Die-cuts, tooling and samples: what your quote includes
Find out which windows, inserts, cutting tools, samples and delivery charges are in the price and which are extra.
6-minute read. Desk research with example figures for illustration. Sources checked 16 September 2026.
The short answer
Ask the supplier for an itemised list of what's included, what's charged separately and what hasn't been priced yet. A blank line doesn't mean the item is free. Keep anything missing marked as unknown until the supplier confirms it.
Setup and tooling
Depending on the job, a supplier may charge for a cutting tool, a printing plate, artwork setup or some other preparation. These aren't the same thing. Ask what each charge pays for, whether it can be reused, and what changes would mean paying again.
Keep cutting dies, foil tools and embossing tools as separate lines on the quote. Ask which physical tools, digital preparation and sample rounds the setup charge covers. A single line saying "tooling" doesn't tell you who owns the tools or whether you can use them again.
Windows, folds and inserts
A die-cut makes the cut shapes, and a crease makes a planned fold line. Check the drawing revision, the closure and the internal dimensions before you treat two structures as the same. Holmen's handbook describes creasing as the step that prepares board for folding.
For a window, give its shape and position and say whether it's open or covered with another material. If it's covered, ask whether the covering and fitting it are included. For an insert, give the paper, the cut shape, how the product should sit and whether the insert arrives fitted or loose.
Ask for a structural sample to check the fit, the opening and how the box goes together. Then confirm separately what the finish sample shows: paper texture, printing, foil or embossing. One sample may not cover everything you need to approve, and a generated mockup can't stand in for a checked dieline or a physical sample.
A worked example
The amounts are invented for illustration. They aren't market benchmarks, and no tax rate is implied.
| Line | Supplier statement | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Production | RM1,200 | Include RM1,200 once |
| Tooling | Included in production | Add nothing separately |
| Samples | Not mentioned | Note it as unresolved |
| Delivery | RM60 | Add RM60 |
| Tax | Not provided | Leave as unknown |
The known subtotal is RM1,260. It's incomplete because tax is unknown, and samples are still an open question if you need them. "Included" means the cost is already inside the production price. It doesn't mean the service costs nothing.
Keep tooling, delivery and tax as separate lines, and keep a separate note of sample charges and other exclusions. If you deliberately add a confirmed sample charge to the production total, write that down and don't count the charge anywhere else.
Delivery and freight
Give the destination postcode and say whether you expect a parcel, several outer cartons or a pallet. Check with the supplier whether the boxes come flat or assembled, how they're handled and whether any special delivery conditions apply.
DHL Malaysia explains that parcel dimensions can affect chargeable weight. The delivery charge for buying your boxes is a different cost from shipping your products to customers later, so keep the two apart.
Sources and assumptions
Desk research, checked 16 September 2026. The Holmen handbook supports the explanation of creasing and folding. The DHL guide supports the point about dimensional weight, not the RM60 example charge. The sample and quotation advice is our own editorial guidance: we didn't buy samples or run transit tests. Get the supplier's setup, ownership and reuse terms in writing.
What to do next
Send each supplier a short request: "Please confirm setup and tooling, sample costs, delivery to this postcode, applicable tax and any exclusions." Note the confirmed amounts, mark anything unanswered as unknown, and keep the dated quotation for your records.