What "custom" actually means here
Nothing we make is a stock item. There is no catalogue of box sizes to pick from, because a vial that is a millimetre wider than the one a stock box was designed for is a vial that rattles.
Custom means the die line is drawn for your carton, the cavity is cut from your vial, and the board grade is chosen for what your pack weighs when it is loaded. It also means there is a specification stage before there is a price, which is why enquiries start with questions rather than with a quote.
- Made to order — Every die line, cavity and tray is produced for the job it belongs to.
- Specified, not selected — The structure follows from the contents and the journey, not from a size chart.
- Fit-tested — A physical sample with your vial in it, before production is released.
- Low minimums — So a first run or a pilot is practical rather than theoretical.
The decisions, in order
Packaging decisions interlock, and taking them out of order is the commonest way to lose a week. This is the sequence that works.
- 1. The vial — Body diameter, cap diameter, total height, filled weight. Everything else derives from these — see packaging by vial size.
- 2. The count — How many vials share one box, and whether anything else shares it. This is covered on the vial kit boxes hub.
- 3. The journey — Does the box travel on its own or inside an outer case? This single question decides most of the insert specification.
- 4. The structure — Folding, assembled or split. The box styles hub compares all eight constructions, including where each fails.
- 5. The insert — Paperboard, foam or formed tray, weighed against cost, protection and recyclability on the inserts hub.
- 6. Material and print — Substrate, coating, colour method and finishing — the layer where late savings are easiest to make.
What we supply as one job
It is usually cheaper and always more consistent to produce the components of a pack together rather than sourcing them separately.
- Primary carton or box — The unit that holds the vials.
- Insert — Die-cut paperboard, foam, partitions or a formed tray.
- Vial labels — Produced alongside the carton so colour matches across substrates.
- Outer case or shipper — Sized to the loaded pack rather than to a stock dimension.
- Display units — Where the product is sold from a counter rather than stored.
Producing cartons and labels together matters more than people expect: they are different substrates and reproduce process colour differently, so a shared spot reference is the only way to get them close.
What we do not do
Being specific about this saves everyone time.
- We do not supply peptides, medications, compounds, vials, closures, diluent, coolant or vial contents of any kind.
- We do not fill, seal, assemble or store product. Everything we ship is empty.
- We do not review artwork content for mandatory statements, warnings, claims or regulatory requirements.
- We do not certify thermal or transit performance, and we do not state cold-chain hold times.
- We do not provide graphic design. Free design support means die lines, structural advice and preflight.
The full statement of scope sits on the packaging disclaimer page.
Typical project shapes
- A first product — One vial size, a single-vial carton, a die-cut insert, matching labels. Low minimum, sample-led, usually four decisions in total.
- A range — Two or three vial sizes sharing artwork, colour and finishing but with separate die lines. Worth planning together so a case footprint can be shared.
- A kit — Several unlike components in one insert, with position marking and a printed inner lid. The format where getting every component up front matters most.
- Trade supply — Plain or one-colour cartons with a reserved over-label zone, and partitioned corrugated cases. Cost per unit dominates.
- Direct-to-customer — A printed corrugated mailer with a foam insert, doing the job of both product box and shipper.
Where the money goes
If the budget is finite, the order below is the one we would recommend, and it is not the order most briefs arrive in.
- Structure — Weight and squareness register before anything is read. The largest single cost and the hardest to change.
- Interior — A fitted cavity and a printed inner surface. Cheaper than most people assume and more noticed.
- Surface — Soft-touch or a good uncoated paper does more than any decorative effect.
- One decorative effect — Executed properly on one element. Three effects on one panel read as busy.
The costs and constraints of each process are set out on the printing and finishes page.
Questions about this
Where should I start if I have never ordered packaging before?
With the vial. Post us three or four from the batch you will actually run, tell us how many go in a box and whether that box ships on its own, and we can propose a full specification from that alone.
Do I need to know the box dimensions?
No, and we would rather you did not guess them. Internal dimensions are derived from the vial plus the insert, and an assumed figure usually turns out to be a few millimetres out in a way that matters.
Can you produce everything for a pack, or just the box?
Everything — carton, insert, labels, outer case and display unit if you need one. Producing them together is more consistent and usually cheaper than sourcing separately.
How long does a project take?
It depends on the structure, whether tooling is needed and how quickly artwork and samples are approved. We give a schedule with the quote rather than a site-wide figure, because a folding carton and a wrapped rigid box are not comparable.
What if I already have packaging and want it improved?
Send us the existing pack and a vial. We can usually tell you what is causing a problem — void space, insert type, board caliper, coating on a label area — and what the cheapest fix is.
Do you charge for die lines and samples?
Die lines and structural advice are part of the job. Sample charges depend on whether tooling has to be made first, and we say so explicitly in the quote rather than after.