Proof approval, production and shipping are three separate clocks. Here's how to plan an order backwards from the day badges need to be on chests.
Most missed badge deadlines aren't production problems. They're proof problems. Production only starts once you approve the proof, so a proof sitting unread in an inbox for four days pushes the entire schedule back four days.
The three clocks running
- Proofing: a digital proof comes back for your approval before anything gets made.
- Production: 5-8 business days standard, 1-3 business days on rush.
- Shipping: carrier time on top of production, free on US and Canada orders over $200.
Planning backwards from your deadline
Start with the day badges must be in hand. Subtract shipping. Subtract production. Then give yourself two business days for proof review and one revision round. For an event with a fixed date, place the order at least three weeks out on standard production. Anything tighter than that should be quoted as rush from day one, not upgraded halfway through.
What actually speeds things up
- Send names as a spreadsheet, one row per badge, with title and location columns.
- Name one person who can approve the proof, and tell us who it is up front.
- Lock spelling before you submit. A name change after approval restarts production.
- Reorder from a stored file instead of resubmitting artwork from scratch.
Multi-site orders
Badges for several locations can be produced, boxed and labeled by site with a packing list in each box. That adds nothing to the production clock and cuts out the internal sorting day that usually happens after a bulk shipment lands at head office.