Rush fees are calculated as a percentage surcharge on top of the standard DTP rate for the project, based on the urgency tier and the degree of schedule compression required. The fee structure is transparent and applied consistently across all clients and partners.
Priority tier (25–50% schedule compression): 25% surcharge on the DTP component. This covers the cost of queue reprioritization and dedicated operator assignment. For a project that would normally be quoted at $500 for DTP, the rush surcharge adds $125 for a total of $625.
Express tier (same-day delivery, 4–8 hours): 50% surcharge on the DTP component. This reflects the need for immediate resource allocation, potential overtime, and parallel processing. The same $500 project becomes $750.
Emergency tier (1–3 hour delivery): 75–100% surcharge, quoted on a case-by-case basis. Emergency work often requires pulling operators from other active projects, which creates cascading schedule adjustments. We only accept emergency work when we are confident we can deliver without compromising quality.
Important clarifications: Rush fees apply only to the DTP and layout component of the project, not to translation costs (which are managed by the LSP partner). The surcharge is calculated on the per-language DTP cost, so a 4-language rush project applies the surcharge independently to each language variant. Weekend and holiday work carries the express tier surcharge at minimum, regardless of the actual deadline, because it requires operators to work outside normal shifts.
For high-volume partners with ongoing rush patterns, we offer pre-negotiated rush rates as part of annual rate agreements. This gives PMs predictable pricing for client quotes without needing to request individual rush quotes each time. If your team regularly handles urgent projects, ask us about a standing rush rate arrangement.
We always confirm the total cost including rush fees before starting work. There are no surprise charges — the quoted rush price is the final price.
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