“How much does packaging cost?” This question is hard to answer without details. The price is made up of many factors. Knowing them helps you compare quotes better and adjust the right levers. Here are the main price factors.
The most important factor of all. Set-up costs for printing plates, cutting dies and presses occur once per job, whether 500 or 50,000 units. The higher the run, the more these fixed costs are spread, and the unit price falls. More in our article Small or large print run.
Board grade and thickness have a significant effect on price. Virgin fibre board is usually more expensive than recycled board. Special papers, greyboard for gift boxes or laminated materials cost more still. More in our article How does material choice affect packaging quality?.
Larger packaging needs more material. Another key factor is how many blanks fit on one print sheet. Just a few millimetres can decide whether four or six blanks fit on a sheet. This has a direct impact on price.
A simple folding carton with a tuck-in base is cheaper than a construction with a crash-lock base, inserts or many glue points. Rigid gift boxes made by hand or semi-automatically take more effort than folding cartons.
Varnish, film lamination, hot foil or embossing increase impact and price. Hot foil and embossing also require their own tooling. Our article Special surface finishes gives an overview.
Cutting dies, embossing dies and stamping plates are one-off costs. For reorders of the same packaging, they usually do not apply again. That is why the first order is often more expensive per unit than later reorders.
Gluing in windows, placing inserts, adding sleeves or putting sets together: every additional step takes time.
Standard lead times are the cheapest. Rush jobs that need to be brought forward can incur surcharges.
Transport and packing of the goods are part of the cost. When comparing, check whether delivery is included. We deliver free to your door.
Only compare quotes with identical specifications: material, format, printing, finishing, quantity, delivery and tooling costs. A quote that looks cheap at first can end up more expensive if tooling, data checks or delivery are charged extra. More in our article Ordering custom packaging.
With us, you get a binding fixed price with no hidden costs, including a print data check and free delivery. Send us the dimensions, quantity and design, or put together your packaging in the configurator. You will receive your quote within 24 hours.
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