From a first message to boxes at your door
A first order takes five to seven weeks door to door by sea, and about half of that is shipping. Here is what happens in each step, what we need from you, and what you get back.
The seven steps
- Enquiry
Send the box style or a reference photo, the size of the product that goes inside, the quantity, and where the goods ship to. You get a price at two or three quantity tiers within one working day. - Dieline
We draw the flat cutting layout for your box and send it as a PDF in one to two working days, at no charge. You place your artwork on it, or our prepress team does it from your logo files. - Sample
A plain white sample to check size and fit takes 2 to 3 days. A printed sample on production stock takes 5 to 7 days. Courier to most countries adds 3 to 5 days. - Approval and deposit
You sign off the sample and pay a 30% deposit. We keep one signed sample at the press as the colour and build reference for the whole run. - Production
Most orders take 12 to 18 days. You receive photos at printing, die-cutting and assembly, so nothing is a surprise at the end. - Inspection
Finished goods are sampled to AQL 2.5. The report and photos reach you before the balance is due, and a third-party inspector is welcome. - Shipping
We book sea or air freight under FOB Shenzhen, CIF or DDP, palletise the cartons, and send tracking the day the goods leave.
What a dieline is, and why it comes first
A dieline is the box laid flat: every cut, crease and glue flap drawn at full size. Printing, foil and embossing are all positioned against it, so artwork placed on the wrong dieline cannot be fixed on press.
That is why we draw it before anything is quoted in detail. It also shows how many boxes fit on one sheet, which is what decides the unit price.
Artwork we can print from
- Vector files in AI or PDF, with fonts converted to outlines
- CMYK, plus Pantone references for brand colours
- 3 mm bleed on every edge
- Images at 300 dpi at final size
If you only have a logo and a reference photo, send those. Prepress will build the file and return a proof for approval.
How long each step takes
| Quote | Within 1 working day |
| Dieline | 1 to 2 working days |
| Plain sample | 2 to 3 days, plus courier |
| Printed sample | 5 to 7 days, plus courier |
| Production | 12 to 18 days after sample approval |
| Hand-assembled rigid boxes above 50,000 pieces | 20 to 25 days |
| Sea freight to main ports | 18 to 35 days, depending on the route |
| Air freight | 5 to 8 days |
Reorders skip the dieline and sample steps. With artwork unchanged, a repeat order ships 12 to 18 days after the deposit.
What is charged, and what is not
| Quote and dieline | Free |
| Plain structural sample | Free. You pay the courier. |
| Printed sample | Charged at cost, and refunded against a first order over 3,000 pieces |
| Cutting die and printing plates | Included in the unit price for orders at or above the minimum quantity |
| Artwork set-up from your logo files | Free |
| Third-party inspection | Paid by the buyer to the inspection company. We provide the room and the samples. |