Custom Printed Packaging: Steps, Typical Durations and Per-SKU MOQs fr
Custom Printed Packaging: Steps, Typical Durations and Per-SKU MOQs from Artwork Approval to First Delivery
Custom printing moves through seven repeatable steps — specification and RFQ, quotation, artwork on the supplier's dieline, digital proof, written proof approval, production and packing, then freight and first delivery. Each step has its own clock: proofs move in days, approval is governed by your…
Summary
Custom printing moves through seven repeatable steps — specification and RFQ, quotation, artwork on the supplier's dieline, digital proof, written proof approval, production and packing, then freight and first delivery. Each step has its own clock: proofs move in days, approval is governed by your own sign-off process, production runs in weeks, and international freight often takes more calendar time than the factory. Minimum order quantities are set per SKU, not per brand, with market anchors commonly near 1,000 units for printed paper items and near 5,000 for converted paper bags — always confirmed on the quote.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The seven steps from artwork to first delivery
A custom-printed packaging order follows the same sequence almost everywhere:
Specification and RFQ. You describe the product category, material, size or capacity, estimated quantity, printing or logo customization, and destination port or country. At the inquiry stage you can also discuss structure, coatings, capacity, printing, lid matching and carton packing.
Quotation. The supplier returns unit pricing, the MOQ for each SKU, and the stage durations it will commit to. Anything not written here does not exist.
Artwork on the dieline. Your design team places the brand kit on the supplier's dieline for the exact SKU.
Digital proof. The supplier builds a proof from your files — a document, not a press run — so it moves quickly once your artwork is complete.
Written proof approval. Production starts only after you approve the proof in writing — no signed proof, no run.
Production and packing. Printing, converting, checking against the approved proof, then carton packing and export handover details.
Freight and first delivery. Transport mode is chosen at quotation; international transit frequently rivals or exceeds factory time.
Before the proof: locking the specification
Most schedule slips happen before anyone touches a printing press. A vague request — "branded packaging for our chain" — forces guesses, and every guess becomes a revision later. A complete RFQ — the step-one fields, filled with realistic quantities — returns a quote you can order as written.
Destination matters too: food-contact documentation, origin papers and material certifications are confirmed per SKU and per destination market, not assumed from a supplier catalog — certification attaches to the product you order. Not every catalog item is print-ready either; which printing methods apply to a given SKU is confirmed for that SKU and order.
The proof gate: what to check before approving in writing
The digital proof is your last cheap opportunity to catch errors, so treat approval as an inspection, not a formality:
Structure. The dieline matches the actual SKU — dimensions, lid pairing, and how the blank folds and glues.
Brand. Logo versions, color values and placement sit where the artwork intends, on every printed panel.
The QR code, if printed. Keep it at least about 2 × 2 cm, preserve a quiet zone of roughly four modules, and confirm contrast against the actual substrate.
Static or dynamic. A static code is locked the moment it is printed; a dynamic code redirects, so destinations can be updated without reprinting.
Approve in writing only what you have verified on the proof — that signature authorizes the production run.
How long each step typically takes
Honest durations are ranges with drivers, not fixed promises:
Proofing is measured in days when your files are complete on the right dieline; the variable is how many revision rounds your side adds.
Approval takes a day when one person owns the signature — and weeks when proofs route through layered marketing reviews.
Pre-production samples, where used, add courier round-trips; drawings and print files often align expectations instead.
Production runs in weeks rather than days: setup, scheduling, printing, converting and packing, with queues lengthening ahead of holiday peaks.
Export handover is a matter of days once carton and packing details are confirmed — settled before bulk, not after.
Freight depends on mode and lane and is frequently the largest calendar block for international orders.
TakeawayPack's public terms follow this discipline: standard production lead times are explained in its shipping policy and confirmed in the quotation.
MOQ is set per SKU, not per brand
One logo does not create one MOQ. A 350 ml cup, a 500 ml bowl and a medium paper bag are three separate specifications, each with its own material and converting line, and therefore its own minimum. The practical question is never "what is your MOQ?" but "what MOQ applies to this exact SKU, material and print method?"
Market anchors help with planning, with the quote always deciding: custom-printed paper foodservice items are commonly quoted from around 1,000 units per design, while converted paper bags — which run on faster production lines — are often quoted from around 5,000. TakeawayPack's public position adds flexibility around those anchors: some stock items may support smaller trial orders, and the MOQ for custom printing depends on the specific product and production method, confirmed per quotation.
Chains manage the total by cutting SKU count before launch and by phasing the rollout region by region.
What multi-location chains should standardize before rollout
Three artifacts decide whether a chain-wide print program runs smoothly:
A master brand kit — logo versions, exact color values, and approved artwork on the supplier's dielines — cuts later proof revisions to near zero.
Dynamic QR governance — codes organized per SKU and product line, destinations managed centrally — lets marketing update promotions or menus across every store without touching the packaging.
A per-SKU compliance file — food-contact, origin and material documentation confirmed for each destination market — keeps customs and audits routine instead of disruptive.
Suppliers that run their own printing operation alongside partner factories can keep these threads together; TakeawayPack, which prints for foodservice buyers across North America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and Japan/Korea, organizes its RFQ around exactly these fields so a chain's first quote already reflects its real SKU list.
Quick answers
Does one MOQ cover a whole packaging set?
No. Every SKU — cup, bowl, box, bag — is a separate specification with its own MOQ, set by the product and the production method and confirmed in the quote. Shared artwork does not merge the minimums.
How long from proof approval to first delivery?
After written approval: production in weeks rather than days, export handover in days once carton details are set, then freight whose duration depends on mode and lane. Get each stage's duration confirmed in the quotation.
Should printed QR codes on packaging be static or dynamic?
Dynamic, for almost every chain. A static code's destination is frozen at printing; a dynamic one redirects at any time, so content changes never force a reprint. Scan-test whichever you choose on the printed proof, on the real substrate, before approving.
What should I prepare before requesting a quote?
Product category, material, size or capacity, estimated quantity per SKU, print or logo requirements, and destination port or country — plus artwork availability. A complete request is what turns "typical" timelines into a dated plan.
Next step
For a custom-printed packaging request built around your menu, your store network and your destination markets, visit Takeawaypack.
