Ordering Before the Date

Work backwards from the holiday: shirts delivered, minus one to two weeks of production, minus artwork approval — that lands the order two to three weeks before the date.

A typical custom-print order takes one to two weeks from artwork approval to delivery. That window is the fixed part of the plan; everything else is scheduled backwards from it.

Ordering two to three weeks before a holiday avoids rush fees. The extra week covers artwork revisions — a 72 dpi image caught at approval stage is far cheaper to replace than to reprint after a deadline.

For 2026, the three peak dates work out like this. Bastille Day on 14 July: artwork approved by the end of June, order placed in the second half of June. Independence Day in the United States on 4 July: artwork approved by mid-June, order placed in the first half of June. Saint Patrick's Day on 17 March: artwork approved by the end of February, order placed in the second half of February.

The same arithmetic applies to any national day. Take the date, subtract one to two weeks for production, subtract another week for artwork approval, and the order date falls out without guesswork.

• Holiday date — shirts in hand
• Minus 1–2 weeks — production window (artwork approval to delivery)
• Minus ~1 week — artwork approved and signed off
• Order placed 2–3 weeks out — no rush fees
• 2026 worked examples: 14 July, 4 July, 17 March

Further reading

• Screen, DTG or Heat Transfer
• Artwork That Survives Printing