Instruction Manuals and Inserts Printed Alongside Your Color Boxes: What Importers Should Specify

Can the factory that prints your color boxes also print the instruction manuals and inserts that go inside? Yes. BOYA Printing produces manuals and inserts together with your boxes, so one supplier checks that box, manual and insert all match.

• Manuals and printed inserts within our product range

• 4 presses: KBA Rapida 105-6+L, KBA Rapida 142-5+L, Heidelberg CD102 (5-colour) and Roland 900 (4-colour, 1.6 m)

• FSC Chain of Custody certified (FSC-C157096)

• ONE (formerly GMI) certified

• MOQ from 500 pcs, depending on product and process

This guide is for North American hardware and home-products importers who want manuals, inserts and color boxes from one supplier, and need to know what to put in the order.

Why print them in one place

When manuals and boxes come from different printers, the buyer has to coordinate both: two sets of files, two schedules and two deliveries. With one supplier, one team works from one file set and one order, and packs and ships everything together. You still need to specify each item clearly. The sections below list what to write down.

1. Size and fold

State the flat size and the folded size of each manual or insert, and how it folds (for example a single fold, a letter fold or a concertina fold). For multi-page manuals, state the page count and the binding you want. If you are not sure which fold fits your content, send the content and the box size, and ask us to suggest one.

2. Paper and weight

You can specify the paper and weight yourself, or we can agree on them with you. Either way, write them in the order. Tell us how the manual will be used: read once and kept in the box, used on a job site, or kept by the end customer for years. This helps you and us choose a sensible paper.

3. One colour or full colour

Say whether each item prints in one colour (usually black), two colours or full colour, and whether it prints on one side or both. Many importers use full colour for the box and one colour for the manual. If a logo or safety symbol must match the box colour, say so in the order.

4. Language versions and artwork control

North American programs often need English, French and Spanish, either in one combined manual or as separate versions. Before artwork goes to print, agree on:

• How many language versions there are, and which SKUs each one goes with

• A file name and version number for each language file

• Who in your team approves the text of each language

• Which version replaces which, when you update a manual

Keep one current file per version, and send every revision as a complete file, not as notes in an email. This is the step where most mix-ups between versions start.

5. Fit with the box and the insert tray

The folded manual has to fit the space left in the box. Send the inside box size and tell us where the manual goes: on top of the product, under the insert tray, or in a slot of the tray. Keep the folded size a little smaller than that space, so the manual goes in without bending and the box still closes flat. If you are still choosing the tray itself, see our guide to paperboard vs foam inserts.

6. Proof first, then sign off a sample

Treat the manual and inserts like the box: check a proof of every version, then sign off a printed sample before the production run. Check that the text, language, part numbers and warnings belong to the right SKU. For a full list of what to check on a proof, see our packaging proof approval checklist.

7. Plan packing and delivery together

Tell us how the manuals should arrive: packed separately for your assembly line, or bundled per SKU. We can deliver to your assembly factory in China, or ship for export; terms are confirmed per project.

What to include in your order

• Flat size, folded size and fold type of each item

• Page count and binding, for multi-page manuals

• Paper and weight, specified by you or agreed with us

• One colour or full colour, one side or both

• Language versions, with the SKU for each one

• Where the manual sits in the box, and the inside box size

• Quantity per version

• Packing and delivery point

No artwork yet? Design assistance available, cost assessed per project. For hardware packaging in general, see our hardware and tools packaging page.

FAQ

Q: Can BOYA print instruction manuals and inserts together with our color boxes?

Yes. Manuals and printed inserts are within our product range, and we produce them together with your color boxes.

Q: Who chooses the paper and weight for the manual?

You can specify the paper and weight yourself, or we can agree on them with you. Either way, they are written into the order.

Q: Can you print manuals in several languages?

Yes. Tell us how many language versions there are and which SKU each one belongs to, and send one complete file per version.

Q: How do we make sure the manual fits in the box?

Send the inside box size and tell us where the manual goes. We match the folded size to that space, together with the insert tray.

Q: Do we approve the manual before production?

Yes. Check a proof of every version, then sign off a printed sample before the production run.

Q: What is the MOQ for manuals and inserts?

MOQ from 500 pcs, depending on product and process.

BOYA Printing (byprintings.com) is the English website of Zhongshan Boya Color Printing Co., Ltd., a packaging printer founded on 21 March 2003 in Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan, Guangdong, not in Fujian. To verify our FSC certificate, go to search.fsc.org and search for the certificate code FSC-C157096. Websites: byprintings.com / boyacsys.com.

Planning manuals and inserts with your next box order? Email denny@byprintings.com or call / WhatsApp +86 189 2812 5102. Address: No. 1-1, Maofeng 1st Road, North District, Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province 528415, China. Contact us

Reviewed by Denny Mo. Last updated: 2026-10.