{"id":989151,"date":"2025-04-29T13:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T11:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/promopack.es\/packaging-small-runs-100-500-units\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T14:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T13:48:16","slug":"packaging-small-runs-100-500-units","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/packaging-small-runs-100-500-units\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you print packaging in small runs (100-500 units)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"vgblk-rw-wrapper limit-wrapper\">\n<p>Yes, you can print packaging in small runs of between 100 and 500 units, especially with digital printing, which doesn&#8217;t need plates. The unit price is higher than on a large run, because fixed costs (set-up, cutting die) are spread over few pieces. Promopack can review your current quote, even for a short run, and cut it by at least 10%.<\/p>\n<h2>Why do small runs cost more per unit?<\/h2>\n<p>The cost of a packaging order has a variable part (material, ink, labour per piece) and a fixed part (setting up the press, making or reusing the cutting die, adjusting colour). The fixed part costs the same for 100 boxes as for 5,000, which is why it weighs heavily on each unit in short runs.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn&#8217;t mean a small run is a bad idea. It means it&#8217;s worth cutting fixed costs as much as possible. These are the levers that make the most difference:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use a standard cutting die<\/strong> instead of a custom one. You avoid paying for the tool.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose digital printing<\/strong>, which doesn&#8217;t need plates and pays off sooner with few units.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simplify the printing<\/strong>: one or two inks, no special finishes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Group versions<\/strong> where possible, so you place one order instead of several.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Digital or offset for packaging in small runs (100-500 units)?<\/h2>\n<p>Digital printing is the natural choice for short runs; offset becomes competitive as the quantity rises. The exact crossover point depends on the product, the size and the number of colours, so there&#8217;s no universal figure.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Criterion<\/th>\n<th>Digital<\/th>\n<th>Offset<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Set-up costs<\/td>\n<td>Low or none<\/td>\n<td>Higher (plates, make-ready)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Recommended run<\/td>\n<td>Short and medium<\/td>\n<td>Medium and long<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Design changes between orders<\/td>\n<td>Very easy<\/td>\n<td>Require new plates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Exact brand colours<\/td>\n<td>Good approximation, with variations<\/td>\n<td>More control with Pantone inks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Unit price at high volume<\/td>\n<td>Stays higher<\/td>\n<td>Falls with quantity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>If your brand colour is very demanding, ask for a proof before approving the run. You can see how on <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/samples\/\">our samples page<\/a>; physical samples are charged at cost only.<\/p>\n<h2>Which products are easiest to produce in small quantities?<\/h2>\n<p>Not every format behaves the same when quantities drop:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Labels and stickers.<\/strong> The most flexible: they&#8217;re printed digitally in small quantities and are easy to change between orders. See our range of <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/products\/labels-and-stickers\/\">labels and stickers<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paper bags and simple boxes.<\/strong> They work well if you use standard formats with your print on top.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Folding cartons with their own cutting die.<\/strong> They can be made in small quantities, but the die weighs on the price.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rigid packaging with finishes.<\/strong> The least friendly to short runs, because of the manual work and special finishes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A common strategy is to launch the first short run in a standard format, validate the product and move to your own cutting die once demand is clear.<\/p>\n<h2>When is Promopack a fit for a short run?<\/h2>\n<p>Promopack reviews quotes you already have: if your current offer is for 300 boxes, we compare it at the same quality, materials, finishes and print run. We don&#8217;t set a minimum quantity here, because it depends on the product and the printing process; we confirm it in our reply, which arrives within 48 business hours.<\/p>\n<p>It isn&#8217;t the best option if you need 20 or 50 loose units for a test; for those cases, an online or local printer usually does a better job. If you have no previous quote, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/new-quote\/\">request one from scratch<\/a>. To understand how we work on any run, see <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/how-it-works\/\">how Promopack works<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>How to prepare a small order so it goes well<\/h2>\n<p>On a short run there&#8217;s no room for mistakes: one badly measured box is a huge percentage of the order. That&#8217;s why preparation matters even more:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Validate the dimensions with a mock-up.<\/strong> On small runs, a blank mock-up before ordering avoids surprises with the fit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Freeze the design.<\/strong> Last-minute changes on a short run are proportionally more expensive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get prices for several quantities.<\/strong> Sometimes going from 300 to 500 units adds little to the total and lowers the unit price. Ask for two or three scenarios.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Think about the next run.<\/strong> Ask whether the cutting die and settings are kept so you can reprint without paying for them again.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t cut the quantity too fine.<\/strong> Runs include a small margin over or under; allow for it if you need an exact number.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Alternatives if you need fewer than 100 units<\/h2>\n<p>Below a few hundred units, it&#8217;s sometimes smarter to change approach than to force a custom run:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Generic boxes with a custom label or stamp.<\/strong> The cheapest way to validate a product or a launch.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Branded tape or stickers<\/strong> on a standard box, to add identity without a cutting die or full printing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paper bags with a stamp<\/strong> or a hang tag carrying your logo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once the product works and demand justifies a box of your own, that&#8217;s the time to move to a custom run.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a quote for a short run, upload it on <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/quote\/\">our quote page<\/a>. Within 48 business hours we&#8217;ll tell you whether we can cut it by at least 10%; if not, we tell you and you pay nothing.<\/p>\n<h2>In short<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>You can print packaging in 100-500 units, especially with digital printing.<\/li>\n<li>The unit price rises because fixed costs are spread over few pieces.<\/li>\n<li>A standard cutting die and fewer inks are the levers that cut the cost of a short run most.<\/li>\n<li>Labels and bags are the easiest formats to produce in small quantities.<\/li>\n<li>Promopack reviews short-run quotes and cuts them by at least 10%, or tells you within 48 business hours that it can&#8217;t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What&#8217;s the usual minimum run for custom boxes?<\/h3>\n<p>It varies a lot depending on the type of box, the material and the printing method. In general, standard formats with digital printing accept lower quantities than boxes with their own cutting die and finishes.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I reprint more units without paying for the cutting die again?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, if the die is kept. Ask your supplier whether the cost of the die is included or charged separately, and who keeps it, so you don&#8217;t pay for it again on every reprint.<\/p>\n<h3>Is it worth ordering more units than I need?<\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes, because the unit price falls as quantity rises. But only if you&#8217;ll use the stock within a reasonable time and the design won&#8217;t change: obsolete packaging in the warehouse is money sitting idle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .vgblk-rw-wrapper --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yes, you can. What pushes up the unit price on runs of 100 to 500 units, when to choose digital and how to make the order cheaper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":989304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-989151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prices-and-savings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=989151"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989246,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989151\/revisions\/989246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/989304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=989151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=989151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=989151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}