How to prepare an RFQ for a packaging manufacturer like a pro.

The five things a packaging supplier actually needs

1. The type of package. Name a standard style if you know it: a stand-up pouch, a flat pouch, a reverse tuck end carton, a mailer box, a magnetic rigid box, a roll label, a poly mailer. Not sure what it is called? Say what the product is and how it is sold or shipped (on a shelf, by mail, as a gift), and the supplier will suggest the style. Our box styles guide shows the common ones. Or just send us a picture of what you are imagining, and we’ll make recommendations from there.
2. The quantity. How many of each design. If you are unsure, ask for two or three quantities (for example 500, 1,000 and 5,000) so you can see where the price per unit drops.
3. The size. Send the dimensions of the package you want. Or tell us the size of the product going in it and send a photo of it, and we’ll size the package around it.
4. A few photos. Your product, and any package you like the look of. Two or three phone photos say more than a page of description.
5. Your artwork or dieline, if you have them. If you don’t, that is normal: the supplier provides the dieline (the flat template) for your package type and size, and you or their designers place the art on it.

Helpful extras, if you know them: the date you need it by, where it ships to, and any must-haves such as a window, a zipper, a matte finish or a food-safe film. That’s all. Everything else is the supplier’s job to work out with you.

You don’t need to do all the work ahead of time

It is tempting to arrive with everything decided: the exact structure, the materials, the closures, a mock-up and a full spec sheet. You don’t need to. Working that out is what a packaging manufacturer does every day, with real dielines, real machines and real minimums in front of them.

In our experience, the newer the company, the longer and more detailed the RFQ tends to be. That’s completely understandable: a first packaging order feels like a big step, and you want to get it right. But you don’t have to carry it alone. Just send us an email or give us a call, and we’ll work through it with you. It’s much easier.

When an AI tool writes the RFQ for you, it often describes a package that doesn’t match any real dieline, or one that can’t be manufactured at the quantity you need. A brand ordering 500 units ends up asking for a shape that only makes sense at 50,000, and the quote comes back far higher than expected, or not at all. Starting from the five basics and letting the manufacturer recommend a real, buildable package gets you a better price and a faster start.

A sample RFQ email

This is a complete request for a quote. A supplier can price it the same day.

Five sentences. Type, quantity, size (through the product), photos, artwork status and timing. A box, label or mailer request looks the same: swap in your package type and size.

Why a shorter RFQ gets a faster, better quote

AI writing tools make it easy to turn a simple order into a ten- or fourteen-page specification, with mock-ups, tolerances, test standards and features nobody asked for. It feels thorough, but for most packaging it slows things down:

• The real request gets buried. The supplier has to dig through pages and pages to find the five facts that set the price and decide the package type.
• Invented details cause re-quotes. An AI will happily specify a closure, a board grade or a die-cut shape that you never decided on. If it is in the RFQ, the supplier has to price it, and that can turn a simple stock style into an expensive custom project.
• Mock-ups can show packages that don’t exist. AI images often draw boxes and bags that no factory makes: impossible folds, unusual openings, shapes with no standard dieline. They are great for mood and color, so send them as inspiration, not as the specification.
• It can work against you. Unless the order is a large one, a ten-page RFQ for a few hundred units is often hard for a supplier to prioritize. A clear, short request usually gets a faster and more serious answer.
• It skips the conversation that saves you money. An experienced packaging team will often suggest a standard style that does the same job for far less. A short RFQ leaves room for that.

Using AI to help is fine. Ask it to boil your idea down to the five points above, and delete anything it added that you didn’t actually decide.

Standard packaging or fully custom?

Most products fit a standard package style, made from an existing template with your size and your print. A fully custom construction (a new shape, a new opening or closing mechanism, an unusual die-cut, a special zipper) needs structural design, new tooling and sampling before production, so it costs more and starts at much higher quantities.

If you are a new brand ordering a few hundred units, start with a standard style and make it yours with print, finishes and inserts. Move to a fully custom structure when your volume can carry the tooling.

What happens after you send it

1. We reply with a recommendation and a price, and ask about anything that changes the cost.
2. We send the dieline for your size, or check yours.
3. You place your artwork (or our designers do), and you get a proof to approve, within 1 business day.
4. Production starts once you approve the proof, and a real person stays in touch with you until the order arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a dieline before I ask for a quote?

No. Tell us the package type and the size (or the product size) and we send the dieline for you. If you already have one, attach it.

How detailed should a packaging RFQ be?

For standard packaging, a short email with the package type, quantity, size, a few photos and any artwork is enough. Long specifications are only useful for fully custom structures, and even then a short brief plus a conversation works best.

Can I send a mock-up made with AI?

Yes, as inspiration for colors, style and mood. Say that it is a mock-up, because AI images often show shapes or openings that are not standard packages. We will suggest the closest real style.