This question comes up after the first reorder, usually when a brand wants a second quote and discovers nobody can find the file. The confusion is mostly vocabulary: four different objects get called "the die", and they do not behave the same way.
Four different things
| Thing | What it is | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Dieline | A vector drawing of the flat box: cut lines, crease lines, glue areas, bleed | The file another supplier needs to quote the same structure |
| Artwork | Your design laid out on that dieline | Your intellectual property, created by you or your designer |
| Cutting die | A physical steel rule tool that cuts the shape | Lives in the plant that made it and only works on that plant's press |
| Printing plates | Physical plates that carry the image to the press | Also plant specific, and they wear |
The practical answer
The dieline and the artwork are files, and files are what you actually need. A physical die is a tool built for a specific press in a specific plant, so even if it were shipped to you it would be of limited use elsewhere. What makes you portable as a customer is holding the vector dieline and your artwork, in editable form, before you need them.
What iBox Factory includes
The die and the plates are included at no extra charge on every order, along with design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints. That is why a genuinely custom internal size costs no more to tool than a near-standard one: you are not paying a separate tooling line. Ownership, transfer and reuse terms sit on your quote and purchase order rather than on a web page, so ask for them in writing and read what is written. That advice applies to every supplier you deal with, including us.
What to ask for, in writing
- A vector dieline file (AI, PDF or DXF) for each structure you order.
- Confirmation in writing of who may reuse that dieline and where.
- Your artwork returned in editable form, with fonts and links, not only as a flattened proof.
- Written confirmation of what happens to the physical die and plates if you stop ordering.
- A note on your purchase order stating the above, so it is part of the transaction rather than an email.
Why the file matters more than the tool
With the dieline and the artwork in hand you can get a comparable quote from anyone, move a SKU between plants, or adapt a structure to a new product without redrawing it. Without them you are re-engineering from a physical sample every time, which costs time and introduces small differences that show up in a fit problem later. If you are not sure what a dieline actually contains, our explainer on what a dieline is walks through the elements, and do custom boxes need a plate covers the plate side.
Ordering
Minimum order is 100 boxes, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. Turnaround is quoted per product in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days in production plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. We produce in West Chicago in the US and in Guangzhou in China.
If you want the file question settled before you order, say so in your request and we will put the answer on the written quote alongside the price. Request a quote and ask for it explicitly.
