Getting started · 7 min read
Everything to settle before your first packaging order
A first packaging order fails in predictable ways, and almost all of them come from deciding the artwork before the structure. Here is the order that works.
Structure comes before everything
Decide what kind of box it is before anyone opens a design file. Mailer, tuck-end, rigid, sleeve — each has a different dieline, a different cost base and a different amount of printable area. Designing first and choosing structure second is how a layout ends up with nowhere to put the ingredients.
If you are unsure which structure fits, try the shapes in the box tool and see how the proportions change before committing.
Then the four technical decisions
These four settle the price. Everything after them is presentation, and presentation is cheap to change while the dieline is still a drawing.
- Size. Internal, from the product plus clearance. Not a round number you liked.
- Board. Weight and rigidity for what goes inside, not for how it feels in a showroom.
- Barrier. Only if food or oil touches it — and it changes the recycling story.
- Finish. Last of the four, because it depends on all three above.
Quantity, and the honest way to pick it
Ask for pricing at the quantity you want and at the next step up. The curve is not smooth and the step is sometimes worth taking. But do not buy volume against a product or a brand that is still moving — obsolete packaging is the most expensive waste there is.
| Product and brand both settled | Buy the volume; the unit price drops sharply |
|---|---|
| Either still changing | Buy 250 and treat the unit price as the cost of flexibility |
| Testing a market | 100, and expect to reorder rather than to save |
Timing, working backwards
Tell a supplier the date the boxes have to be filled, not the date you would like them delivered. Filling is the real deadline and it leaves room for a proof round, which is where a week disappears.
From about September, board and foil both tighten. A spec that is freely available in June may be weeks out in October, and that is worth knowing before you fall in love with it.
Build in one proof round even if you do not think you need it. Everyone needs it.
And the claim you want to make
If the box has to say recyclable, compostable or plastic-free, decide that before choosing the finish — because film lamination quietly removes two of those three. It is the single most common late-stage reversal we see.
First-order questions
What is the minimum for a first packaging order?
100 units on every product, which suits testing a market. If the product or brand is still changing, 250 is the cost of flexibility.
What decides how long a first packaging order takes?
Mostly the structure and finish, plus at least one proof round; from about September, board and foil supply also tightens. We give a date with the quote.
Do I need a designer?
Not necessarily. Send what you have and we place it on the dieline. A professional file speeds things up but is not required.
Will I see a proof?
Always — a dieline with the quote and a proof before press. Nothing is printed unseen.
Can I get a sample first?
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size, yes. It shows fit and construction, which cannot be judged from a drawing.
What happens on a reorder?
The die is kept, so a reorder skips the tooling cost and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Can a first packaging order ship outside the United States?
Yes — we quote the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, priced in the delivery currency. Name the delivery country and the fill date in the first brief so timing works back from the real deadline.
How can I make a first packaging order move faster?
Tell us the date the boxes must be filled, and send artwork with the brief. Proofing, not printing, is where the time goes.
What if I get the size wrong?
That is what the dieline stage is for. Nothing is cut until you have seen the flat drawing and agreed the cavity.
Should recyclable or compostable claims be decided before the finish?
Yes. Film lamination quietly removes two of recyclable, compostable and plastic-free, which makes it the most common late-stage reversal we see.