How an order runs, and what has to be agreed before it starts
This is a made-to-order operation: the tooling does not exist until your dimensions do. That single fact sets the sequence below, and it is why a sample comes before a production run on every order rather than on request.
The sequence
Brief and quotation
Product dimensions and weight, market, quantity, finish direction, destination. The quotation separates tooling from unit price and states the shipment term, so the number you compare is a landed cost rather than a headline.
Dieline
Once the format and dimensions are fixed, we issue the cut and crease drawing at 1:1. Artwork is placed on this, not on a guessed template.
Artwork and proof
You send artwork to the checklist on the downloads page. We return a proof showing how it will print on the specified substrate. The proof is what gets signed off — not the screen version.
Sample
3–15 days from approved artwork, depending on the number of processes involved. A physical sample in the production material, at the production finish, is sent for approval.
Production
7–20 days after sample approval. The range reflects whether the job is a single print-and-die pass or involves forming, gluing and hand assembly.
Inspection and shipment
Final check against count and packing list, then shipment on the agreed term.
Quantities
| Standard MOQ | 3,000 pcs per item. This is roughly where the tooling set-up stops dominating the unit price. |
|---|---|
| Below MOQ | Produced to order. The unit price will be higher because the same set-up is spread over fewer pieces — the figure is quoted rather than refused. |
| Repeat runs | Tooling already exists, so the second run avoids that cost and usually has a shorter lead time. |
Shipping
- Samples go by express air on DAP — FedEx, UPS or DHL — because a sample that takes three weeks to arrive has not done its job.
- Bulk can ship by express air, by sea freight on DAP, or on DDP, whichever you choose. The term is stated on the quotation, not assumed.
- Terms available across orders: EXW, FOB, DAP and DDP.
- Packing is standard export carton. OPP bagging, dividers or individual bagging are added on request — worth specifying at quotation stage rather than after the run.
Changes, and where they cost money
- Before tooling is cut — dimensions, format and artwork can all change. This is the cheap window, and it is why the dieline and proof stages exist.
- After tooling is cut — a dimensional change means new tooling. A print change usually does not, but it does mean a new proof and a new plate or screen set.
- After the sample is approved — production is committed. Changes at this point are handled as a new run, and the cost is the run, not the edit.
Start with a brief
Dimensions, quantity, market and destination. That is usually enough for a costed quotation.