Printing turnaround times: how long to wait per product type
Realistic printing turnaround times by product type: stickers 2–4 days, business cards 3–5, posters 1–3, apparel 5–10, promotional products 7–14 business days.
Average turnaround times at Atta Print are 2–10 business days from artwork approval: stickers and posters usually take 2–4 business days, business cards and flyers 3–5 business days, apparel printing 5–10 business days, and promotional products with logo printing from our catalogue 5–10 business days. The countdown starts not from when you send your request, but from when the artwork is approved and the invoice is confirmed. Urgent jobs can sometimes be sped up for certain items by separate agreement, but the minimum turnaround is usually 2 business days.
What makes up the total turnaround time
Customers are often surprised that "printing only takes three days," yet the order takes two weeks in total. The reason is that production is just one part of the process. The real timeline looks like this:
- Quote — we prepare it within one business day.
- File check and artwork proof — 1–2 business days. If you send ready vector artwork (.ai, .eps, .pdf) in CMYK, this step often only takes a couple of hours.
- Artwork approval on your end — in practice, this step most often delays the job by 1–3 days.
- Production — 1–10 business days depending on the technology.
- Finishing — cutting, folding, contour cutting, sewing, binding: +1–2 days.
- Collection — at Kandavas iela 29A in Riga, or by courier (+1–2 days).
Turnaround time table by product type
Times are given in business days from artwork approval, for typical quantities. Prices are indicative, excl. VAT.
| Product | Typical quantity | Turnaround (business days) | Price from (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stickers on matte/gloss self-adhesive vinyl | 1–20 m² | 2–4 | from EUR 22.00/m², from 5 m² EUR 20.00, from 20 m² EUR 18.00 |
| Contour cutting (additional to stickers) | — | +1 | from EUR 8.00/m² |
| Business cards 90x55 mm, 300 g | 100–500 pcs | 3–5 | from EUR 25.00/100 pcs, from 3 sets EUR 22.00 |
| Flyers, cards | 250–2000 pcs | 3–5 | depends on format |
| Poster A2, 200 g | 10–100 pcs | 2–4 | from EUR 6.00, from 10 pcs EUR 4.50, from 50 pcs EUR 3.20 |
| Poster A1, 200 g | 10–100 pcs | 2–4 | from EUR 9.00, from 10 pcs EUR 7.00, from 50 pcs EUR 5.50 |
| Catalogue A5, 8 pages, 170 g | 50–500 pcs | 5–8 | from EUR 2.20/pc, from 250 pcs EUR 1.20 + EUR 15.00 setup |
| Catalogue A4, 8 pages, 170 g | 50–500 pcs | 5–8 | from EUR 3.50/pc, from 250 pcs EUR 1.90 + EUR 15.00 setup |
| PVC banners, photo banners | 1–20 pcs | 3–5 | depends on size |
| Roll-up banner stands | 1–10 pcs | 4–6 | depends on model |
| DTF transfer up to A4 | 10–100 pcs | 4–7 | from EUR 6.00/pc, from 50 pcs EUR 4.20 |
| Screen printing, 1 colour, 1 position | 50–500 pcs | 6–10 | from EUR 3.50/pc, from 250 pcs EUR 1.50 + EUR 35.00 setup |
| Embroidery up to 10,000 stitches | 10–100 pcs | 7–10 | from EUR 5.50/pc, from 50 pcs EUR 4.20 + EUR 25.00 setup |
| Mugs and thermal mugs (sublimation) | 10–200 pcs | 5–8 | depends on model and quantity |
| Promotional products from the catalogue | 50–500 pcs | 5–10 | depends on model |
Why paper printing is the fastest option
Posters A3–A0 and stickers are the fastest items, since they involve no additional setup costs. A single A1 poster can be produced in 2 business days; a run of 50 pieces needs 2–4 days, as cutting and drying add time. For more on formats and materials, see the poster page and sticker page.
Business cards, flyers and catalogues take a bit longer, since printing is followed by cutting, folding or binding. For catalogues, allow 5–8 business days even if the run is only 50 pieces — the binding process takes the same time regardless of quantity.
Apparel printing: what determines the 5–10 days
DTF transfer
DTF transfer is the most flexible technology for small quantities and full-colour designs. For 10–30 T-shirts, 4–7 business days is usually enough, as there are no setup fees.
Screen printing
Screen printing requires a screen to be made for each colour (setup from EUR 35.00), so the realistic turnaround is 6–10 business days. It pays off from 50 pieces, when the price drops to around EUR 2.50 per piece, and from 250 pieces — to EUR 1.50.
Embroidery
Embroidery first requires a digitised programme (from EUR 25.00), which takes 1–2 days, after which each piece is embroidered. In total, 7–10 business days. If the garment needs to be ordered separately, add another 2–4 days. More details on the apparel printing page.
Promotional products with logo printing: 5–10 days
Items from our catalogue have the longest turnaround, since the process has two stages: first the item is received, only then is it printed. Examples from our current catalogue:
- Pic 330 ml ceramic mug — sublimation, 1 colour, 6–8 business days;
- Cove 500 ml vacuum thermal bottle made of stainless steel — sublimation, 8–10 days;
- Thor 500 ml sublimation bottle made of recycled stainless steel — 8–10 days;
- Spring 750 ml single-wall water bottle — sublimation, 8–10 days;
- Desk-Mate® A5 and A4 spiral-bound notebooks with printed back cover — lithography, full colour, 8–10 days;
- Sticky-Mate® recycled sticky notes with ruler or planner — 2 colours, web offset, 8–10 days.
During peak season (November–December, as well as August before the school year), it's safer to add a few extra days to these estimates. You can browse the catalogue in the catalogue section.
How not to lose any days
- Send vector artwork (.ai, .eps, .pdf) in CMYK — redrawing a raster file adds an extra day.
- State the exact date you need the item by, rather than "as soon as possible."
- Approve the artwork in a single reply, including all revision notes at once.
- If you have an event date, build in a buffer of at least 3 days.
- For urgent jobs, write to us straight away marked "urgent" — stickers, posters and DTF transfer can usually be sped up to 2 business days.
FAQ
From what point does the printing turnaround time start counting?
From artwork approval and invoice confirmation. If the artwork is approved on Monday morning, a five-business-day job is ready the following Monday.
Is it possible to produce an order in one day?
For some items, yes — posters, stickers and small DTF transfer runs. This needs to be arranged separately, as it must fit into the production schedule; a surcharge may apply for urgent jobs.
Does a large quantity mean a longer wait?
Not always. 500 screen-printed T-shirts take only 1–2 days longer than 100, since most of the time goes into setup. A larger run also significantly reduces the price per piece.
Do you work with a single piece?
Yes. A single mug, a single T-shirt or a single poster is a normal order, with turnaround usually 2–5 business days. The price per piece is higher in this case.
Why do promotional products take 7–14 days if printing only takes a day?
Because the item first needs to be brought to the production site from the catalogue warehouse, and only then is sublimation, lithography or other printing applied. If the item is already in stock on site, the turnaround time is shorter.
