Contact

GOT A QUICK QUESTION?

Have a quick question? You can use our form below:

    Starter Specs

    Sample Specs may help you get started.

    Quote Request

    Request a quote for your project!

    Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

    Some Q&A

    How do I get a Quote?

    Use our Request a Quote Page.

    If you are in the beginning stages and do not know your spec, don’t worry, we can still help with a rough estimate if you can tell us the basics or show us a photo. We can also help you build a spec. We also made a Sample Spec page to help get you started. This has some Starter Specs of frequently requested titles that you can modify to make your own.

    SPEC Esssentials

    Below are the essentials of what we need:

    Qty:
    Media:
    Book
    Dimensions:
    How to hold the media:
    Outer Wrap:
    Any special printing effects:
    Inner Wrap:
    #Inner Pages / Binding:
    Assembly:
    Shipping:

    And other things like paper weight requirements/finishes, special inks,  additional proofing, or open-ended comments about a look you are trying to achieve.

    Budget/Schedule/Phase of Project are needed as well.

    SPEC Example

    General Description: Hardbound cd book to hold one cd and one dvd with 16pp inner pages.
    Qty: 500 sets
    Book Dimensions: 5×5″
    Outer Wrap: 4C with matte lam
    Inner Wrap: solid black
    Media Types: 1 CD, 1 DVD5
    Hold Media: Solid black glued on sleeve/pockets, one on each end panel
    Inner Pages: 16pp stapled
    Assembly: insertion of cd & shrink wrap
    Shipping: standard 5-8 day, one US addr
    Special Effects Printing: 3 panels of foil, front/spine/back
    Special Notes/Add-ons: Looking for a scrapbook type of feel, ideas for adding “photo corners”?
    Target Budget Range: can’t go over $7500, prefer $5k range
    Schedule: Release end of summer
    Project Phase: we are ready to start designing, need templates

    BUDGET / PRICING

    Building a spec for a cd, dvd or vinyl book is a lot like building a spec for a house, just a smaller scale. We need to know what type of budget you are working with so our replies are realistic. If your price range doesn’t fit the product, we’ll try to make suggestions for something that will.  Projects start in the $3000 – $4000 range and go up from there.

    MINIMUM ORDER - CAN I ORDER LESS?

    Minimum Quantity is 300 sets, or 500 packaging only.
    Can you order less? Technically yes… but you’ll be paying the price for 300 or 500 units.
    Ordering 1 is the same cost as ordering 30 or 100 or 250.  Set up costs for commercial media and printing do not work well for smaller quantities. By the way, 500 units is about the same cost as 300 units, so we highly recommend going with 500 units.

    We have a new blog post that can help you with ideas to make a small quantity manufacturing run more cost effective:
    Small Qty Runs

    Exception – Video Players – LCD Screen Panel Packaging
    You can order as few or 50 or 100 of these. The price point is much higher than paper packaging and media, however. These are stand alone players.

    STARTING COSTS

    Costs typically start at about USD $3000 for our cd sized projects.

    HOW LONG DO PROJECTS TAKE?

    Manufacturing takes 2-3 weeks after approved proofs, and the final product shipping is about 7 days. Projects that are super complicated may take longer, especially in the proofing process.

    In most cases, projects take about a month. Things that can add to project time:

    • If you need extra time to do the art lay-out on the templates.
      Some clients start a project to get the templates made and then need significant time to do the lay-out. We just ask that you not take over one year, ok?
    • If your source media has issues (problems in the artwork such as insufficient bleed, or the master does not pass glass mastering or isn’t in the right format).
    • If you need to submit new source media (problems you might discover such as typos, or lack of cd text).

    HOW CAN I GET TEMPLATES?

    To get templates, you need to start an order. We’ll ask for 50% down to get started, and the remainder is due when you have the art/media ready for us to process.