Medicine cartons are ordinary folding cartons with an unusually demanding artwork job. The structure is rarely the hard part. The hard parts are fitting the leaflet, laying out variable data so it can be applied cleanly on your line, and making sure small type stays legible after print.
Three common formats
Blister carton
Sized around the blister card's length and width, with the depth set by the number of cards stacked plus the folded leaflet. Blister cards are stiff, so a snug fit is normally better than a generous one.
Bottle carton
Sized around the filled bottle with its closure fitted. Measure the cap, not the bottle shoulder. If the bottle is round in a square carton, an insert or partition stops it rotating and scuffing the label.
Sachet or stick pack carton
Depth is driven by count. Sachets settle and compress, so tell us the count and the individual sachet thickness rather than measuring a loose stack.
Leaflet space is a dimension
The single most common reason a medicine carton has to be re-tooled is that the leaflet was designed after the box. Fold the leaflet the way it will actually be folded, measure it, and treat it as part of the pack contents when you send us dimensions. Design support is included and will build the dieline around the whole contents, not just the primary container.
Variable data and artwork
| Element | What to decide before the dieline is finished |
|---|---|
| Batch and lot | Printed at manufacture or overprinted on your line, and on which panel |
| Expiry date | Whether it shares a field with the batch code and how much clear space it needs |
| Barcode | Which panel, and whether the background gives enough contrast to scan |
| Tamper evidence | Glued end flaps or applied seal labels, specified at quote stage |
| Braille | If your market requires it, say so at quote stage because it affects tooling |
Leave real clear space around any field an inkjet or laser coder will hit later. A code printed over artwork is a rejected pack, and it is far cheaper to plan the blank area now than to reprint.
What we do and do not take responsibility for
We manufacture to the artwork and specification you supply. We do not review medical claims, dosage text or label content, and we do not certify regulatory compliance for any market. Confirm requirements for your product and jurisdiction with whoever handles that for you, and send us the finished artwork. You will see a digital proof before anything prints and production waits for your written approval.
Ordering, pricing and turnaround
The minimum is 100 cartons per size and artwork, so each SKU and each strength is its own run. Bulk pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit, with the exact figure on your quote. Included: the cutting die, the printing plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof. Turnaround is quoted per product across rush (expedited production plus air freight, roughly 7 to 25 percent more), standard (air) and cost saver (sea). Production starts from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. Manufacturing is at West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China.
Send your contents dimensions, leaflet size and artwork through the quote form. Related: custom pharma boxes and supplement boxes buying guide.
