Products | Custom Paper Packaging Manufacturer

Selector

Which packaging format should you choose?

Most first orders fail on structure, not on print. Compare the six formats on the numbers that decide it: what the pack has to survive, the smallest run that makes sense, and how long it takes to reach you. Prices are 2026 FOB bands at 3,000 pcs, unprinted to 4-colour.

Format	Choose it when	MOQ	Unit price	Die / plate	Production
Luxury rigid boxes	The unboxing is part of the product — gifting, cosmetics, spirits, electronics. Holds shape on a retail shelf and survives being handled.	500 pcs	$0.85–2.40	$200–600	15–20 days
Folding cartons	Single-use retail packs that ship flat: supplements, confectionery, cosmetics, accessories. The cheapest route above 10,000 pcs.	1,000 pcs	$0.18–0.55	$80–260	10–15 days
Corrugated & mailers	The pack itself is posted: D2C e-commerce, subscription boxes, fragile goods needing double wall, FBA-ready master cartons.	1,000 pcs	$0.35–0.90	Quoted per dieline	10–15 days
Paper bags	Carry-out at retail, trade shows and events. Twisted or flat paper handles for volume, cotton rope and eyelets for premium.	1,000 pcs	$0.22–0.60	Quoted per dieline	12–15 days
Printed materials	Catalogs, manuals, brochures and inserts that must match the pack colour for colour — same press, same ink recipe.	500 pcs	Quoted per title	Plates per title	7–12 days
Custom & ODM	No dieline yet, or an existing pack that needs re-engineering. We design the structure, prototype it, then run the same line.	500–1,000 pcs	Quoted per project	Included	18–25 days

Rule of thumb: rigid boxes cost roughly 3–5× a folding carton of the same footprint. If the pack is opened once and thrown away, a carton does the job; if it is picked up, re-closed and kept, the rigid box pays for itself.

Cost

What does a first order actually cost to start?

Setup, not unit price, is what surprises first-time buyers. The numbers below are the ranges we quote in 2026 for export orders, tooling included.

“Packaging waste generated in the EU reached 81.5 million tonnes in 2024 — 181 kg per inhabitant — of which paper and cardboard was the largest fraction at 40.8%.”

Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics · 2024 data, published 2026

Die & plate setup$80–260 per SKU for a folding carton, $200–600 for a rigid box with a wrapped lid. One-time, reusable on reorders.

Sample$60–150 including courier, credited back against the first production order above 5,000 pcs.

Unit price bandRigid boxes $0.85–2.40 · folding cartons $0.18–0.55 · mailers $0.35–0.90 · bags $0.22–0.60 (at 3,000 pcs, unprinted to 4-colour).

What we need from you to quote in two working days

Six details decide 90% of the price. Send them together and you get a firm number, not a range:

Dimensions and weight — finished L×W×H in mm, plus what goes inside the pack.
Material — board or paper grade if you have one; otherwise we propose from the swatch book.
Artwork — AI or PDF with 3 mm bleed and outlined fonts, or reference images if there is no file yet.
Finishes — hot foil, emboss, spot UV, window patching, matte or soft-touch lamination.
Quantity — target run and whether it ships flat or assembled.
Delivery — destination city and Incoterm: FOB Shenzhen/Guangzhou, CIF or DDP.

Sources & standards FSC chain-of-custody certification Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation ISTA — transit-test protocols for shipped packaging

FAQ

Common questions about ordering packaging

What is the minimum order quantity for custom paper packaging?

Rigid gift boxes start at 500 pcs, folding cartons and corrugated mailers at 1,000 pcs, paper bags at 1,000 pcs and printed materials at 500 pcs. Below those volumes the die-cutting and plate setup is spread over too few units to be worth it — we will say so rather than quote a number that loses money for both sides.

How do I choose between rigid boxes and folding cartons?

Rigid boxes use 1.5–2.5 mm greyboard wrapped in printed paper: they hold shape, survive being picked up repeatedly in store, and cost roughly 3–5× a folding carton. Choose them when the unboxing is part of the product (gifting, cosmetics, electronics). Choose folding cartons when the pack is single-use, ships flat, or runs above 10,000 pcs.

How long does a first order take from artwork to delivery?

A physical sample takes 5–8 working days after artwork is approved. Production runs 12–20 working days for folding cartons and 18–25 for rigid boxes with hand-assembled inserts. Add 3–5 days for sea freight documentation and 18–30 days transit to Europe or North America.

Can you produce packaging that complies with the EU PPWR?

Yes. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 applies from 12 August 2026 and requires recyclable mono-material structures, limits on empty space, and a harmonised labelling set. We build to it by default with FSC-certified board, water-based inks and paper-based instead of plastic lamination, and we supply the material declarations your compliance file needs.

Do you print in-house or outsource?

All printing and finishing runs in our Guangzhou plant: 6-colour offset, hot foil, embossing, spot UV, window patching and hand assembly. Nothing is subcontracted, which is why colour matches across reorders — we keep the ink recipe and the plates.

Paper packaging, engineered end to end

What can KUBO Paper manufacture for you?

Luxury Rigid Boxes

Folding Cartons

Corrugated & Mailers

Paper Bags

Printed Materials

Custom & ODM

Materials & Finishes Guide