Inhaler cartons look simple and then surprise people, because the device is only half the contents. The folded leaflet, the dosage card and sometimes a spacer all compete for the same internal space. Size the carton to everything that goes in it, in the state it goes in.
Measure the assembled device
Take the device exactly as it leaves your line.
- Height with the canister seated in the actuator and the mouthpiece cover fitted.
- Width and depth at the widest point of the actuator body, which on most pressurised inhalers is around the mouthpiece rather than at the top.
- Any protrusion such as a dose counter window or a lanyard loop, measured in the position it sits during shipping.
Round up rather than down and add about 1 to 2 mm of clearance per side. A carton that grips the device makes the line slower and risks scuffing the actuator.
Do not forget the leaflet
This is the single most common sizing error on this category. A patient information leaflet printed on thin stock and folded four or five times still produces a measurable stack, and that stack has to lie flat beside or under the device. Print a real leaflet, fold it to its final size, measure its length, width and thickness, and decide where it sits.
| Leaflet position | Effect on carton |
|---|---|
| Flat under the device | Adds its thickness directly to the internal depth. Simplest to pack |
| Alongside the device | Adds to one internal width instead of the depth. Suits a flat leaflet and a narrow device |
| Wrapped around the device | Adds thickness on two faces. Fiddly by hand, but keeps the footprint small |
Whichever you choose, state it in your spec, because the packer needs the same instruction the box was designed around.
Board, print and what we can and cannot claim
These cartons are normally folding carton board, specified in points where one point is one thousandth of an inch, with a coated face for legible small type. Braille, tamper evident features and serialised coding are all things a carton can carry, and they change the artwork and sometimes the panel layout, so raise them early. We print to the artwork you supply and we do not certify regulatory compliance for any market. Confirm labelling, serialisation and any device specific requirements with your own regulatory advisor before the proof is approved.
Ordering and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 boxes. Pricing runs from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, since small cartons with heavy type coverage and special features sit differently from a plain run. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are all included, and that proof is the right place to check every line of your artwork.
Turnaround is quoted per product across three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight, premium about 7 to 25% depending on the job), standard by air, and cost saver by sea. The floor is from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. Production is at our two plants, West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China.
Send the assembled device dimensions and a folded leaflet measurement, and we will confirm the internal carton size and the lane at /quote/. For the wider category and how it is ordered, see medicine boxes or custom medical device boxes.
