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How quick can I get it? The answer is changing all the time. It also depends on what you need printed and what printing company you are talking with.

I will attempt to give you some guidelines although there are exceptions to every rule. First of all, let’s take a print job that just needs to be printed and cut. Digital printing can be turned in hours sometimes due to the reduced number of production steps and the ability to handle the job almost immediately.

Most the time you will be able to turn a digital job in 2-3 days if it is simple and possibly same day. You probably will only have the option of a PDF electronic proof or you need to be at the printer to approve the first sheets that come off the press.

The danger is that the ink does not cure. The digital printing manufacturers will tell you that the work can be cut right off the press but that is not true 100% of the time. We would always prefer to let a digital job sit overnight if possible. An offset printing job that does not need anything but printing and cutting can not usually be done the same day. This is due to the ink needing to dry or cure. A job needs to set several hours to insure that the ink is dry.

There are exceptions to this but it brings quality issues into play that customers should accept that they may be getting less than ideal print jobs. If your job requires extra steps to finish you should add extra time in planning the job. Each extra step in the production needs to allow additional time. Does the job score or diecut? Does it need to fold? Does it need to glue or bind? Does it have finishing such as embossing or foil stamping. A good rule of thumb is add an extra day for each process it is going through.

Many times multiple processes such as scoring and folding can be done on the same day but as a rule of thumb give yourself the time to have a day per process. Here are issues that might affect that rule. If you are producing a large quantity of items it maybe more than one day overlap due to some machines or processes being slower than others. Processes that are not totally automated sometimes can definitely slow your turn time. Gluing of pocket folders especially ones with capacity pockets or products that face two directions can decrease automation sometimes and slow the process.

Ask your printer to give you his timeline if deadlines are tight and try to have a “plan b” possibility for difficulties. It is our job to make our clients look good and believe me we don’t like not making you look good because we know you have put your trust in us.