Quoted for 5,000 when you need 300
First carton
How we solve itFrom ~300 pieces, digital print, no plate charge.
Short-run printing — cartons, manuals and labels
Short-run printing for brands, distributors and project buyers: retail cartons, manuals, inserts and labels from around 300 pieces, printed in the same plant that packs the hardware. Print-only orders welcome — you do not have to buy hardware from us.
Who we print for
If you see yourself in one of these, the rest of this page is written for you.
Brands printing their first carton
You have a product and a listing, and you need a few hundred printed cartons — not five thousand and not a plain brown box.
Distributors printing for a local market
The hardware is already bought; what you need is the manual, the insert and the carton in the language of the market you sell into.
Programmes with several versions
One carton across several models, languages or bundles, each printed to the quantity that version actually sells.
Buyers who only need print
No hardware purchase attached: printed matter produced, packed and shipped on its own schedule.
What those buyers hit
Eight situations we are asked to fix — and the short answer to each.
Told to buy the hardware to get the carton
Print-only buyers
How we solve itPrint-only orders accepted, no hardware purchase attached.
Files returned: no dieline, no bleed
First carton
How we solve itWe draw the dieline and pre-flight your files.
The proof looks right, the carton does not
First carton
How we solve itA physical sample on the real board before the run.
The reprint comes back a different shade
Repeat programmes
How we solve itFiles, board spec and approved sample kept on file.
Six models, four languages, six times the cost
Multi-version programmes
How we solve itVariable versions printed in one digital run.
Wrong barcode, missing importer address
Local market
How we solve itCompliance marks and barcode checked per market.
Cartons arrive late and the order waits
Distributors
How we solve itPrinted in the same plant that packs your order.
What we bring to a short run
Printing runs in the same organisation that builds and packs the hardware — which is why a few hundred cartons is a normal work order here rather than a favour.
By the numbers
From ~300 cartons
Retail cartons, sleeves and headers printed in quantities a pilot or a first retail listing can absorb, not a container-load.
No plate charge on digital
Digital print removes plates and make-ready from the cost, which is what makes short runs and extra language versions economical.
2 approvals before the run
A digital proof with the dieline, then a physical sample on the real board and finish. Nothing is printed in quantity before sign-off.
+3–7 working days
What printing adds when it runs with your hardware order. Proofing runs in parallel, so you are not waiting on a second queue.
What stands behind the run
Printing inside the packing plant
Cartons, manuals and labels are printed where the hardware is assembled and packed, so the printed pack is on the line when the units are ready instead of in transit from somewhere else.
Compliance marks done right
CE, FCC, UKCA and WEEE marks, importer details and barcode placement checked against the destination market before the run, so the printed pack clears without a repack.
Packaging engineering
Retail box, sleeve, blister, bulk carton and e-commerce packaging engineered for transport and tested before the run, so the printed carton survives the journey it will actually take.
Logistics and market access
DDP or DDU to EU and US warehouses, FBA-ready labelling and carton marks, consolidated with your hardware or shipped as print alone.
Documentation and Cloud Disk
Manuals, quick start cards, datasheets and packing lists in your language, with print files and certificates published for every programme you run.
Files on file, service after sale
Dielines, print files and approved samples are kept against your programme, so the second run is faster than the first and matches it.
How a short print run goes, step by step
Cartons from around 300 pieces; inserts, manuals and labels to the quantity you need.
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01
Send the brief and the artwork
Tell us what you need printed, for which market and roughly how many. Artwork, or just the product dimensions, is enough to start.
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02
Dieline and pre-press check
We draw the dieline against the real product and pre-flight bleed, resolution, fonts and colour.
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03
Approve the proof
A digital proof, then a physical sample on the real board and finish before the run starts.
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04
Print, finish and cut
Offset or digital by quantity and version count, then laminated, die-cut and creased.
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05
Pack with the order, or ship the print on its own
Onto the packing line with your hardware, or shipped flat or assembled to your warehouse or 3PL.
What we need from you
| Artwork | Vector AI, PDF or SVG preferred; images at 300 dpi at print size |
|---|---|
| Colour and fonts | Pantone reference or CMYK values; fonts outlined or embedded |
| Dieline | Supplied by you, or drawn by us from the product dimensions — included in the quotation |
| Copy and languages | Carton and manual text per market; translation supplied by you or quoted by us |
| Barcode and compliance | EAN/UPC number, plus the compliance marks your destination market requires |
Send what you have — if the artwork is only a low-resolution bitmap, we redraw it as vector and send the file back for your records.
Commercial terms
| Quotation | Process recommendation, dieline scope and proof timeline within two working days; valid for 30 days |
|---|---|
| Set-up and unit price | Plate and make-ready quoted separately where offset is used; no plate charge on digital runs |
| Added lead time | 3–7 working days when printed with your hardware order; standalone print on its own schedule |
| Repeat runs | Dieline, print files and approved sample kept on file, so the second run is faster and matches the first |
Standard terms for a first print run. Plates, make-ready and repeat-run pricing are stated separately on every quotation, so nothing is hidden in the unit price.
What buyers ask before the first run
How small can a print run be?
Cartons start from around 300 pieces; inserts, manuals and labels follow the quantity you need. The practical minimum for your size and finish is on the quotation.
Can I order printing without buying hardware from you?
Yes. Printing is a standalone service — send the artwork and the dimensions, or ask us to draw the dieline.
I do not have a dieline — can you produce one?
Yes. Give us the product dimensions and the format you want; we draw the dieline and check the artwork against it.
Can I see a sample before the run starts?
Yes. A digital proof within two to four working days, then a physical sample on the real board and finish — production starts after you sign off.
Can you print several languages or model versions in one run?
Yes. Digital print handles variable versions in one run, each to the quantity that version needs.
Will a reprint match the first run?
Yes. Dielines, print files, board specification and the approved sample stay on file, so a reprint starts from what you accepted.
Tell us what you need printed
Send the artwork, the format and the quantity — or just the product dimensions if the carton does not exist yet. You will receive the recommended process, a dieline if you need one, the proof timeline and the cost split between set-up and per-piece. Print-only orders are welcome, and a quotation carries no obligation to proceed.