For example, you have a textile thought to have been traded to the US by Peru and you are interested in the red dye used on this textile. This information can help narrow the possibility of materials to look for in an analysis. This is occasionally the case. When no information is available, the analysis can become quite time-consuming and costly, or, at worst, little or no information will result from that analysis. Therefore, it is very important to provide as much information as possible prior to requesting an analysis.
Different methods take different amounts of time.
It takes longer to obtain results when little or no prior information about the object or sample is available. If a sample preparation method is complicated, then it will take longer to obtain the results. For example, if you request paint cross-section analysis including photomicrography of that sample, the results can take up to a month. How you would like the results reported can affect the length of time it takes to get the results.