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Why Is Short Run Custom Box Packaging So Expensive?
Here’s the simple answer to why custom short run boxes cost more.
Ordering small volume printed product boxes can be a shock—and it mostly comes down to equipment set up costs.
Here's Why:
The basic steps to creating a custom printed box:
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Print: Printing the box graphics onto a sheet of paper.
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Die Cut: Cutting the box shape (a "blank") out of the sheet.
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Folding-Glue: Folding and gluing the blank into a box.
Each of these steps require a separate machine with different set up costs.
Printed box quotes are based on three things:
Set Up Cost: The one-time cost to set the machines up. This cost gets split between all the boxes you run.
Run Cost: The steady cost to make each box. These costs are steady because the machine runs at the same speed hour after hour—so the cost to make each box doesn’t change, no matter how many you order.
Materials Cost: The paperboard and finishes you choose for your packaging. This cost also doesn’t change much from one box to the next.
Die cutting machine
In a Perfect World...
If making folding carton boxes—which is what most custom printed boxes are—were as simple as pushing a button, every box would cost the same whether you ordered 10 or 10,000. Just load the machine and go.
That’s because the product packaging run and material costs don’t change from box to box.
...What Actually Happens
Set up costs make short runs more expensive because every custom box order means mounting print plates, calibrating colors, setting up cutting dies, and prepping the box gluer—costs that stay the same no matter how many boxes you make.
The set up costs are divided by the total number of printed product boxes you're ordering. So the lower the quantity ordered, the more costs each box has to absorb.
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With fewer boxes, each one pays a bigger share of the set up cost.
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As your order grows, the set up cost is shared by more players—and becomes just a tiny part of each box’s price.
On smaller orders most of your cost goes toward setting up the machines, not actually making the product boxes - and that's what makes smaller orders more expensive.
Setting up the cutting die
Example: How Set Up Costs Affect the Cost Per Box
Set up Costs: When we make custom printed boxes, there are a few steps—printing, die cutting, and gluing—each done on its own specialized machine. Before we can run your order, every machine has to be set up just for you.
That one‑time process is what the industry calls “setup.” Those setup costs are spread across all the boxes we make, so the more boxes you run, the less each one has to carry.
Run & Material Costs: These are the costs of actually running the machines and the cost of the paperboard itself.
While they don’t change with the size of the order, they do depend on the size of the box—bigger boxes use more paper, and the equipment has to run a bit slower. For a typical small box, it averages about $0.30 per piece.
Let's assume basic costs are:
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$300 = machine setup cost (3 machines @ $100 each)
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$0.30 = run/material cost per box
Here's how the costs break down per box:
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Order 500 boxes:
$300 ÷ 500 = $0.60 setup cost per box
Add $0.30 run/material cost = $0.90 per box
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Order 5,000 boxes:
$300 ÷ 5,000 = $0.06 setup cost per box
Add $0.30 run/material cost = $0.36 per box
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Order 30,000 boxes:
$300 ÷ 30,000 = $0.01 setup cost per box
Add $0.30 run/material cost = $0.31 per box
...And This Is What Kills Short Run Packaging Costs
Notice how setup costs are squeezed out as box volume increases. For orders under 1,000 boxes, a big chunk of what you’re paying is simply covering setup costs.
When does the set up cost "disappear"?
At high volumes, the set up cost per box falls below a penny and effectively disappears from the total price. It's still there, but the cost per box is now just a fraction of a penny, which doesn't show in a quote.
For a $300 set up, that happens when volumes are larger than 30,000 printed boxes .
And keep in mind, this small‑volume, high‑cost effect isn’t unique to packaging—it happens with almost any custom product you order.
Want To See It In Action?
You can see it in action using our quote calculator. As your order volume increases, the difference in cost between adjacent quantities gets smaller and smaller.
And if you want to see it graphically, keep reading.
What Really Drives the Cost of Custom Printed Boxes?
This is why short-run box packaging is so expensive
Watch how dramatically the costs per box drop as volume increases.
The Easy Way to Read the Graph
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Green line: This is the steady machine and materials cost if setup isn’t included. As you can see, the printed box costs ($0.30/box) stays the same no matter how many boxes you order.
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Orange line: This is your real price per box, including setup. It starts higher for small orders and drops as you order more—because more boxes means each one pays a smaller share of the setup cost.
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The Takeaway: Your costs will never get below the green dotted line. But as your volume increases, you’re squeezing more of the set up cost out of each box. Eventually, set up costs become just a fraction of a penny per custom printed box —and that’s when they seem to “disappear.” In this case, that would be volumes above 30,000 boxes.
What If You Add More Print Finish Options?
Printing, die cutting, and folding-gluing are the basics for most custom printed boxes. But if you add finishes like spot UV, foil, or embossing, each one usually requires its own setup and equipment.
That means every extra option adds another set up cost to your order—so the effect of small quantities is even greater.
How to Lower Your Per-Box Cost
If you want to reduce your per‑box cost for custom printed boxes, the most effective strategies are to increase your order volume or combine multiple box designs into a single production run.
Larger orders help spread out setup costs, while grouping different retail SKUs into one print run improves efficiency and lowers your overall price per box.