We make boxes. That sounds simple, and honestly most days it is. Somebody has a product, it needs a box that fits, protects it on the way and looks like it belongs to their brand, and our job is to get that box made without the usual runaround.
So who are we? A custom packaging shop in the US, with offices out in Denver and Boulder, Colorado, and the people who call us range from someone packing their first 50 orders on a kitchen table, to an Etsy seller who just outgrew plain brown mailers, to a brand that ships thousands of units to retail shelves every quarter and needs it done right the first time. They all get the same treatment. Same design support, same proofing, same free shipping.
Our team is a mix of packaging people, designers and customer support staff who have spent a lot of time looking at dielines (the flat outline a box is cut from) and figuring out why a box that looked great on screen came out wrong in print. Honestly that’s the part you’re paying for, since sending a file to a printer is easy and pretty much anyone can do it, but spotting that your candle jar is going to rattle without an insert, or that a heavy glass bottle really wants double-wall board and not single, is what keeps you from paying for a second print run a month later.
Plate fees. Big minimums. Shipping on top. We’ve heard the stories from small brands who got quoted that way and just gave up, and we’d rather start from the other end: low minimums, a price you can actually read, and somebody on the phone who picks up.
Pretty much anything that’s printed and folds or opens. Most of our work falls into a handful of groups:
Retail boxes, mostly. Somebody with a new serum calls about custom cosmetic boxes, somebody else needs CBD packaging boxes that fit a 30 ml dropper bottle without it rattling. Bakery? Taco truck? That’s our food and beverage packaging, and we sort out the food-safe question before anyone picks a color. Online shops tend to want corrugated shipping boxes or mailers, the kind that come out of a sorting center still square.
Then there’s the premium end. Luxury rigid boxes with magnetic lids, drawer boxes and two-piece sets for gifts, jewelry and PR kits. We also print custom mylar bags and pouches, counter displays for retail, and paper bags. If you don’t see your product listed, ask anyway. Nine times out of ten we’ve made something close.
Here’s the thing most people worry about: the process. It’s shorter than you’d think.
You tell us what you’re packing, how many you need and roughly how you’d like it to look. Sizes help, but if you only have the product in your hand, that’s fine too. We come back with a quote. If you want a ballpark before you even message us, the packaging cost calculator gives a rough number in a minute.
Once the price works for you, our designers set up the dieline and lay out your artwork. No designer on your side? No problem, we’ll place your logo and build the layout ourselves at no extra cost. You get a digital proof to check. Want to hold the real thing first? Ask for a sample before the bulk run. Nothing goes to print until you approve it.
Standard production takes 10 to 12 business days after proof approval, and after that it goes out by ground to any state, free. Got a launch date breathing down your neck? Tell us early and we’ll look at rushing production and shipping for you.
We pick the board based on what’s going inside, not on what’s cheapest for us. SBS paperboard gives sharp, bright print for retail boxes. Kraft gives that natural brown look a lot of eco brands like. Corrugated is for anything that ships, and we’ll suggest single, double or triple wall depending on weight (there’s a longer explanation in our guide to single, double and triple wall boxes). Rigid board is for the premium stuff that people keep after unboxing.
On top of that you can add finishes. Matte or gloss lamination, soft-touch, spot UV, foil stamping in gold or silver, embossing, debossing, holographic foil, window cutouts and custom inserts. We print with soy-based and water-based inks, and most of our corrugated and kraft boxes are recyclable, which matters to a lot of the brands we work with. See our eco-friendly packaging range if that’s a priority for you.
Short version? We try to remove the stuff that annoys people about ordering custom boxes.
You can start small (often around 50 boxes, it depends on the style) and the more you order the less each box costs. Most digital print jobs have no die or plate charges. If a large order does need physical plates, it’s in your first quote, so nothing pops up later. Design help is free. Shipping across the USA is free. And you can reach a real person by phone, email or chat when something comes up, which, let’s be honest, it sometimes does.
What we won’t do is promise a delivery date we can’t hit or push a pricier material you don’t need. If a cheaper board will protect your product just as well, we’ll tell you.
Our offices are in Denver (1500 N Grant St, Ste R) and Boulder (1942 Broadway St, Ste 314C), Colorado. We ship orders to every state in the US.
Usually somewhere around 50 boxes, though a rigid box and a simple tuck end aren’t the same story. Send us your number and you’ll get a yes or no pretty quickly.
Nope. Our team sets up the dieline and artwork for free. If you already have files, we check them for print problems before anything is made.
Yes. You always get a digital proof, and you can ask for a physical sample before the full run. More answers are on our custom packaging FAQs page.
Got a product and a rough idea? That’s enough to start. Contact our team, call 719-517-4493 or email info@thepioneerpackaging.com, and we’ll come back with a quote and a proof you can look over before you pay for anything.
