How long does it actually take to make a custom sticker?

Stage by stage

1. Prepress and file check (same or next business day). A person opens your file, checks resolution at final size, confirms bleed and safe zone, builds or verifies the cut path, and flags anything that will not print well. If we need to ask you something, this is where the clock pauses.

2. Proof (optional, adds a day if you want one). A digital proof goes out at no charge. Production does not start until you approve.

3. Ganging and RIP. Your job is laid out with others on the same material to minimise waste, then processed through the RIP with the correct ICC profile for that substrate.

4. Printing (minutes to a couple of hours). Eco-solvent ink on the 11-color press. Longer runs are the only ones where press time is a meaningful part of the schedule.

5. Outgas and lamination. Eco-solvent ink needs a short period to release solvent before laminate goes on; trapping it causes silvering later. Then the roll runs through the laminator.

6. Contour cutting. Summa OPOS reads the registration marks and cuts to ±0.1 mm. Rigid or oversize work goes to the Kongsberg table.

7. Weeding and inspection (manual, the real bottleneck). Waste vinyl is removed by hand and every sheet is looked at. Intricate die-cut shapes take longer here than anything else in the process.

8. Packing and label. Boxed flat with backing board, tracking emailed automatically.

Why we quote 5 to 7 days and not "24 hours"

Our standard window leaves room for human prepress, proof approval, outgassing, lamination, cutting and quality control. If you need it faster, rush and express are real production options at checkout; express compresses the queue without removing those steps.

Shipping time is separate

Production days and transit days are different things. From Greenville, ground shipping reaches most of the eastern United States in 1 to 2 days and the west coast in 4 to 5. Expedited air is available at checkout.