Every fall, while everyone else is sipping pumpkin lattes and pretending they have all the time in the world before December hits, we’re already in full prep mode. The holiday season is absolute madness in the best and worst ways. It’s our busiest stretch of the year, and if we don’t get everything lined up early, things can spiral fast.
Prints flying in from multiple printers. Greeting cards going out. Customs forms, tracking numbers, tubes, tissue paper, stickers, tape, boxes, labels. The whole operation kicks into a different gear. People see the finished package arriving at their doorstep and it looks simple, but behind the scenes it’s closer to a coordinated military operation.
Here’s how we get ready for that storm so your order shows up safely, smoothly, and on time.
Step 1: The Big Studio Overhaul
October is our “clean everything and fix all the little crap we’ve been ignoring” month. We clear shelves, restock everything that runs out at the worst possible time, and get the physical space ready for a shipping marathon.
Every bin gets topped up with tubes, flat mailers, tape, branded inserts, tissue, stickers, and every other bit of packing material that mysteriously vanishes the second things get busy. If there’s a roll of tape hiding somewhere, we’re finding it now, not when we’re knee deep in holiday orders.
It’s also when we tear through all our settings and data. Product listings get checked, shipping profiles get cleaned up, and we make sure everything in Shopify reflects how we actually operate. Little mismatches that don’t matter in July can become disasters in December. If a product is miscategorized or a shipping zone is outdated, that’s the sort of thing that can add hours of pain during peak. For more on how we ship safely, see How We Package Your Art Prints and How to Care for Your Giclée Art Print.
Step 2: Lining Up with Our Printers
We don’t print in house. We work with professional fine art printers, which is why the prints look the way they do. But that also means coordination is critical this time of year.
Printers have their own holiday rush to deal with, and they take time off too. Turnaround times can shift fast once the queue fills up. Around October we start asking pointed questions, looking at historical timelines, and getting a clear picture of what the real production window will look like.
On top of everything else, we also have to keep an eye on external problems that can throw a wrench into the schedule. Last year it wasn’t carrier delays, it was a full-on Canada Post strike. We wrote about that in this post. And just when we thought we’d navigated that, the US decided to slap unexpected tariffs on Canadian art prints right before the holidays. That turned shipping to the States into a mess overnight. We explained the situation in our shipping update and the slightly more exasperated follow-up. Stuff like this is why we can’t just set a date and hope for the best. We have to build our timelines expecting curveballs.
Step 3: Shipping Systems Go Into Overdrive
Once printing timelines are set, shipping prep begins. Holiday shipping is a completely different animal. The volume is higher, carriers get overwhelmed, and tiny mistakes can turn into delays.
We also keep a closer eye on carrier updates. If Canada Post or USPS starts having issues, we’d rather know on day one and adjust than wait for customers to ask where their orders are. If there’s wider disruption, we’ll post it on the blog like we did with Canada Post Strike May Cause Shipping Issues and Shipping to Canada is back on!.
Step 4: Getting Digital Ducks in a Row
Holiday chaos isn’t just physical. We prep our digital systems too. Inventory syncing, automated notifications, backup shipping labels, internal checklists, the whole works.
A lot of these are boring details that no one ever sees, but they matter. When something breaks during peak season, even a tiny bug can slow everything down. By October, we want all of that tested, tuned, and ready to run without us babysitting it constantly. If you’re curious about the “why” behind our materials and specs, these are good reads:
- Fine Art Print Terms (Without the Snobbery!)
- Archival Inks vs. Regular Inks: Why It Matters for Art Prints
- How We Choose Our Fine Art Paper
Step 5: The Calm Before the Storm
Once everything’s stocked, synced, and scheduled, there’s this weird quiet. It’s the moment right before the first wave hits. We know it’s coming. The first big surge of orders is like a starter pistol, and then it keeps going until late December.
All the prep work pays off here. Instead of hunting for missing tape or fixing product settings in a panic, we can focus on getting beautiful prints out the door as fast and cleanly as possible. If you’re planning your space, these guides help:
- Choosing Print Sizes for Small Apartments
- Displaying Art 101: Showcase Prints Without Damaging Walls
- Framing Matters: Choosing the Right Frame for Your Art
Why We Bother
None of this behind the scenes work is glamorous, but it’s the backbone of the holiday season. When you get a print on time and in perfect condition, it’s because we spent October obsessing over every boring detail to make sure nothing falls apart when things get crazy.
It’s a lot of work, and it’s worth it. This is when people are buying art as gifts for people they love, or finally grabbing that piece they’ve been eyeing all year. We want that experience to feel smooth, not stressful.
If you’re picking up a print, you can see the full collection in our shop. We also offer greeting cards, which ship straight from our studio. And if you’re not sure what to choose, a digital gift card is an easy option that arrives instantly!