Custom Retail Box Printing
Custom retail box printing — offset on folding board, flexo on corrugated, digital for short runs — with the finish that suits the shelf, proofed on the dieline and quoted from 100. Price and dieline the same working day.
Three ways to put ink on a box, and which one your run needs
- Processes
- Offset on boxboard; flexo on corrugated; digital on both; litho-lamination
- Colors
- CMYK; spot colors on offset and flexo; white ink on kraft and dark board
- Finishes
- Matte, gloss, soft-touch laminate; water-based varnish; foil, spot UV, emboss, deboss
Get a price for Retail Box Printing
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Offset, flexo or digital
| Offset (litho) | Folding boxboard; full color, fine detail; plates; the retail carton standard from a few hundred up |
|---|---|
| Flexo | Corrugated; one to four colors; plates; shippers and mailers in volume |
| Digital | Board or corrugated; full color, no plates; short runs and changing artwork |
| Litho-lamination | An offset-printed sheet glued to corrugated; full color on a shipper |
What each prints well
Our guide to preparing artwork for print covers the file, bleed and color settings that each process needs.
- Photographs and gradients — offset and digital; flexo on kraft cannot.
- Solid brand colors — offset with a spot color for an exact match; flexo in a spot color on white liner.
- Fine type and barcodes — offset and digital; flexo at larger sizes.
- Inside print — a second pass on any process, cheapest on offset and digital.
Finishes on the print
A matte or gloss laminate protects the print and sets the surface; soft-touch adds a velvet hand; a water-based varnish protects without a film for a recyclable box. On top of any of them: hot foil, spot UV, emboss or deboss, each from a die made once and kept. The finish is chosen for the shelf — matte under bright lights, gloss for color in a dim shop — and for the hand.
The proof on the dieline
Every retail box is proofed with the artwork placed on the dieline, so every fold, glue flap, window and panel is seen in position before press. A printed proof of the stock is available where a color has to be judged in the hand. Nothing prints until the proof is approved, on any process.
Digital is cheaper below about a thousand boxes; offset is cheaper above it. Near the crossover, both are quoted.
Quantities, and where the price moves
Plates and setup are fixed costs that spread over a run, which is why an offset box at 5,000 costs a fraction of the same box at 500. Digital has no plates, so 100 and 1,000 cost nearly the same per box. The board, the size and the finish set the rest. The quote shows each line so the trade-offs are visible.
Retail Box Printing — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Processes
- Offset on boxboard; flexo on corrugated; digital on both; litho-lamination
- Colors
- CMYK; spot colors on offset and flexo; white ink on kraft and dark board
- Finishes
- Matte, gloss, soft-touch laminate; water-based varnish; foil, spot UV, emboss, deboss
- Proof
- Artwork on the dieline; printed stock proof on request
- Crossover
- Digital below ~1,000; offset above; both quoted near it
- Tooling
- Plates and finish dies kept for reorders
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. One side or both, with spot colors where a match has to hold.
- Color
- CMYK as standard. Uncoated and kraft stocks print lighter and warmer; a spot color is the only exact match.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, creasing plus or minus 0.5 mm, confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, made once and kept. Foil and emboss dies per artwork, also kept.
- Food contact
- Food-grade board and inks where the carton touches food, with the interior left plain.
- Sustainability
- Mono-material board wherever the product allows; recycled-content and FSC stocks; no claim printed the pack does not earn.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build retail box printing on
A folding carton is one sheet of board, so the board is the product. These are the stocks we run for cartons, what each is good at, and where it lets you down.
Natural kraft
Unbleached folding board. Warm, hides marks, costs least. Mutes color — one or two flat colors print well, photographs do not.
250–350gsm sleeves; 14–24pt cartonsWhite SBS
Solid bleached sulfate: bright, coated, the retail carton standard. Takes accurate color and every finish. Shows scuffs sooner than kraft.
14–24ptWhite lined chipboard
A recycled gray core under a white printing face. Cheaper than SBS and slightly duller; the back of the sheet stays gray.
16–24ptKraft-look coated
A kraft face over a coated inner. The natural look with a barrier behind it — the answer where oil, grease or moisture would mark plain kraft.
14–20ptRecycled-content board
Post-consumer fiber with a gray-brown cast. Right for outers and inner components; poor for bright whites and photography.
16–22ptMicro-flute E and F
A fine corrugated layer where a carton needs structure it cannot get from board — a large panel, a heavy product, a box that ships alone.
E 1.5 mm; F 0.8 mmUncoated and textured
No clay coat, or a linen or laid grain. Print reads softer and warmer; a deboss goes deeper. Photographs do not sit well on it.
280–350gsmMetallised and pearlescent
A metallic or pearl face for a shelf that needs to catch light. Costly, and it fights a photograph — a mark or a pattern suits it better.
16–20ptNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Every finish here is a decision about light on a shelf, not about luxury.
Matte lamination
Reads considered, hides marks, takes a ballpoint.
Gloss lamination
Lifts color; glares under shop lighting.
Soft-touch
Velvet in the hand; shows fingerprints in a bag.
Hot foil
Real metal leaf — the most reliable premium signal.
Emboss / deboss
Shape with no ink; works in the dark.
Spot UV
Gloss shapes on a matte field.
Uncoated kraft
Warm, natural, mutes color.
Textured stock
Texture in the paper; cannot scuff off.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a folding carton so the die comes out right: retail box printing
Measure the product, not the box it is in now. A carton is built around what has to fit inside it, assembled — cap on, lid fitted, folded if it folds — at its widest point in each direction. Send those three numbers and say which is which.
- Length x width x height
- Internal, always. External dimensions include the board and are what the carrier measures, not what the product needs.
- Clearance
- 2–3 mm a side for a snug fit; more where an insert or void fill goes in. A carton cut exactly to the product is slow to pack and transmits every knock.
- Board thickness
- Heavier board takes internal space from the product. It matters most on small boxes, where four walls of 24pt is a real share of the cavity.
- Varies between batches?
- Glass, textiles, molded parts and cured soap all do. Measure several and build to the largest.
- Cutting tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm on folding board. Confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Units
- Metric or imperial, as long as you say which. Mixing them in one spec is where mistakes happen.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Build your Retail Box Printing in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about retail box printing? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Which print process should I use?
Offset for full-color folding cartons in volume, flexo for corrugated in one to four colors, digital for short runs and changing artwork. We choose from the board, the quantity and the artwork and say why.
Can I print a photograph on a box?
Yes, on offset or digital. Flexo on kraft cannot hold a photograph.
Can you match my brand color exactly?
Yes, with a spot color on offset or flexo. Digital gets close and is consistent between runs.
What finish should I choose?
Matte for a shelf under bright lights, gloss for color in a dim shop, soft-touch for the hand. Foil, spot UV and emboss go on top of any.
Do you send a proof?
Always, with the artwork on the dieline, before press. A printed proof on the stock is available for color.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
When is digital cheaper than offset?
Below about a thousand boxes. Above that the offset plates pay for themselves.
Can the inside be printed?
Yes, as a second pass on any process.
Are plates and dies kept?
Yes, so a reorder skips the setup.
Can I print on kraft?
Yes, one or two colors, or white ink. Full color on kraft is muted.
What is litho-lamination?
An offset-printed sheet glued to corrugated, for full color on a shipper.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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