Guide · occasions · By Hassan Rehman
Christmas 2026 print deadlines: when to order so it arrives in time
Two dates matter. Friday 11 December is the last comfortable day to approve a proof for anything that has to be in place before Christmas. 12pm Sydney time, Tuesday 15 December is the last order before production closes for the break, from Friday 18 December to Monday 4 January. Everything approved after that starts on Tuesday 5 January, in the order it came in. Here is what to order when, working back from the day it has to be up.
The dates
2026–27, Sydney time
| Date | What happens | What it means for your order |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 11 December | Last comfortable proof approval for pre-Christmas print | Most products are delivered in 2-4 working days from proof approval in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Approve by this day and there is room for December’s slower couriers. |
| Tuesday 15 December, 12pm | Last orders before the break | Approve and pay your proof by 12pm Sydney time and it is made before production closes. Later than that and it waits for January. |
| Friday 18 December to Monday 4 January | Production break | Nothing is printed. The desk still answers email for quotes and special requests on selected items. |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day | Public holiday everywhere. Have Christmas print in hand the week before. |
| Saturday 26 December | Boxing Day | Most states take Monday 28 December as the public holiday. Sales still start on the Saturday. |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | New Year’s Day | Public holiday everywhere. Put it on the same hours sign as Christmas. |
| Tuesday 5 January 2027 | Back in production | Orders approved over the break start that day, in the order they arrived. |
Delivery outside New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria: allow 1 to 2 working days longer outside NSW, QLD and VIC on top. The courier networks are at their slowest in the fortnight before Christmas, so the 11 December date is the one to plan around, not the 15th.
What we print for this
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Christmas cards · edit it online
What to order, and by when
Now, in November: anything a customer takes home. Christmas cards for clients (50 from $129, delivered) need to be written and posted, so they need to be in your hands by the first week of December. The same goes for swing tags and stickers on gift packaging, coasters for the function, and calendar magnets for 2027, which are at their most useful handed over before the year turns.
By the first week of December: the shopfront. An opening hours sign with the holiday dates on it, temporary window vinyl for the sale that comes off clean in January, a banner for the front of the building, an A-frame for the footpath. The free opening hours sign tool makes the A4 version in a minute if the printed one is late.
By 11 December: the last pre-Christmas run. Flyers for a Boxing Day sale, posters for the window, menus for the Christmas week. Approved on the 11th, these are made and delivered with a few days in hand. Approved on the 15th at noon they are made, but the courier decides whether they arrive before the 25th.
Over the break: January print. Order it anyway. Anything approved between 18 December and 4 January is first in the queue on 5 January. The 2027 wall planner with every NSW, Queensland and Victorian public holiday is free to download for the office wall now, and notepads, business cards for the new starters and the new year’s stationery are the first jobs through in January.
Working back from the day it has to be up
- The day it has to be in place. A Boxing Day sale poster has to be up on 24 December, not the 26th.
- Take off production and delivery together. Each product page says how long. Most are delivered in 2-4 working days from the moment you approve the proof, not from the moment you order, in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. Add 1 to 2 working days longer outside NSW, QLD and VIC elsewhere, and a day or two for December.
- Take off the proof. The proof usually goes out the same business day you order, and it waits for you. A proof approved at 9am and one approved three days later are three days apart on every date after it.
- Add a day for your own artwork. A file that needs bleed, a logo that is too small, a photo at 72 dpi: the Canva print checker and the resolution checker find these in a minute, free, before the proof does.
Done that way, 11 December is where most pre-Christmas print lands, and that is why it is the date in the table.
If you have missed it
Some things still help. The free opening hours sign and the free printable signs print on an office printer today. A quote request over the break reaches the desk, and selected items can be arranged by email. And January is quieter than December for the courier, so a job approved on 20 December often arrives earlier in the new year than one approved in the Christmas rush would have before it.
Common questions
When is the last day to order print for Christmas 2026?
Approve your proof by Friday 11 December for anything that has to be in place before Christmas. The absolute last order before the production break is 12pm Sydney time on Tuesday 15 December; after that, production is closed from Friday 18 December to Monday 4 January and orders start again on Tuesday 5 January.
Does the deadline run from when I order or when I approve the proof?
From the proof. Production starts when you approve it, so the proof sitting in your inbox for three days moves every date after it by three days. Order early and approve the proof the day it arrives.
Can I still order during the break?
Yes. The site takes the order and the proof goes out, but nothing is printed between 18 December and 4 January. Orders approved in that window are first through on 5 January. Quotes and special requests for selected items can be arranged by email during the break.
Is Boxing Day a public holiday on Monday 28 December?
In most states, yes. Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December 2026, so the public holiday moves to Monday 28 December in most of Australia. Sales still start on the Saturday, so a Boxing Day poster has to be up by Christmas Eve.
What should go on a Christmas opening hours sign?
Your last trading day before Christmas, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the Monday after it, New Year’s Day, and the day you reopen. Put the whole run on one sign so it is not replaced four times. The free opening hours sign tool lays it out at A4 or A3.
How early do Christmas cards need to be ordered?
Early enough to write and post them. 50 cards are $129 and delivered in 2-4 working days from proof approval, so an order approved in the last week of November is in your hands in the first week of December, which is when they need to go in the post.
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