Overview
Get ready for the holiday or Christmas season 2026 with this guide to key order deadlines and practical tips to maximize your holiday sales. From setting up seasonal price lists to reactivating past offers, you'll find everything you need to make the most of this festive period while ensuring timely deliveries for your customers. The tips apply to the US, Canada and the UK. Where something only applies to one region, you'll see a [US/CA only] or [UK only] label.
1. Holiday or Christmas lab deadlines 2026
All UK dates are confirmed; for the US and Canada, dates will be shared by November 13, 2026. Until then, you can also check your lab's website for the latest info.
Please note:
- Deadlines may change slightly at short notice. You can find the latest information on the Partner Labs page under the Products & Prices tab in your account.
- All deadlines are based on unmixed, single-variety orders (e.g., an order deadline for "canvases" only applies to purely canvas orders).
- For mixed orders, the deadline is the longest delivery time plus one day.
- If applicable, postal delivery timeframes may be extended due to high volume.
- Dates for batch shipping and direct shipping sometimes differ. Please keep this in mind.
| US Lab Deadlines | Canada Lab Deadlines | UK Lab Deadlines |
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ACI: TBA APS: TBA Alkit: TBA Ark-La-Tex: TBA Bay: TBA BWC: TBA Color Inc: TBA CPQ: TBA D&M Imaging: TBA Digital Pro Lab: TBA Diversified Lab: TBA Filmet: TBA Full Color: TBA H+H: TBA Marathon: TBA Marco: TBA McKenna: TBA Millers: TBA NEO Pro: TBA Professional Color Service: TBA Richmond: TBA Total Image - Capitol Filmworks: TBA UPI: TBA |
Photolab Yves Thomas: TBA Spectra Visuel: TBA Technicare: TBA Don’s Photo: TBA GTA: TBA |
Digitalab Eco DS Colour Labs Digitalab Loxley Colour SIMLAB |
2. Price lists and automated campaigns for the holidays or Christmas
Using automated campaigns and seasonal price lists during the pre-Christmas period is an effective way to bring customers back to your shop.
- Price lists: Adapt your price list offerings for the season to include more gift-related items and seasonal items listed in the print lab product inventory.
- Automated campaigns: In addition to our Christmas email templates, there are also automated campaigns that you can use for your photo orders. Use these as-is, or tailor them to your needs.
Tip: Timing
Use these campaigns on orders that go on sale 7–14 days before your lab deadline.
Note: The coupon deadline should ideally be at least two weeks before your lab's cut-off date (e.g., 3 December for labs with mid-December deadlines). These are general guidelines, so always check your lab's deadlines for the current year.
3. Reactivate offers for the holidays or Christmas
If you photographed a lot of sessions this year, you can put them to work again during the holiday season. With the one-time message function, you can boost repeat orders and new orders around the holidays by reactivating previous photo jobs.
Please note: For additional sales at Christmas, your jobs should have been archived some time ago, preferably in spring or summer.
- Holiday products
Adjust your product offer or price list beforehand. Create new packages so customers get added value.
Why? If customers find the exact same offer again, it may harm trust. Frame it as a one-off promotion with exclusive products. - Use vouchers
Give a 15% discount on the basket and set expiry three days after sending. Use a seasonal voucher code. More about vouchers.
Tip: For a step-by-step guide to reopening older jobs and adding gift products to current jobs, see Holiday or Christmas second sales 2026.
4. Un-archive jobs
To make an archived photo job available for sale again:
- On the Photo Job Main Settings page, remove the tick from Archiving, or set a new future date.
- Deactivate your automated campaign for the photo job, or set a new one such as the Christmas campaign.
- To start the second sale, set the job status back to "Selling".
5. Send a one-time message
You'll want to send out a newsletter to your customers to notify them of your sale and incentives. When creating your one-time message, search for "holiday" or "Christmas" in templates. Adjust placeholders as needed.
Some things to keep in mind
- Subject lines: Keep them specific, clear, and 50–60 characters long.
- Design: Use holiday or Christmas graphics and placeholders like [[Customer.photos]].
- Timing: Send three emails:
- Email 1: 24 November: Early shoppers, focus lightly on deadlines.
- Email 2: 1 December: Late buyers, stress exact deadlines.
- Email 3: 15 December: Downloads only; adjust price list to downloads.
Most recipients read in the morning or evening. Set send times accordingly.
6. [UK only] GDPR notice
Disclaimer: Non-binding information, not legal advice. For individual advice, seek legal counsel.
GDPR requires consent for marketing emails. Opt-out is not sufficient; consent must be explicit and voluntary.
- Separate consent for notifications is required.
- You must document consent.
- Consent must be easy to understand, voluntary, and clear.
- You may cover it in your Terms & Conditions, but only buyers who accepted them may be contacted.
Have you already obtained consent through GotPhoto?
- For all orders since 25 May 2018, GotPhoto has collected consent on your behalf. If you are unsure whether consent was collected for a specific customer or order, check the customer's record in your GotPhoto account or contact GotPhoto support.
- These customers agreed to receive order-related info, which includes holiday campaign notifications.