Option 1: expedited processing
Thanks to modern printing and binding technologies, the processing time of a photo book usually isn’t longer than 1–5 business days unless your order was placed at a specialized photo book company. However, keep in mind that no matter where your order was placed, the more complicated your order is – as in creating a book with more pages, a special cover, non-standard paper, engraving or so on – the longer it will take to have it created. Additionally your order has to arrive no later than a specified hour during the day to start its production as soon as possible.
At the moment the photo book companies that offer expedited processing are AdoramaPix and PrestoPhoto. However, rushed production comes with a price: at AdoramaPix you have to pay an additional $10 plus 15% of the purchase price to reduce time by a single business day, while PrestoPhoto requires a 25% premium on the whole order.
Option 2: expedited shipping
Virtually all photo book builders provide customers with the option to go for expedited shipping, which is often the only option to get your photo book in your hands as soon as possible. In order to have your photo book delivered within a calendar week (plus a few days), the best is to place your order on a Monday morning and ask the company for super-fast shipping.
“Super-fast” is quite a literal term here, since books can be shipped overnight (within one business day) – though admittedly this is for a price that often equals or surpasses that of the product itself. To save on the horrendous premium of this type of shipping, it is best to choose the second best option, which delivers the product to your doorstep within 2–4 business days.
And here’s some quick advice: if you are truly in a rush, forget about economy shipping. Granted, it is very cheap, but do not expect your book to arrive within two calendar weeks.
Option 3: alternatives
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