Most of these come from phone calls, and usually from someone who’s got a product sitting on the kitchen table and a vague idea about a box. If your question isn’t on here, ring us or drop a message, we don’t mind.
Ordering and Minimums
What’s your minimum order, really?
Often around 50 boxes, though that moves around with the style, and a plain printed tuck end can go lower than a rigid box with foil and an insert, which honestly only starts to make sense for you at a bigger run. Just testing the water with a new product? Read our bit on ordering custom boxes with a low MOQ first. Saves the garage.
Where do I start?
Product size, rough quantity, a style if you’ve got one in mind. That’s plenty for us to go on, and you can ask for a quote here, after which one person on our team keeps hold of your job from start to finish so you’re not re-explaining it every week.
No clue which box style I need?
Normal. Most people don’t know, they just know what goes inside and whether it sits on a shelf, gets mailed or goes out by hand, and we’ll work from that to a couple of options. Or scroll through boxes by style and just point at the one you like.
How do I measure my product?
The product, not your old box, because old boxes lie. Inches, length then width then height, and leave a bit of room if an insert goes in (a tight foam insert plus a tight box means the lid never quite shuts). Our guide on how to measure a box covers the rest, and a phone photo next to a ruler helps us a lot more than you’d guess.
Design and Proofs
Do I pay extra for design?
Nope. We set up the dieline and lay out your artwork free, and when you send your own files we look them over first for the usual stuff, low-res logos, text sitting right on a fold, a barcode that’s way too small to scan.
Do I get to see it before you print?
You get a digital proof on the flat dieline and nothing goes to press until you say yes. Some folks like to hold the real thing, so if that’s you we can send a physical sample ahead of the bulk run.
Which files work best?
Vector is ideal, AI or PDF or EPS with the fonts outlined, while photos are fine as high-res PNG. Only got a logo pulled off your website? Send it anyway. We’ll tell you if it’s going to print fuzzy.
Changed my mind after approving the proof. Now what?
Before production starts, small fixes are usually no big deal. Once it’s on the press it’s pretty much set though, so read that proof twice, side panels especially, since that’s where the typos hide.
Materials and Finishes
SBS, kraft, corrugated or rigid?
Bright retail colour wants SBS paperboard. If you like the brown natural look our kraft boxes carry a one or two colour logo really nicely, corrugated is the call for anything heavy or anything going in the mail, and rigid board is for gift sets where people keep the box afterwards.
One wall or two?
Most mailers are fine on single wall E-flute (and it prints cleaner than people expect). A case of glass candles is another story, so we’d go double wall B-flute there, and the single vs double vs triple wall comparison gets into the details. The whole range of corrugated boxes is there to browse as well.
Foil, spot UV, all that?
Sure, we do matte and gloss lamination and soft-touch, then spot UV and foil (gold, silver, holographic), embossing and debossing too, and windows, inserts or handles when the box needs them. Our honest take? Choose a couple and stop there, because a box wearing every one of them at once just ends up looking busy rather than pricey.
Can my boxes be recycled?
Mostly, yes. Inks are soy and water based and the bulk of our kraft and corrugated boxes go in the recycling bin, but heavy lamination and big foil areas make that harder, so mention it early if green packaging is a big deal for your brand and we’ll keep things simple.
Production and Shipping
How long until my boxes are ready?
Ten to 12 business days, counted from when you approve the proof (not from your first email, which is why fast replies on proofs save real time). For more on that, here’s our post on turnaround time for custom printed boxes.
Tight deadline?
Rush production and rush shipping are both on the table if you ask. Give us the date you need boxes physically in your hands and we’ll tell you straight whether it works.
What does shipping cost?
Ground is free anywhere in the USA. Boxes turn up flat in cartons, rigid ones excepted since those come already set up, so maybe clear a corner of the stockroom first.
Pricing
So what will my boxes cost?
Size, material, finishes and quantity all push it around, which is why we quote each job. Want a ballpark first? Try the packaging cost calculator or have a read of what drives custom box pricing.
Cheaper if I order more?
Per box, yes. Setup is the same work for 100 boxes or 5,000, so the unit price falls as the run gets bigger, and plenty of brands start small and come back for a larger reorder once the design has proved itself.
Any surprise die or plate fees?
On most digital print jobs there aren’t any die or plate charges. A big order that does need plates gets that cost in the very first quote, so no odd line turns up on the invoice later.