Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
Kraft Packaging
Sustainable Packaging
Specify thisSustainable Packaging
Custom minimal Packaging produced to your size and substrate, with printing and finishing handled in one run.
No obligation
Name, email, phone and what you are packing. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.
Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims requiring three different kinds of evidence. Brands get into trouble by treating them as one.
Tell us which claim you intend to print on the pack and we will specify a material that supports it, or say plainly that it does not exist at your price point.
Minimal Packaging hold a product with the secondary packaging stripped back to what the job actually requires. That is the starting point for the specification, because right-sizing beats lightweighting. A box cut to the product ships more units per pallet and cuts dimensional weight, and it does not increase damage the way thinner board does.
In service they are used for brands reducing packaging weight and shipping volume, usually with a published target to meet.
The lightest board that holds the measured damage rate, established with a sample run rather than assumed.
The options we would consider for this format are below; right-sizing beats lightweighting. A box cut to the product ships more units per pallet and cuts dimensional weight, and it does not increase damage the way thinner board does.
The honest trade-offs between the stocks we would consider for this format.
| Material | Cost vs conventional | Recovery route |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled CCNB | 0–5% higher | Kerbside, widely accepted |
| Virgin SBS | Baseline | Kerbside, best print surface |
| Kraft board | Baseline | Kerbside, natural finish |
| Certified compostable | 20–40% higher | Industrial facilities only |
One or two colours on uncoated stock. Restraint reads as intent here, where a full-bleed print undercuts the message.
Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.
Right-sized to the product with the smallest workable clearance, which is where most of the material saving comes from.
Send the contents rather than a box size. Minimal is read as thinner board, when almost all of the real saving comes from right-sizing the box rather than lightening it.
Send the product dimensions, the quantity and your deadline. What comes back is a board grade, a structure, a print method, a lead time and a written price — not a number on its own.
A dieline template follows, sized to your product. Prepress checks your artwork against it and issues a proof; nothing runs until you sign that off.
A plain structural sample is the cheapest way to find a fit problem — far cheaper than finding it across a full run.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
| Product | Minimal Packaging |
|---|---|
| Category | Sustainable Packaging |
| Construction | Die-cut, creased and seam-glued |
| Board thickness | 12pt – 18pt depending on product weight |
| Ships as | Flat-packed, glued one seam |
| Materials | 12pt SBS paperboard, 14pt SBS paperboard, 16pt SBS paperboard, 18pt kraft board |
| Printing | Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography |
| Finishes | Gloss lamination, Matte lamination, Soft-touch lamination, Spot UV, Foil stamping |
| Minimum order | Minimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises. |
| Lead time | 3 to 5 business days after artwork approval |
| Shipping | Across the US, UK, Canada and Australia |
Specification builder
Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.
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What you get
Right-sized to the product with the smallest workable clearance, which is where most of the material saving comes from.
Material is cut so far that damage rates rise, and replacing damaged orders costs more carbon and more money than the packaging ever saved.
Specified for brands reducing packaging weight and shipping volume, usually with a published target to meet.
Right-sizing beats lightweighting. A box cut to the product ships more units per pallet and cuts dimensional weight, and it does not increase damage the way thinner board does.
This format sits in our sustainable packaging range, alongside 5 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Specification, minimums and lead times for minimal packaging.
Further on size than on thickness. Right-sizing the box cuts material, dimensional weight and pallet space without raising damage, whereas thinning the board raises damage quite quickly. We would suggest a sample run at the lighter spec before committing a full order.
Slightly, at the same caliper — recycled fibres are shorter, so the board is a little less stiff and takes on moisture a little faster. Stepping up one caliper generally restores the performance while keeping the recycled claim intact.
We can state the recycled content of the board and supply the mill documentation behind it. We do not issue certifications ourselves, and we would rather give you the underlying evidence than a claim you cannot substantiate.
Flat and glued along one seam, so they pop open on your packing line. That keeps freight cost down considerably compared with a pre-assembled structure.
Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. It also means a reorder can be priced against a larger quantity without re-opening the specification.
Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for folding cartons. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.
A print-ready PDF or a vector file, with fonts outlined and any raster images at 300 dpi at final size. We supply the dieline to design onto, and prepress checks bleed, safe area and crease clearance before issuing a proof. If you are printing on an uncoated or kraft stock, approve a printed sample rather than a digital proof — the substrate pulls colour down noticeably.
A flat 100 units on any format. Most folding cartons in this range are quoted from 100 units upward because unit cost falls sharply above that, but the minimum exists so you can validate a structure first.
3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Folding carton runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. For this format the biggest levers are quantity, print route, board grade and how many finishing passes are involved. We quote each element separately so you can see where the money is going. Finishing passes are the lever buyers most often underestimate: each one is a separate run through the line.
Yes. We can send a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure, or a printed prototype for colour and finish. Sample costs are normally credited against the production order. A plain sample answers fit and structure; a printed one answers colour. On minimal packaging it is usually fit that is worth checking first.
Send the current specification or a physical sample and we will quote to match it rather than proposing an alternative you would then have to re-approve internally. A physical sample tells us more than a specification sheet — board caliper and coating are usually described loosely and measured exactly.
Related formats
Next step
Send the dimensions and quantity you need. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.