.
Then tell us the date up front rather than hoping. If the calendar does not work we will say so instead of taking the order and disappointing you, and there is usually a version that does, whether that is switching to DTF to skip a setup step, expediting the freight, or splitting the order so the people who need shirts on the day get them first. Which method is even open to you depends on your quantity, and that is covered in how many shirts you have to order.
Fundraiser stores run on a different clock. A store stays open for a set window, usually two weeks, then we produce the entire run in one batch after it closes. So the ordering window is the long part, and it is the part you set. That is laid out on the fundraisers and team stores page.
Common questions
How fast can I get custom shirts for an event?
Sign off on the design quickly (the mockup on a website order, the proof on a custom quote) and take 3 day expedited shipping, and you have removed most of the slack that is available. Tell us the event date when you order and we will tell you straight whether it is doable.
Do I have to approve a proof first?
Website orders: no. The live mockup you build is your proof, so check it carefully before you check out. Custom quotes: yes, we send a digital proof and nothing prints until you approve it. Reorders of an already approved design skip it.
Which decoration method is fastest?
DTF and engraving, because neither has a setup step. Screen printing has screens to burn and embroidery has a logo to digitize, and both of those happen before your run starts. On a reorder that difference disappears. The decoration methods guide covers the tradeoffs beyond speed.
How long do reorders take?
Typically 2 to 3 business days for ongoing accounts with held inventory, and no proof round.
Can I pick up locally instead of shipping?
No. Everything ships to you with tracking.
Does a rush order cost more?
Expedited shipping costs what it costs and you see it at checkout. Rush timing on production is one of the things that can change your decoration price, along with extra print locations, specialty ink or thread, and oversized runs. Call 928-387-4348 with the date and we will price it honestly.
Start with the date
Pick your garment and quantity on any product page and the price updates live, so nothing is waiting on a quote. The full sequence is on the turnaround guide and the rates are on the pricing guide. If you are on a real deadline, call 928-387-4348 before you order rather than after.