On this page 8 sections
There are five print order stages between paying and unpacking: the confirmation email, the artwork step, making the order, dispatch with tracking, and arrival. For most orders you only do two things, read the confirmation and open the box. The one stage that can need more from you is artwork, and only if you uploaded a file that needs a fix or you asked for our paid design help. Here is each stage, split into our part and yours.
The print order stages at a glance #
| Stage | Our part | Your part |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirmation | Send an email with your order number and details | Check size, quantity and address straight away |
| 2. Artwork | Check uploaded files, or build the design if you paid for help | Reply to any file query, or to each design version |
| 3. Making it | Produce the order within the working days you chose | Nothing |
| 4. Dispatch | Hand it to the courier and email tracking | Keep the tracking email |
| 5. Arrival | Sort out any problem you report | Open it and check within 48 hours |
Stage 1: the confirmation email #
The moment the card payment clears, an email lands with your order number, each item with its options, any artwork fee and the delivery charge. Hang on to the order number. It is the fastest way for us to find your order when you get in touch.
Your job: read it now, not next week. A wrong size, the wrong quantity or an old address is easy to put right before anything is made, and much harder afterwards.
Stage 2: artwork, which depends on your route #
Built in the online designer
If you made your design on screen, on products such as PVC banners or Correx boards, you already checked the layout, spelling and photos before adding it to the basket. There is nothing further to confirm, so the order moves straight on. The watermark you saw in the preview does not appear on the print, and the print-ready PDF is attached to your order.
Uploaded your own file
A person on our team looks at every uploaded file, free. They check three things:
- Size: does the file match what you ordered, or at least its proportions if it is set up to scale?
- Bleed and margins: rigid boards and signs need 3 mm of bleed on every edge; banners with hems and eyelets need text kept at least 50 mm in from the edge.
- Resolution: will photos and logos stay crisp at full size? Large banners are fine at around 100 to 150 dpi; small items held in the hand want 300 dpi.
If all is well, the order carries on. If something needs changing, we get in touch, explain what and why, and the order waits until the file is sorted. That check is about print quality, not wording, so spellings and phone numbers remain yours to get right. The artwork guidelines set out what a good file looks like.
Your job: keep an eye on your inbox for a day or so after ordering, in case we need a fresh file.
Sending the file later
You can pay first and supply artwork afterwards. We email you to collect it, and it then gets the same free check.
Paid artwork service
With typesetting, we lay out your words and logo and email the result, with 1 design and 2 rounds of changes included. Design from your brief works the same way, with 1 design and 2 rounds of changes. Logo redraws and new logos come back as vector files. Nothing goes to print until you tell us the final version is right. See the artwork and design service.
Your job: answer each version quickly, because the making stage does not start until you sign off.
Stage 3: making your order #
This is usually the longest of the print order stages. Once the order and the artwork are both confirmed, the working days you picked (Saver, Standard or Express) start counting. Working days are Monday to Friday, and bank holidays are skipped. Everything is made to order and dispatched from the UK, and you deal with us from start to finish.
Each product page shows its own days, and they vary a lot: business cards are quicker than NCR books, for example. Our guide to working days to dispatch shows how to count back from an event date.
What pauses the clock
- An uploaded file that needs fixing.
- Artwork you have not sent yet.
- A design version waiting for your reply.
If your date is tight, clearing these fast matters more than which speed you picked.
Stage 4: dispatch and tracking #
When the parcel leaves, you get a dispatch email with a tracking link. Courier delivery normally takes 1 to 3 working days after that. Long banners and big panels travel in long boxes or on a pallet, and someone needs to be in to sign. If the tracking has sat still for a couple of working days, send us your order number and we will chase it.
UK mainland delivery is £7.95, free on orders of £100 or more after discounts. Mainland Highlands postcodes add £10, oversize items add £15, and some areas are quoted. The delivery page has the full rules.
Stage 5: opening the box #
Check the order soon after it arrives, even if the event is a month off. Unroll banners, count boards and cards, and compare everything with the confirmation email.
If something is damaged, faulty or not what you ordered, tell us within 48 hours and include photos of the item and the packaging. We will reprint or refund. Please hold on to the goods until we reply rather than posting them back. The steps are in print order arrived damaged.
A print that matches the design you built or the file you supplied is not a fault. Small colour shifts between a bright screen and ink on material are normal too.
Changing your mind at any of the print order stages #
Before making starts, you can cancel for a full refund. Contact us with the order number as soon as you can through the contact page.
Once making has started, the order cannot be cancelled. Items printed to your spec (your artwork, words, size or options) cannot be sent back for a change of mind, because the usual 14-day cancellation right does not cover personalised goods under regulation 28(1)(b) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Your rights over faulty or wrong items always stand; our returns and refunds page sets them out.
Your five-minute checklist #
- Read the confirmation email the same day.
- Watch for a file query if you uploaded artwork.
- Reply promptly to each design version if you chose paid help.
- Keep the dispatch email for tracking.
- Open, check and report any problem within 48 hours.
That is all the print order stages ask of you. If anything looks odd along the way, get in touch and a person will look at your order.