Custom Shipping Box Artwork Guidelines
CUSTOM SHIPPING BOX ARTWORK GUIDELINES
Design custom shipping boxes with ease. Start here with our guidelines which serve as an overview of our post-production printing parameters. We have a real, live human proof your artwork prior to production to ensure your vision is captured into a beautifully finished product.
Dielines
Fill out your shipping box details and receive a downloadable dieline. If you're interested in multiple shipping box styles or sizes, please submit a request for each style and size.
Use our dieline to place and size your artwork to your specifications. Use your artwork or your dieline as your art file when placing your order.
Plate Pricing & Print Coverage
Our tiered pricing structure for printing plates is based on the style and size of your box and the number of printed panels. Prices start at $95 for a single panel print, average about $200 for a mid-coverage print, and can be $300-800 for a full coverage print. Each printed color and printed side will require a plate. Plates are a one-time cost for a particular design.
We will let you know during proofing if we need to change your coverage and plate fee.
Tab Locking, Literature Mailer, One Panel Fold, Tray
Mid Coverage Print
Printing plates cover half of the size of the flat box.
For exterior prints, it's a printed top panel + front and/or back panel, or printing on the left/right flaps that tuck into the box. For interior prints, it's a bottom panel + back or right/left panel.
Full Coverage Print
Printing plates cover more than half of the size of the flat box.
Full coverage prints include printing on the top panel and the left or right side of the box, and/or the bottom of the box. They are often full-wrap prints across an entire box.
| Longest Dimension | Single Panel | Mid Coverage | Full Coverage |
| 10 inches or less | $95 | $125 | $350 |
| Between 10 and 15 inches | $125 | $200 | $500 |
| Over 15 inches | $175 | $350 | $800 |
Regular Slotted Container, Five Panel Fold
Panel Coverage
RSC and FPF have 4 printable panels. The top or bottom flaps of any given “side” of the box are not considered individual panels.
| Longest Dimension | 1 Panel | 2 Panels | 3+ Panels |
| 10 inches or less | $95 | $175 | $500 |
| Between 10 and 15 inches | $150 | $300 | $1000 |
| Over 15 inches | $300 | $500 | $1750 |
Art Orientation Guidelines
Reference these layouts that show how to orient your artwork on your template so your design is perfect once folded.
Tab-Locking
Hover over template to reveal our panel numbering system.
Text This Way ensures text is orientated correctly once box is folded.
Red hidden panels are not visible once the box is folded.
Tape represents carton sealing tape placement once box is sealed.
Literature Mailer
Hover over template to reveal our panel numbering system.
Text This Way ensures text is orientated correctly once box is folded.
Red hidden panels are not visible once the box is folded.
Tape represents carton sealing tape placement once box is sealed.
Regular Slotted Container
Hover over template to reveal our panel numbering system.
Red hidden panels are not visible once the box is folded.
Tape represents carton sealing tape placement once box is sealed.
One Panel Fold
Hover over template to reveal our panel numbering system.
Red hidden panels are not visible once the box is folded.
Tape represents carton sealing tape placement once box is sealed.
Five Panel Fold
Hover over template to reveal our panel numbering system.
Red hidden panels are not visible once the box is folded.
Tape represents carton sealing tape placement once box is sealed.
Ink & Color
We use flexographic printing with water-based inks. Choose from 20 stock ink colors, including black Algae Ink™, or custom ink colors at an additional cost.
Our standard is 1-color, 1- or 2-sided prints.
Color Matching
It is critical to note that colors may render differently on a digital screen and that colors in your digital proof are only used as reference.
You may request a complimentary physical sample of any stock ink color or a swatch of your custom color on our corrugated material. This will provide you with the most accurate representation of the color. Request an ink sample.
Stock Ink Colors
Art Requirements
- File Format: Vector required, AI preferred, PDF accepted
- Outline all fonts and embed all supporting files
- Minimum Font Size (Standard): 12 pt Helvetica
- Minimum Font Size (Reverse-Out): 14 pt Helvetica
- Minimum Stroke Size (Standard): 1 pt
- Minimum Stroke Size (Reverse-Out): 2 pt
- Minimum Size of Spaces to Avoid Fill-in: 1/16"
- Minimum Bleed: 1/8"
- Minimum QR Code Size: 1" x 1"
- Barcodes Must Include Bearer Bar
We have a 50% print coverage maximum. Your design may not cover more than 50% of the flat box per box side - no flood coating, heavy ink coverage, or full bleeds.
We have a 1/8" vertical and horizontal movement tolerance. You may see up to 1/8" of movement in your print.
We require vector format so we can scale designs without losing detail. Raster images are pixelated and these pixels can be visible in the final print.
Barcodes
Must meet art requirements plus the below:
- Maintain 2pt space between lines
- Black is highly recommended for scannability
- Light colors are not permitted
Flood Coating
We have a 50% print coverage maximum. Your design may not cover more than 50% of the flat box per box side - no flood coating, heavy ink coverage, or full bleeds.
We are cautious when it comes to flood coating large surface areas on any of our products. Printing large ink bodies may lead to uneven coverage or speckling where the corrugate shows through the ink. This is especially common with our B-Flute box, where the spacing between the fluting is more pronounced.
Two-Color Printing
We can see up to 1/8” movement per color and 1/4" movement between two colors. We strongly recommend that your box design not require the two colors to interact precisely with each other.
For example, if your design has an “i” in it, we would not recommend that you dot your “i” with a different color because the dot could be up to 1/8” inches off in registration.
We recommend that your color scheme not require a light color to be printed on top of a dark color. For example, if your design is black and white, this would be feasible as long as the black design elements were always on top of the white design elements.
The layering of the two colors has to be consistent throughout. If you are printing in green and orange and have green layering on top of the orange design component in one spot, the green design components must be on top of the orange throughout.
These recommendations are driven by the fact that we use flexographic printing. A flexible plate with your design is inked and pressed on your custom-cut shipping box. We will create a plate for each color, and each plate will be inked and pressed on your box sequentially.
Lead Time
Lead time is the estimated time to process your order for shipment and does not include transit time.
For branded orders, lead time begins after artwork proof and, if applicable, ink swatch approval.
What does this mean?
When you place a branded order, our Design Team reviews the artwork files attached to your order and creates an artwork proof. We then send your artwork proof to you for review and approval. We highlight any adjustments made, emphasize potential print risks, and request additional files or information.
Once the proof suits your design vision and aligns with our printing capabilities, we request your written approval. After we receive your written approval, your lead time begins.
Ship 1,000+ Orders Per Week?
We love working with enterprise brands on unique, high-volume custom shipping box projects. Minimum order quantities start at 25,000 square feet of material.
Questions?
New to custom packaging or have questions? We are happy to share our experience and thoughts on how to bring your vision to life. We work closely with you during the entire process - from art proof to delivery to your door.