The comfortable timeline
With standard production, badges print and ship within 3–5 business days, then spend a few days with the carrier. Ordering two weeks before the event leaves room for a reprint if anything goes wrong.
Set a registration cutoff for printed badges a day before you order, and send the list as one batch: a whole list is priced together, so 300 attendees get the 100–499 price per badge.
The latest you can order
Choose Rush (+25%) at checkout and order by 11 AM ET on a weekday: your badges print and ship the same day. Pick UPS Next Day Air and they arrive the next business day.
Example: for an event that opens Thursday morning, order with Rush and Next Day Air by 11 AM ET on Tuesday. They ship Tuesday and arrive Wednesday, leaving a day to sort and set out the badges. Ordering Wednesday works on paper but leaves no room for a carrier delay.
Rush orders placed after the cutoff, on a weekend or on a major US holiday ship the next business day. See same-day ID cards.
Plan for the people after the cutoff
- Order spares: 5–10% extra badges with the design but a blank name line, written in by hand at registration.
- Keep a backup: paper inserts and holders for walk-ins on the day.
- Second small order: your design stays saved, so a short list of late registrations can go out as a second Rush order.
Save time before you're in a hurry
- Design and approve the badge early, with a sample list, so ordering is just uploading the final export.
- Check your attendee export's column names match the badge's fields. See printing badges from an attendee list.
- Decide on QR codes now, not the night before. See QR codes for check-in.