Minimum orders and price per piece in custom packaging

We would rather explain our minimum plainly than have you find out halfway through a quote. Here is how it works, and why it is set where it is.

What "per design" means

A design is one combination of size, structure and print. If you order the same mailer in two sizes, that is two designs. If you order one size with three different prints for three product lines, that is three designs. Each design needs its own set-up, so each one starts at 10,000 pieces. A seasonal or limited-edition print counts as its own design too.

Where the set-up cost comes from

Before the first good box comes off the line, several things have to be made or done once for your job alone:

• ✓ a cutting die shaped to your box's exact outline
• ✓ print plates for each colour
• ✓ machine set-up and the board used while colour and cutting are brought into line
• ✓ checking the dieline, the artwork and the physical sample

Those costs are roughly the same whether the run is 2,000 pieces or 50,000.

How quantity changes the price per piece

The price of each piece has two parts: its share of the set-up, and the material and print that go into that piece. Here is an illustration with made-up units, not a quote, to show the shape of it. Suppose set-up costs 1,000 units and each piece uses 0.20 units of material and print.

The material cost barely moves, but the set-up share shrinks fast. That is the whole reason a custom box can be good value at volume and poor value in small numbers. Real figures depend on the format, the board, the print and the finish, and your written quote states them.

Ways to bring the price per piece down

• ✓ Standardise sizes. Two products that fit one box size can share one design.
• ✓ Keep the print simple on outer shipping cartons and spend on the pack the customer sees.
• ✓ Plan reorders. A steady reorder pattern lets you order larger runs with confidence.
• ✓ Right-size the box. Less board and less air means lower material and freight costs.

If your order is below 10,000 pieces

Then we are not the right supplier for it yet, and we would rather say so now than waste your time. A short-run or digital packaging printer will usually serve a smaller order better and faster. When a design grows past 10,000 pieces, the same brief works for us. You can check your fit in a few seconds with the quick check on our packages page.