How a piece is made
Every piece on this site is made after you order it. Nothing is warehoused, and nothing is drop-shipped. This is what happens between the moment you press the button and the moment the parcel reaches you — written so you can check it against what arrives.
Printed, cut or written by hand
| What you buy | How it is made |
|---|---|
| Calligraphy paints and your name, framed | Set in a classical script, printed on canvas, and framed by hand in our UAE workshop when you choose a frame |
| Trays, boxes, tissue boxes, jars, mabkhara and the square-Kufic name frame | Cut or engraved in acrylic by laser, then sanded, cleaned, assembled and inspected by hand in our UAE workshop |
| Originals | Written by hand, in ink, by the calligrapher named on the page — who they are. We pack them, and frame them with glass in our workshop when you ask |
| Fine-art prints | Printed on archival fine-art paper from a calligrapher's original — labelled as prints, never sold as originals |
1 · The design
A piece starts as a phrase set in a classical Arabic script — Thuluth, Naskh, Diwani, square Kufic — or as an arabesque pattern. You can set that phrase yourself in Mashq Studio, free and without an account, and what you see there is the file we print or cut. For the original artworks it is not a design at all: a calligrapher writes the piece by hand, in ink.
2 · Your words: we set them, you confirm the spelling
For a piece made with your words, send them to us on WhatsApp — the words, the piece, the size and the date you need it. We set them in the script you choose and send you the picture with its price, usually the same working day. You confirm the spelling, and nothing is printed or cut until you say yes. A design you made in Mashq Studio reaches us with its file, so what you approved is what we make.
3 · The cut
The approved outline becomes a cutting file and goes to the laser. The trays, boxes and tissue boxes are 5 mm acrylic — gold-tinted, deep black, or crystal-clear, whichever you chose. The laser is what gives a letter its edge; a router or a blade cannot hold a hairline curve at that size.
4 · The hand-finishing
This is the part a machine cannot do and the part that takes the time. Cut edges are sanded, the faces are cleaned, the piece is assembled, and it is inspected before it goes anywhere near a box. It is also why two production runs are never quite identical, and why we tell corporate buyers to order a batch in one go rather than in halves.
5 · Prints, paper and frames
Calligraphy paints and prints take a different route: they are printed rather than cut, and they ship rolled in a tube and unframed when they leave the UAE — safer for the piece and far cheaper than shipping glass. Framing, when you choose it, is done by hand in our UAE workshop.
6 · A photo before it ships
When a piece made with your words is finished, we send you a photo of it before it leaves the workshop. For any other piece, ask on WhatsApp and we will send you one before dispatch.
7 · How long it takes, and how it reaches you
| Step | Time or cost |
|---|---|
| Making | 5–7 working days before dispatch; each product page states its own time, and the product page is the promise |
| An original that is not in hand | Usually 3–4 weeks; its page says whether it is in hand |
| Tracking | The tracking number reaches you by e-mail the day your order is dispatched |
| Delivery in the UAE | One flat fee per order, by tracked courier to all seven emirates: AED 50 with wall art, AED 25 for décor |
| Delivery abroad | Worldwide Express, AED 250 per order, within 8 days of dispatch; unframed works travel rolled in a rigid tube; customs duties are the receiver's |
| If it arrives damaged | Send us a photo within 24 hours of receipt: we replace the piece or refund you in full |
The full terms are in the shipping policy.
8 · Where it is made
In our own workshop in the UAE — two founders, a laser cutter and a shelf of acrylic. The seller is 1click2open LLC, a free-zone company registered in Sharjah (Sharjah Media City, trade licence 2647497.01). A question about any step: write to us.