Prototyping.
Bring Your Packaging Ideas to Life
Before investing in production, make sure your packaging is exactly right.
Our prototype services help brands evaluate structure, graphics, fit, functionality, and shelf presence before committing to manufacturing.
Prototype Services
- Production-quality mockups
- Functional prototypes
- Sales samples
- Investor samples
- Photography samples
- Trade show samples
Whether you need one package or hundreds of prototypes, we help bring your ideas to life quickly and accurately.
Not sure where to start? Our guide to packaging prototypes explains what to expect, what a prototype costs and how long it takes.
Packaging Prototype Questions, Answered
What kinds of packaging can you prototype?
Almost anything cut from a sheet or printed on a roll: folding cartons, corrugated boxes and mailers, counter and floor displays, pouches, labels, shrink sleeves and complete kits with inserts.
How many prototypes can I order?
One is a normal order, and so is a few hundred. Nothing is tooled, so the quantity is set by what the project needs: a single piece to check the fit, six for a sales team, fifty for a buyer mailing.
Is a mockup the same thing as a prototype?
People use mockup, comp and prototype for the same object: a real package made ahead of the production run. The useful distinction is between an unprinted structural sample, which proves the fit, and a printed prototype, which also proves the graphics. Say which you need and we will quote that.
Can I use a prototype for a photo shoot, a buyer meeting or a trade show?
Yes. That is what sales, photography and trade show samples are for. A printed prototype stands in for the finished package in product photography, in front of a retail buyer or an investor, and on a trade show table, often before the product exists in volume.
Do I need a dieline to get started?
No. If you have one, send it. If you do not, our structural design team draws one around your product, and the same file carries through to any run that follows.
What happens after I approve the prototype?
The approved piece becomes the reference. We can produce a short run from the same files, or work with your manufacturer so the move from prototype to production is a clean one.
Where are the prototypes made, and do you ship?
Every prototype is designed, printed and cut in Lake Zurich, Illinois, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, and shipped nationwide. More answers are in where to get custom packaging made.
Industries We Serve
