Getting started
How to Brief a Packaging Supplier
Most quoting delays are caused by a brief that describes a box instead of a product. Six pieces of information usually replace three rounds of email.
The six things a supplier actually needs
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What goes in the box
The product, described plainly, with dimensions or a photograph. This determines the size, and it is the thing most briefs leave out.
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What it weighs when filled
Not the box weight — the finished pack. It determines the board more directly than the size does.
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How it reaches the customer
Inside an outer carton, in a mailing bag, or alone through a carrier. Three different specifications.
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The quantity, or a range
Fixed costs dominate at low volume, so the quantity changes what is worth specifying. A range is fine; silence is not.
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The date it has to exist
The on-shelf or launch date, not your preferred delivery date. Everything is scheduled backward from the immovable one.
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Anything already fixed
A brand color, a required claim, a retailer specification, a barcode. Constraints are useful; discovering them later is not.
What you do not need to have decided
- The board weight — that comes from the contents
- The finish — it can be chosen after the structure is settled
- The exact dimensions — those come from the product
- The material, if you are unsure — say what the artwork does instead
- The die shape, unless you have a specific reason
Send the product if you can
A physical sample removes more uncertainty than any amount of description. Nominal dimensions differ from real ones, products settle differently than they are drawn, and a hand-made item varies in ways a specification sheet will not capture.
Where sending one is impractical, measured dimensions plus a photograph with something for scale gets most of the way there. Our measuring guide covers how to take those measurements so they mean the same thing to both of us.
What to expect back
- A written quote with the specification stated, not just a price
- A dieline drawn to your product, with usable print areas marked
- A clear answer about lead time that includes transit
- An offer of a physical sample before you commit
- An honest note about anything in the brief that will not work
Comparing quotes fairly
Two quotes at different prices are usually two different specifications. Before deciding, check the board weight, the number of print colors, whether lamination is included, whether tooling is charged separately, and whether the delivery date includes transit.
A cheaper quote on a lighter board with fewer colors is not a better deal, it is a different product. Getting both suppliers to quote the same specification is the only comparison that means anything.
Turning a vague brief into a quotable one
The left column is what we usually receive; the right column is what lets us answer without a round trip.
| Vague | Quotable |
|---|---|
| "A small kraft box" | "A box for a 100 g soap bar, 90 × 60 × 25 mm, unwrapped" |
| "Good quality board" | "The filled pack weighs 130 g and ships in a mailing bag" |
| "A few thousand" | "2,000, but show me 1,000 and 5,000 as well" |
| "As soon as possible" | "On a shelf by 1 November" |
| "Something premium" | "Matte laminate and a small gold foil mark, if it fits the budget" |
Questions this raises
What is the single most useful thing to include?
The product itself, or its measured dimensions and filled weight. Everything else in the specification follows from that.
Do I need to know what board I want?
No, and guessing is worse than saying you are unsure. Tell us the contents and their weight and the board is specified from that.
Why do you ask for the launch date rather than the delivery date?
Because the launch date is the one that cannot move. Scheduling backward from it, with a proofing round included, is the only way to find out early whether it is achievable.
How do I compare two quotes?
Check that they describe the same specification — board weight, colors, lamination, tooling and whether the date includes transit. Different prices usually mean different products.