Custom Pharmaceutical Boxes & Pharmaceutical Packaging
Pharma is the one category where the carton is legally part of the product. Get a panel wrong and it is not a design problem, it is a recall. We print a lot of pharmaceutical packaging at ZEE Packaging and the conversation always start with regulation before we ever talk about how it look.
Regulation Drives The Layout
Everything on a pharmaceutical box has to sit in the right place and stay legible.
- Drug name, strength and dosage form on the principal display panel
- Active ingredient and quantity per unit
- Batch or lot number area, left blank for inkjet coding
- Expiry date field, same thing, coded on your line
- NDC code and barcode with proper quiet zone
- Storage condition and warning statement
- Braille embossing where the market require it
- Serialization space for track and trace
Our prepress team check all of it against the dieline before press so nothing get trimmed at the edge.
Tamper Evidence Is Not Optional
- Glued flap on a seal end pharmaceutical box, the standard approach
- Tamper evident sticker or seal across the tuck
- Perforated tear strip built into the carton
- Void print that show if the flap get lifted
- Shrink band on bottle inside the pharmaceutical packaging
- Seal end carton the default pharmaceutical box, glued both end
- Reverse tuck end cheaper, used with a separate seal
- Straight tuck end cleaner face panel for OTC shelf
- Auto lock bottom for heavier bottle and syrup
- Blister carton holds a foil blister card, very common
- Shipper carton outer corrugated for pharmaceutical packaging in bulk
Sizes We Run Often
Every pharmaceutical box is built to your product, but these come up constantly:
- 2" x 1" x 3" for a small vial or ampoule
- 2.5" x 1.5" x 4" for a tablet bottle
- 3" x 2" x 5" for syrup and liquid pharmaceutical box
- 4" x 2.5" x 1" for a blister card
- 5" x 3" x 1.5" for a two blister pack
- 6" x 4" x 2" for a kit with leaflet and device
Send us the container dimension including cap height and we build the dieline around it.
Board And Insert
- SBS C1S is the standard for printed pharmaceutical packaging, clean and food safe grade
- Folding boxboard 14pt to 20pt for most carton
- 22pt and above for heavier glass bottle
- Kraft only where the market accept it, it is less common here
- Corrugated E flute for outer shipper
For inserts we run die cut paperboard partition and blister holder. They keep the vial upright so nothing knock together in transit.
Print And Finish
Pharma print is usually restrained, and that is the point.
- Offset for volume, digital for small batch and clinical trial run
- CMYK plus spot Pantone for exact brand color
- Matte lamination or aqueous coat, gloss is less common here
- Braille embossing on the panel
- Spot UV used sparingly, mostly on OTC pharmaceutical box
- Leaflet folding and insertion available
The Leaflet
- Patient information leaflet folded to fit inside the pharmaceutical box
- Minimum 6pt type, though 7pt read better
- Fold pattern chosen so it slot in without jamming your line
- Thin stock so the carton still close flat
Greener Options
- Recycled board where regulation permit it
- FSC certified stock, certificate on request
- Soy based ink
- No lamination version for cleaner recycling
- Right sized pharmaceutical packaging so you ship less air
How We Work
- 100 unit minimum on any pharmaceutical box design
- Free 3D mockup and flat proof
- Free dieline from our own designer
- 5 to 8 business day urgent turnaround
- Free shipping worldwide
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you do braille embossing?
Yes. We emboss to the standard grid and we always proof it physically, because braille dot height is not something you can judge on a screen.
Do you leave space for our batch coding?
We do. Tell us where your inkjet head sit on the line and we keep that area clear of varnish and ink.
What does a pharmaceutical box cost?
Rough estimate is $0.20 to $0.70 per unit for standard folding carton and $0.45 to $1.20 with braille, leaflet or tamper feature at moderate quantity. Volume move the number a lot in this category. Shipping is included in our price. This is estimate only, so ask our team for a exact quote.
Which carton style for tamper evidence?
Seal end is the cleanest, both end glued. If you need reverse tuck for cost reason we add a tamper seal instead.
Can you fold and insert the leaflet?
Yes, we fold the leaflet and can supply it separate or inserted, whichever suit your packing line better.
Is your board suitable for direct contact?
Our SBS stock is food and pharma grade. For anything touching the product directly we confirm the spec with you before we run.
Can you print serialization code?
We leave a defined area for it. Most client apply the unique code on their own line so it stay under their control.
