What is the minimum order for custom printed boxes
Our standard minimum is 200 units, printed and made to your size, and nothing starts lower. Most styles start at 200; some start higher, and each product page shows its own minimum. The higher ones run from 250 to 5,000 units, because of how those items are produced. Offset-only production usually needs 500 to 1,000 units because plates, make-ready and a dedicated cutting die need volume to pay off. Short runs here are printed digitally with shared tooling, so 200 is where the math works without pushing you into a run you do not need.
Why minimums exist at all
A printed box is a sheet job. The press has to be washed, inked and registered before the first good sheet comes off, and that make-ready takes the same hour whether you run 200 sheets or 5,000. A cutting die is made for your dieline and mounted on the die-cutter, which is another set-up. A gluer is adjusted to your crease pattern. Every one of those steps is a fixed chunk of time, and the fewer units it is spread across, the more each unit carries.
That is why a traditional offset shop asks for 500 or 1,000. Below that, the set-up outweighs the run, the per-unit number looks strange to the customer, and the shop would rather say no. It is a sensible floor for an offset workflow. It is just not the only workflow, and it has very little to do with what a small brand actually needs, which is enough boxes to ship this month and a way to change the artwork next month.
Why 200 works here
Two things make 200 possible without the number turning silly. The first is digital print: no plates, no wash-up, and a color-managed press that is ready for your file within minutes of the previous job. The second is stock tooling. Many mailer and carton sizes are within a quarter inch of an existing die, and where they are not, the quote says so and shows the new die as a one-time line.
Below 200 the per-unit number stops making sense, because packing, proofing and freight do not shrink with the order. 200 is the point where a real box at a real spec is worth both our time and yours. A run of 200 magnetic boxes wrapped in linen with a foil logo is produced from the same board and built the same way as a run of 5,000.
What changes between 200 and 1,000
| Quantity | Print method | Cutting | Ships as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | Digital | Stock die, or a new die quoted once | 1 or 2 cartons |
| 400 | Digital | Stock die where it fits | 2 to 3 cartons |
| 500 | Digital | Dedicated die often worth it | 1 carton on a pallet |
| 1,000 | Digital or offset | Dedicated die | 1 to 2 cartons on a pallet |
| 2,000 and up | Offset | Dedicated die | Pallet |
An illustrative spec: two scents at the minimum
Illustrative spec, not a client order.
Say a soap brand launching two scents wants a 3 by 3 by 1.25 inch soap box on 18pt SBS with two artworks, 200 of each, 400 cartons in all. We would quote it as one job with two versions, and the cartons ship together 10 to 12 business days after proof approval, the soap box lead time.
That is the practical case for a moderate minimum: you find out what sells before you commit to a very large run, and a slower design is 200 cartons on a shelf rather than 1,000.
How reorders work
Reorders carry the same minimum as the first run; the saving is time, since the artwork and dieline are already approved. A reorder of the same box goes through a quick confirmation rather than a new proof round, then runs in the same production lead time as the first order, as stated on the product page. One-time tooling, such as a cutting die or foil die, is kept on file and not charged again.
When to order more than the minimum
Order more when you already know the box works. The per-unit number falls steeply between 200 and 1,000 and then flattens, so a brand shipping 60 orders a month in a kraft mailer box is usually better served by 1,000 than by 200 five times over. Order more when you are adding a finish with a die, like foil or deboss, because the die is paid once regardless. Order more when freight is a real line for you, since one pallet moves cheaper than several parcels.
Order the minimum when the design is new, the product is new, or the size is not yet certain. 200 units is a real market test with your logo on it, and a second run on approved artwork skips the dieline and proof stage. If you are between the two, ask us to quote 200, 500 and 1,000 in the same email. Seeing the three numbers side by side usually makes the decision for you.
Questions people ask
Is the minimum 200 per size or 200 in total?
The minimum applies to each size and structure, because each one is its own cutting layout. If you want several artworks on one size and board, ask us how the versions count toward the minimum, and we confirm it on the quote.
Can I order 200 of a rigid box or a mylar bag?
Yes. Most styles start at 200; some start higher, and each product page shows its own minimum. 200 covers most wrapped rigid boxes, child resistant mylar bags, paper tubes and paper shopping bags. The styles that start higher run from 250 to 5,000 units, among them several food-service formats, printed poly and zip bags, some pouches and deli paper. Rigid boxes take 12 to 14 business days after proof for most styles, because the wrapping and assembly are hand work.
Do you charge a set-up fee on a 200 unit order?
There is no separate set-up line on digital orders. A dedicated cutting die or a foil die is quoted as a one-time item where the job needs one, and it is kept on file for your reorders. The digital proof and dieline are complimentary on every order.