When to order so it arrives in time
Count backward from your date using the real steps: 2-3 business days for the proof (1-2 expedited), about 2 more if you need a revision, and, for a canvas, 6-7 more business days of production and delivery after you approve. That works out to roughly 5 business days ahead for a standard digital order and 12 for a standard canvas. Below is the full breakdown, plus the dates that matter for the most common gift occasions.
How far ahead should I order a pet portrait?
About 5 business days ahead for a standard digital portrait, 12 for a standard canvas. Expedited proof shaves roughly a day off each. These figures assume one typical round of revisions.
- Digital, standard
- ~5 business days
- Digital, expedited
- ~4 business days
- Canvas, standard
- ~12 business days
- Canvas, expedited
- ~11 business days
The lead time, broken down
| Format | Order this far ahead | How it's counted |
|---|---|---|
| Digital, standard proof | 5 business days | 2-3 business days for the proof, plus about 2 business days for a typical revision round. |
| Digital, expedited proof (+$10) | 4 business days | 1-2 business days for the proof, plus about 2 business days for a typical revision round. |
| Canvas, standard proof | 12 business days | The digital timeline above, plus 6-7 more business days of production and delivery once you approve the proof. |
| Canvas, expedited proof (+$10) | 11 business days | The expedited digital timeline, plus 6-7 more business days of production and delivery once you approve. |
Common gift dates to count back from
Valentine's Day
February 14 every year
Mother's Day
The second Sunday in May
Father's Day
The third Sunday in June
Christmas
December 25 every year
Hanukkah
Shifts on the Gregorian calendar year to year, since it follows the Hebrew calendar. Check the current year's start date before counting back.
A birthday or anniversary
Whatever date it actually is for you
These are simply the occasions people ask about most. The same math applies to a graduation, a retirement, a new-pet welcome, or any date that matters to you specifically, not only the ones listed here. For Christmas specifically, we have already done the counting for this year: see Christmas pet portrait ordering deadlines for the exact order-by dates. For gift ideas tied to a specific occasion, browse our gift guides.
A worked example
Say the date you need is a Saturday three weeks out. Weekends do not count, so find the calendar date, then count backward through weekdays only, skipping each Saturday and Sunday you pass, until you have counted off the number of business days your format needs from the table above. That weekday is your order-by date.
A second example, for a canvas: if the date falls on a Friday, count back 12 weekdays. Skip the two weekends inside that span, and you land on a Wednesday 16 calendar days earlier, not twelve. That gap between business days and calendar days is the part people most often miscalculate, and it is usually the difference between a comfortable order-by date and a rushed one.
The honest tradeoff in all of this is that unlimited revisions, one of the better parts of ordering here, work against a hard deadline if you use more than one round. These lead times assume a single typical round. Order earlier than the table if the date genuinely cannot move.
Ordering more than one, for different people
If you are getting portraits for more than one person, a parent and a sibling, say, each one is its own order with its own proof and its own timeline, even if it is the same pet in both. There is no combined checkout for multiple gift recipients. Submit each order separately, and use the same business-day math for each one against its own delivery date.
Questions
What counts as a "business day" here?
A weekday, Monday through Friday. Weekends do not count toward the proof or production windows, so a date that falls on a Saturday effectively costs you two extra calendar days compared to a weekday date the same distance out.
Do these lead times account for busier shipping periods, like December?
No. These are the standard, year-round estimates. Carriers and order volumes both tend to pick up around the winter holidays, so add a few extra days of cushion for anything you need in that window. Our Christmas-specific deadline guide walks through this in more detail for that date.
What if my date isn't one of the occasions listed?
The same math applies to any date. Count back the business days in the table above from whatever day matters, birthday, adoption anniversary, a specific event, and that's your order-by date.
Is it safer to order earlier than the table suggests?
Always. The lead times above assume one typical round of revisions and no shipping surprises. If the date is firm and cannot move, treat these numbers as the latest safe point, not a target, and order sooner if your schedule allows it.
What if I won't be able to check email for a few days after I order?
Build that into your timeline before you order, since nothing moves forward until you review the proof and approve it. A gap where you cannot respond simply pushes your finish date out by the same number of days. If you know a busy stretch is coming, order earlier than the table suggests, or use the expedited proof to leave yourself more room afterward.
Count back from your date and order
The sooner you start the proof clock, the more room you have for revisions.
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