"Made to order" is the honest description of every personalised gift, and it changes the delivery arithmetic in a way that catches people out: the item does not exist when you order it. Here is how the timing actually works, so a birthday next Friday arrives on Thursday rather than Monday.
The two halves
Making: every piece is printed to order in Cheshire and usually dispatched within one to three working days. One day is common for a single mug or coaster; three is a large set or a week with a lot of orders. Posting: after dispatch, UK standard delivery is free on every order with no minimum, and the post takes its usual two to four working days; an express option is offered at checkout for a small charge when the date is tight.
Add them together: order Monday, dispatched by Thursday at the latest, delivered the following week at the latest. The product page shows the current estimated arrival window for today's order; the what can still make a weekend guide covers the tight cases.
Working days are not days
Working days exclude Sundays and bank holidays; we do not print on Sundays and Royal Mail does not collect. "Three working days" from a Friday is the following Wednesday. An order at 11 pm on Friday starts on Monday. This is the single most common reason a gift arrives later than expected, and it is worth counting on a calendar rather than in your head.
The squeezes
- Christmas: the making time stays the same; the post does not. From the second week of December the post is the slow half, so ordering by mid-November is comfortable and the first week of December is the sensible last call for standard delivery. The last-order-date guide is published every November.
- Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's: a ten-day window either side of the date is busy; order two weeks ahead.
- Back to school: the last week of August is our busiest fortnight for lunch kit; order in early August if the name has to be on the bottle for the first day.
Ordering for a fixed date
- Count back from the date: post (two to four working days) plus making (one to three) plus a buffer day.
- For a set of twelve or more, or a large business order, email support@larencraft.com with the date before ordering; the timing is confirmed before you pay.
- Put the date in the order note if it matters ("needed for 14 June"); it is read before printing and, where a queue exists, respected.
- Send it to the address where someone will be, not where they might be.
What cannot be sped up
A likely misspelling, or a file too small to print cleanly, is queried before anything is printed, so reply the same day. Photos that will not print well get an email, and the clock pauses until you send another. Uploads that failed at checkout mean an order without a file, which is queried. Everything in how we check every order is a step that can add a day if something needs a question; the fastest orders are the ones with a clear name, a good file and no ambiguity.
Everything is printed to order in Cheshire with free UK delivery. Because personalised items are made for you, they cannot be returned for a change of mind or a spelling change, which is why the time to check is before you order rather than after; the customisation policy has the plain-words version.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a personalised gift take to arrive in the UK?
One to three working days to make, then two to four working days in the post with free standard delivery, so about a week from ordering in normal periods. The product page shows today's estimated window.
Do you print on weekends?
No. Working days exclude Sundays and bank holidays, so an order placed late on Friday starts on Monday.
When is the last date to order for Christmas?
Mid-November is comfortable and the first week of December is the sensible last call for standard delivery; the making time is the same all year, the December post is what slows.
