Launch packaging goes wrong for a boring reason: the box is treated as the last item on the list when it has the longest lead time on the list. Work backwards from the on sale date, lock the two things that block everything else, and the rest is straightforward.
The milestone chain
| Milestone | What happens | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|
| Product dimensions final | The box interior can be set. Nothing before this is real | You |
| Structure and board chosen | Sets the price band and the lead time band | Both, on the quote |
| Dieline issued | Design support builds the template to your measurements | iBox |
| Artwork placed on the dieline | Vector, fonts outlined, bleed included | You or your designer |
| Digital proof approved | The gate. Nothing prints until this is signed off | You |
| Production and freight | Runs on the lane you chose: Rush, Standard or Cost saver | iBox |
| Delivery | US shipping is included in the order | iBox |
Lock the dimensions before anything else
Every downstream step depends on the product being finished. A prototype that is still shrinking by a few millimetres cannot have a box designed around it, and a dimension change after the dieline is issued resets the template and the proof. If your product is genuinely not final, order the box in a structure with a little tolerance and use an insert to take up the difference, because an insert is easier to adjust than a die.
Launch at 100, not at 5,000
The minimum order is 100 boxes per size and artwork. For a launch that is the point: you find out whether the product sells and whether the packaging works before you commit to volume. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, so a launch run of 100 will not be at the bulk rate and your figure at launch quantity is confirmed on the written quote. Because the die, the printing plates, design support, US shipping and the digital proof are included, the usual penalty for a small first run, a tooling charge, does not apply.
A useful launch habit: keep the printed box generic enough to survive a small product change, and put the version specific detail on a label or an insert card you can reprint cheaply.
Choose the lane against the date
- Rush. Expedited production plus air freight, at a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job. Use it when the launch date moved and the packaging did not.
- Standard. Air freight. The default for a launch planned with reasonable notice.
- Cost saver. Sea freight. Right for the first restock once the launch has proved the product.
Turnaround is stated per product. The floor is from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported items, including most hand assembled rigid work, can run up to about 12 weeks. If your launch box is a magnetic rigid presentation piece, that ceiling is the number to plan against, not the floor. If the date has already slipped, read rush custom boxes.
What to send with the enquiry
Your on sale date, the product dimensions, the quantity you want at launch, and whatever artwork exists. Even a rough sketch is enough for the first conversation. Production runs at two plants, West Chicago in the United States and Guangzhou in China.
Start with the quote form and put the launch date in the first line. If you are launching as a new business, custom packaging for startups covers the same ground from a standing start.
