When to Order Custom Packaging for the Holiday Season

Mid-September feels early to think about December, but for custom packaging, it's actually close to the right time. Print shops get busier as the holiday season approaches, and a box order that takes 10-16 business days in October can take longer once everyone else has the same idea in November.

Our current turnaround

Custom box orders — Straight Tuck End, Reverse Tuck End, Lock Bottom, and Auto Lock Bottom — currently run 10-16 business days in production, not counting shipping. Wine Boxes run a bit faster, at 7-10 business days. Those numbers hold steady most of the year, but production schedules tend to fill up faster the closer you get to the holidays.

Work backward from your ship date

If you need packaging in hand in time to pack and ship before the holidays, count backward: production time, plus shipping to you, plus whatever time you need to actually pack and send orders out the door. Building in a buffer week for the holiday crunch is a reasonable call, especially if this is your first year ordering packaging for a seasonal rush.

Have your artwork ready before you order

The fastest way to lose time in a rush order is submitting a dieline that needs revisions. Run through our dieline checklist before you submit — glue flap spacing, lock flap spacing, and keeping design elements off fold lines — so your file is right the first time.

Gifting season means gift-ready packaging

If part of your holiday plan includes gift sets, client gifts, or retail gift-with-purchase, our Gift Boxes and Wine Boxes are built for exactly that. It's worth ordering a sample early if presentation is doing a lot of the work this season.

Get ahead of it

Browse the full packaging collection and get pricing now — ordering in September instead of November means you're working with our standard turnaround instead of competing for a spot in the queue.