Custom Packaging Printing: Steps, Timelines and MOQs from Artwork to F
Custom Packaging Printing: Steps, Timelines and MOQs from Artwork to First Delivery
Custom printed packaging moves through five gates between artwork approval and first delivery: the RFQ with your specification, a digital proof on the actual dieline, your written approval of that proof, production, and export handoff to freight. How long each step takes is quoted per order rather…
Summary
Custom printed packaging moves through five gates between artwork approval and first delivery: the RFQ with your specification, a digital proof on the actual dieline, your written approval of that proof, production, and export handoff to freight. How long each step takes is quoted per order rather than published as a fixed number, because run size, print method, number of versions and the destination port all move the timeline — the one gate a buyer fully controls is proof approval, and slow feedback there is the most common delay. Minimum order quantities are set per SKU and per production route, not per catalog: flexible MOQs apply, some in-stock items support small trial orders, and custom-printed runs are sized by product and print method — as reference points, common printed cup programs often start around 1,000 units and printed bag programs around 5,000, with the binding figure always being the quote for your specific SKU. For a multi-location chain, the practical discipline is to lock one master artwork, decide versioning up front, and treat proof approval as a scheduled milestone.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The Five Gates from Artwork to Delivery
Custom printing is a sequence of confirmations, not a single machine step. A buyer submits the specification — product or category, material, size or capacity, estimated quantity, printing and color or logo requirements, and the destination port or country — and the supplier responds with a quote and a structure proposal. Next comes a digital proof: the artwork placed on the real dieline for the chosen box, cup or bag, which is where sizing, safe zones and panel choices get settled. Production starts only after the buyer confirms that proof in writing. Finished goods are then packed into export cartons, the carton and handoff details are recorded, and the shipment moves to the destination port named in the RFQ.
Each gate exists because a mistake that passes it becomes more expensive at the next one. A sizing error caught at the proof costs a revision; the same error caught after printing costs the run.
What Each Step Typically Takes
No honest supplier publishes one fixed calendar for custom work, because the variables are real: a single-logo, single-version run on an in-stock structure moves faster than five location-specific versions on custom tooling, and ocean transit to different destination ports can differ by weeks. What buyers can rely on is the shape of the timeline. Quoting and structural discussion happen at the start, while quantities and print methods are still flexible. Proofing is a short, focused loop — one round of corrections is normal, and written approval is the trigger that releases production. Production time then depends on the print method and run length, and freight time depends on the route to your port.
The practical planning move is to ask for these durations in the quote itself, per step, and to hold your own team to a review deadline. Treat any supplier who promises a universal number without seeing your SKUs, versions and destination as a flag, not a feature.
Why MOQ Changes from SKU to SKU
There is no such thing as one MOQ for a packaging catalog, because the minimum is set by the economics of each production route. Plate-based printing spreads its setup cost across the run, so a one-color print on a stock cup reaches its floor at a lower volume than a four-color custom box. Forming and converting lines impose their own machine minimums. Material matters too: the same print method on two different structures can carry two different floors.
That is why the same supplier can honestly quote a 1,000-unit floor for a printed cup and a 5,000-unit floor for a printed bag, while some in-stock items support small trial orders for testing before a chain commits. The references above describe common starting points for typical programs — they are not promises, and the number that governs your order is the one in your quote. When comparing suppliers, ask them to state the MOQ per SKU and per print method in writing, then check it against your per-location usage so the order quantity matches real consumption rather than the supplier's convenience.
What Multi-Location Chains Should Settle Before Approving Artwork
For a chain, artwork approval is where the run is won or lost, and three checks matter most. First, scannable and readable elements: any QR code should sit on a flat panel with a clear quiet zone around it, print dark-on-light, stay clear of folds and glue flaps, and carry a short destination link so the code stays simple enough to print small — decisions that belong at the proof stage, not on the press. Second, versioning: decide whether all locations share one master artwork or need per-location variants for addresses, menus or languages, because every additional version adds files to approve and complexity to production. Third, compliance and documentation: required label text and any food-contact paperwork are confirmed per SKU and destination market, and a QR code adds information but does not replace required print.
Chains that skip these decisions discover them as mid-production changes, which restart the proof gate and push the delivery date.
Static Master Artwork or Versioned Variants
The static-versus-dynamic logic that applies to QR codes applies to chain artwork generally. A static master — one artwork, one proof, one production run — is the cheapest and fastest path when every location uses identical packaging. Versioned variants suit chains that need location names, regional menu lines or language changes, and the cost shows up in additional proofs and changeovers rather than in the per-unit print price. A useful middle path is printing a dynamic QR code that points to a redirect you control: the boxes stay identical, while location-specific or updated content lives on the web page, so a menu change does not force a reprint. Keep the print run for what changes rarely, and put what changes often behind the link.
What to Send So the First Quote Is Usable
A usable RFQ contains the fields the supplier will need anyway: product names or categories, materials and sizes or capacities, estimated quantities per SKU, printing and color or logo requirements, and the destination port or country. Add the chain-specific facts — number of locations, expected consumption per location per month, and whether versions per location are needed — and the quote can state MOQ per SKU and per-step timing instead of guessing. During RFQ you can also settle structure, coating, capacity, print method, lid matching and carton packing, which are exactly the items that later become proof revisions if they are left undecided.
Quick Answers
What are the actual steps for a custom printing order?
Specification and RFQ, quote and structure discussion, digital proof on the dieline, your written proof approval, production, export carton packing and handoff to freight to your destination port. Production does not start before written approval of the proof.
How long does each step take?
The steps are fixed; the durations are quoted per order, because run size, number of versions, print method and destination all affect them. Proof approval is the step you control — schedule it — and every downstream date keys off it. Ask for per-step timing in your quote and treat universal fixed promises skeptically.
What is the MOQ for each SKU?
There is no single catalog MOQ. Flexible MOQs apply, some stock items support small trial orders, and custom-printed runs are set by product and production route — common reference points are around 1,000 units for printed cups and around 5,000 for printed bags. The binding number per SKU is always the one in your quote.
Can every location get different artwork?
Yes, as versioned variants, but each version adds proofs and changeovers to the timeline and can affect the MOQ per version. An alternative is one printed master with a dynamic QR code carrying location-specific content online.
Next Step
For a custom-printing request built around your menu, your locations and your destination market, visit Takeawaypack.
