A project usually moves through 6 stages, although no two run quite the same way. If something here does not suit how you prefer to work, please say so and we will find a way around it.
Any of these is a good place to begin, and we are glad to work from whichever you have to hand.
If all you have so far is an idea, that is welcome too. We will engineer the structure for you as part of quoting, at no charge.
The board, and the wrap paper if it is a rigid box. Standard stock, or a specialty grade we would source for you.
Which finishes, and how much of the surface they cover. Foil across a whole lid prices very differently from a small logo.
Dimensions and construction, or a dieline if you already have one drawn.
A rough range is enough to begin with. Shorter premium runs are genuinely welcome, so please tell us about the project rather than the volume.
Missing 1 or 2 of them? We can still put a price in front of you. It will be marked as subject to confirmation once the final artwork is settled, which lets you budget and keep moving while the remaining details are agreed between us.
We review what you send for feasibility and raise anything that concerns us before pricing it.
Unit pricing across several quantity tiers, with the specification written out in full.
3 levels, depending on what you need to confirm. Your approval releases the job.
A second review closer to the press, where problems tend to surface that the first one misses.
15 days for folding cartons and 25 for rigid boxes, measured from sign-off.
FOB Shenzhen by default, or Ex Works if you would rather appoint your own forwarder.
We would rather ask than print the problem.
The structure in plain board, unprinted. It confirms the shape, the fit and the mechanics: how the lid sits, how the magnet closes, whether your product fits the insert.
Digitally printed and made up, so you can see the artwork on the finished shape. Colour is close but not production accurate, because digital and offset are different processes.
Printed on the same press that will run your job, with the actual inks mixed and the press set up as it would be for production. The charge covers the set-up rather than the pieces, so we produce 3 as standard: 1 for you, 1 for your client, 1 for your file.
| FOB Shenzhen · default | Ex Works | |
|---|---|---|
| Export documentation | We handle | You |
| Transport to Shenzhen port | We handle | You |
| Loading on board | We handle | You |
| Sea freight | You | You |
| Insurance and import duties | You | You |
This is the standard division of cost under Incoterms rather than anything particular to us. Your quotation will always state which term it has been priced on.
For the pricing to make good sense we usually suggest starting around 5,000 folding cartons or 1,000 rigid boxes. That is guidance rather than a rule. Shorter premium runs are genuinely welcome, and we would much rather hear about the project than the volume.
15 days for folding cartons, 25 for rigid boxes, measured from the moment the design and files are signed off. Constructions needing hand assembly, or a specialty paper we have to source, will add time. We will tell you which applies when we quote.
Not as a service. We provide structural design and dielines, and our engineering team will flag artwork that will not reproduce well, but we are not a design studio. Bring your own designer and we will work with them directly.
Yes. Brand colours are printed as mixed Pantone inks rather than simulated from CMYK, measured with a spectrophotometer and approved under a standard light source.
Yes. Licensed work runs under the brand owner’s approval, which is issued per licensee rather than per factory. Tell us the brand and we will confirm what is needed and help with the application.
Rarely. Occasionally a finish calls for a machine we do not hold, such as flocking or thermoforming. When that happens we say so on the quotation rather than afterwards.
Adobe Illustrator is easiest. A PDF works well where the dieline sits on its own layer and the fonts are outlined. Send whatever you have and we will tell you what is missing.
Roughly mid-January to mid-February, although the exact dates move each year. We plan schedules around it and will flag any clash with your timeline when we quote.
Please tell us, and you will get an honest answer either way. We are a manufacturer rather than a design studio, but the advice comes from the people who will run the press.