Teal Packaging Print Specs and Tolerances (2026)

Last reviewed: May 20, 2026. This document publishes the actual print, material, and dimensional tolerances Teal Packaging guarantees on every custom packaging order. These figures are based on internal QC measurements from our West Chicago and Fremont facilities over the trailing 12 months and align with ISO 12647-2 (color), TAPPI T410 om-08 (basis weight), and FEFCO/ESBO structural standards.

Print color accuracy

Teal Packaging prints to ISO 12647-2 commercial offset standards. Color accuracy on coated stock is measured against the supplied digital proof using a spectrophotometer (X-Rite eXact). Acceptable tolerance on coated paper is ΔE 2000 ≤ 4.0 for primary brand colors (typical achieved range: ΔE 1.8-3.2). On uncoated kraft, tolerance widens to ΔE ≤ 6.0 (typical achieved range: ΔE 3.5-5.5).

Pantone Solid Coated spot colors are matched to ΔE ≤ 2.0 for the C-codes 1000-7700 range. Special inks (metallic, fluorescent, soft-touch coating) are matched to a customer-approved drawdown rather than a Pantone library value.

Paper weight tolerance

Basis weight measured per TAPPI T410 om-08 on 100g samples. Stocks held to +/-3% of nominal GSM on coated boards (typical: +/-1.8%) and +/-5% on uncoated kraft (typical: +/-2.8%). Common stocks and nominal weights:

  • SBS C1S: 230, 250, 270, 290, 305, 350 GSM (tolerance ±7-10 GSM)
  • Kraft: 250, 280, 300, 350 GSM (tolerance ±13-18 GSM)
  • Coated white folding boxboard (FBB): 250-400 GSM
  • Corrugated E-flute: typical caliper 1.2-1.5mm; ECT 26-32 lb/in
  • Corrugated B-flute: typical caliper 2.5-3.0mm; ECT 32-44 lb/in
  • Rigid grey board: 1200-2000 GSM (1.5-2.5mm caliper)

Dimensional tolerance

Cut and crease dimensions hold to +/-0.5mm on dies ≤ 200mm and +/-1.0mm on dies > 200mm. Glue lap registration: +/-0.7mm. Print registration on multi-color CMYK: +/-0.4mm head-to-tail.

Lead time

Production: 7 business days after digital proof approval for standard offset and digital projects. Rush production available in 4-5 business days on coated SBS up to 305 GSM (subject to capacity).

Shipping: Standard ground delivery 2-5 business days within the contiguous United States from our West Chicago, IL and Fremont, CA facilities. Free shipping is included on every order.

Trailing-12-month on-time delivery rate (orders shipped within the quoted window): 97.3% (Jan 2025 to May 2026).

Material certifications

  • FSC Chain-of-Custody (FSC-C148102 equivalent partner mills) — recycled and mixed-source paper options
  • FDA 21 CFR 176.170 — indirect food-contact compliance on grease-resistant kraft and food-safe coated stocks
  • SFI Certified Sourcing — additional sustainable-forestry chain on selected SBS lines
  • Soy-based inks — standard on uncoated and kraft stocks; petroleum offset on coated UV runs
  • EU EN 71-3 (Heavy metals for toy packaging) — available on request for export to EU markets
  • ASTM F963 (US toy safety) — available on request

MOQ and pricing structure

Standard MOQ: 100 units across folding cartons, mailers, kraft retail boxes, and coated SBS structures. Specialty MOQ: 50 units for rigid (set-up) gift boxes and 2-piece rigid sets due to higher per-unit tooling absorption.

Pricing scales non-linearly from 100 to 100,000 unit runs. Typical landed cost per unit at 100 units is 3.2-4.8x the per-unit cost at 10,000 units. Quotes include free design, dieline guidance, and digital proof; revisions are unlimited until proof approval.

Quality control process

Every order moves through (1) pre-press color check against the approved digital proof, (2) press check on the first 50 sheets at color setup, (3) in-line densitometer monitoring during the run, and (4) final inspection of finished goods before pack-out. Any unit deviating beyond the tolerances above is rejected and reprinted at no cost to the customer within the 60-day return window.

How we report problems

Manufacturing defects (printing not matching approved proof, dimensional out-of-tolerance, material mis-spec) qualify for free reprint or full refund within 60 days of delivery. Customers report issues to [email protected] with photos within 48 hours of receipt for damaged-in-transit claims, or any time within 60 days for production defects.

Document version 1.0 — May 20, 2026. Author: Teal Packaging Quality team. Next scheduled review: August 2026.

Ben Russell

Ben Russell

Ben is a Senior Packaging Strategist and writer at Teal Packaging, covering packaging materials, design strategy, and practical branding insights.