Rush is not one thing. Some parts of a custom order compress easily, some compress expensively, and some cannot compress at all because they are governed by chemistry rather than scheduling.
What compresses easily
Scheduling. Moving your job up the queue. This is what most rush fees actually buy, and it is the cheapest kind of rush because nothing about the work changes.
Art turnaround. Same-day proofs instead of next-day. Costs labor, not much else.
Shipping. The most reliable lever. Two-day air on a 40lb box is expensive but entirely predictable, and it buys real calendar days.
Quoting a rush order
Tell us your hard in-hand date, the item and quantity you want, and the delivery address. We come back with what is actually achievable on that date, the product options that fit it, and per-unit pricing. Every quote includes a free virtual proof, and nothing goes to production until you approve it in writing.
Reply within 24 business hours · every item has a minimum of at least 12 pieces · setup charge waived above $500 in product · artwork kept on file two years, so an exact reorder carries no new setup charge
Get a quote on a rush order call 1.888.452.0027, Mon–Fri 9–6 ET
What compresses expensively
Overtime production. Running a second shift. Real cost, but achievable.
Blank sourcing. Getting stock from a further warehouse, or splitting across two.
Split production. Running your job across multiple machines or locations to finish faster. Introduces consistency risk — worth knowing before you agree to it.
What does not compress at all
Curing and drying. Screen printed ink has to cure at temperature for a set time. Sublimation needs its dwell. Skipping this does not make a faster shirt, it makes a shirt that cracks after three washes.
Embroidery stitch time. A 12,000-stitch logo takes the machine what it takes. More machines help; wishing does not.
Epoxy, resin and coating cure. Domed items, some awards, certain coatings. Physics.
Overseas production. Anything made to order offshore — custom coins, bespoke molds, cut-and-sew — has a floor measured in weeks. No fee changes that.
What rush costs here
Rush pricing is quoted per job, based on how far the date moves and what the item is. Expedited freight is billed separately, at cost rather than marked up.
Get the rush figure in writing before you approve anything. That is true of any supplier, not just us.
The rush that is not a rush
A surprising number of urgent orders are urgent because of an internal delay, not a genuinely short runway. The event was booked in March; the order was placed in August.
If that is where you are, the useful question is not “how fast can you go” but “what can I change to hit the date at normal pricing?” Usually the answer is one of:
- Change the item. An in-stock domestic blank instead of the one being shipped from overseas.
- Simplify the decoration. One color instead of four. Fewer screens, less setup, faster run.
- Split the delivery. Enough for the event on the date, the rest a week later at standard pricing.
- Change the location. Left chest instead of full back. Same brand impact, less press time.
Changing the item, the color count or the print location is usually cheaper than any rush fee. Nobody offers you that unless you ask for it, so ask.
Derek Capo, owner, CustomMark
If you are already short
Call rather than email, have your vector file ready, have one person who can approve a proof within the hour, and be flexible on the blank. Those four things decide whether a tight date is possible far more than the fee does.
Ready to price it? Send us the item, the quantity, the hard in-hands date and the ship-to address, plus your artwork file, and we’ll come back with real pricing and a straight answer on whether the date works. Start a quote or call 1.888.452.0027.