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Free design and dielines, free samples, no minimum order, and we beat any competitor’s written quote. Your logo in full color, fast turnaround.
Black Friday packaging is a limited run of the packaging you already use, printed for one weekend: a mailer with a holiday sleeve, a carton with a seasonal panel, a printed tissue or card, or a gift box for a bundle that only exists for the sale. The point is to make an order placed in the busiest week of the year feel like a gift rather than a transaction, without changing the structure your packing line already knows. We run seasonal print on any existing dieline, with no minimum order, so the run matches the forecast for the weekend and no boxes are left in January. The number that matters is the calendar: a Black Friday run needs artwork approved by mid October to be on the shelf by the third week of November.
The trap is overbuilding. A brand that designs a whole new box for the sale ends up with a structure nobody has packed before, on the one weekend when volume triples. Keep the box, change the print, and put the effort into what the customer sees first when the lid opens.
Four ways to do it, smallest structural change first
| Option | What changes | Lead time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printed insert card or tissue | nothing on the box; a seasonal card or tissue goes in | 2 to 3 weeks | every order, the lowest cost way to mark the sale |
| Belly band or sleeve | a printed band slides over the standard box | 3 weeks | turning the everyday mailer into a gift without a new dieline |
| Seasonal print on the existing dieline | same box, new artwork, or a change panel | 4 to 5 weeks | brands with volume, subscription boxes, gift with purchase |
| Bundle gift box | a new box sized to a holiday bundle | 6 to 8 weeks | a bundle that only exists for the sale; sample early |
Timeline
| Date | What has to be done |
|---|---|
| Early October | sizes and quantities fixed from the sales forecast; artwork started |
| Mid October | artwork approved, physical sample in hand |
| Late October | production |
| Second week of November | boxes at your warehouse or co-packer |
| Third week of November | packing starts; sale weekend |
Work backwards from the day you start packing. If artwork approval slips past the third week of October, move to a band, a sleeve or an insert card, which need less time and use the box you have.
Quantities
Forecast from last year’s weekend plus growth, add 10 percent, and order that. No minimum order means the run can be exactly that number, and a second small run can follow if the sale outperforms; a sleeve or an insert card reorders fastest. Anything printed with a year on it is waste in January, so keep dates off the box and put them on the card.
Seasonal print usually means a darker or metallic palette, foil on a lid, or a pattern across a sleeve. On a mailer, print the inside lid; on a carton, add a change panel for the sale message so the master artwork carries on afterwards. Matte black with a single foil color reads as a sale without printing the word sale anywhere on the box.
In short
What to send us: the boxes you use now and their dielines, the sale forecast by product, your packing start date, and the look you want. What you get back: the option that fits the calendar, a quantity by product with a reorder plan, artwork on your existing dieline or a band that fits it, and a physical sample before the run. What it costs you to start: nothing. Free design, free dieline, free samples, no minimum order.
Black Friday packaging questions
When do I need to order Black Friday packaging?
Artwork approved by mid October for a printed box, production in late October, delivery in the second week of November. A sleeve, band or insert card needs two to three weeks and can be ordered later. Work back from the day packing starts.
Do I need a new box for Black Friday?
Usually not. Keep the box your line knows and change the print, add a sleeve or a band, or put a seasonal card or tissue inside. A new box only makes sense for a holiday bundle that has no box yet, and it should be sampled early.
How many should I order?
Last year’s sale weekend plus growth, plus 10 percent. With no minimum order the run can be exactly that, and a small second run or a reorder of sleeves can follow if the weekend outperforms. Keep dates off the box so leftovers are usable.
Can I add a seasonal message to my existing box?
Yes. A change panel on the master artwork prints the sale message in one area while the rest of the box stays the same, so plates are shared and the everyday version carries on afterwards.
Is there a minimum order?
No. A few hundred for a small brand’s weekend or a full run for a large one. Free design and dieline, free samples, and a printed proof before the run.
No minimum order. One or a full run. Free design and dieline, and a printed proof before production. Free samples so you can see a sample with your box before you commit before you commit. Price match: send a written quote for the same size, board, print and quantity and we will beat it.
Related: Christmas gift boxes, advent calendar boxes, luxury mailer boxes and mailer boxes.
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