Most angle board is bought in standard legs and standard thicknesses. This page is about the other case: a buyer who needs a profile that does not exist on a price list — a 65 mm leg, a 105 degree angle, a slot every 200 mm, or a print that has to register on a curved kraft face. What follows is how that order actually runs, in the sequence it runs in.

Step one: the drawing

Three numbers and two choices start the process. Numbers: leg A, leg B, wall thickness. Choices: paper grade and surface. If the angle is not 90 degrees, that becomes a fourth number. A sketch on a purchase order is enough — we do not need a CAD file, though a PDF dimension drawing removes ambiguity fastest.

The one limit worth stating up front: the three faces laid flat cannot exceed 260 mm. Beyond that the profile will not fold cleanly at the score line and the plies separate at the corner over time. If your drawing lands above 260 mm, the answer is a different construction, not a bigger fold.

Step two: the sample

A physical sample is cut before any plate is made. It takes 3-5 working days and it exists for a specific reason: paper is not plastic. The same nominal wall behaves differently depending on ply count and paper grade, and a sample is the only way to test the fit on your own panel before committing 3,000 metres.

Sample boards are free on stock paper grades; the buyer covers the express freight. For a printed profile, a printed sample follows the plate, and the plate is only cut after the plain sample is approved.

Step three: print and tooling

Print is water-based flexo, one or two colours, onto natural kraft or white top. Two production realities shape the artwork. First, the printable band is the flat of the leg, not the whole profile, so a design that bleeds across the fold will break at the score line. Second, kraft absorbs ink, so fine text fills in: keep text at 6 mm or larger, avoid reversed-out type below 8 mm, and do not rely on a four-colour process — spot colour is the only predictable option.

Die cutting for slots, notches or a latch pattern is a separate tool. It is a one-off cost that is amortised across the run, which is why a die-cut profile has a higher minimum than a plain one.

Step four: the run

Production runs 7-15 working days after sample and artwork approval. Capacity is 200,000 metres a day across the profile lines, so a mixed order of L, U, circular and flat profiles can ship as one container rather than in sequence — which matters when a buyer is consolidating four packaging items from one supplier.

Step five: what is checked before it ships

Length to 1 mm, leg width to 1 mm, wall thickness to about 0.3 mm between plies, moisture below 10 percent, print registration against the approved proof, and bundle count against the packing list. The check that catches most problems is the first one: a profile cut 5 mm short will not sit flush under a carton top, and it is invisible in a bundle count.

OEM, ODM and what we do not do

OEM is normal: your artwork, your size, your bundle marking and your SKU label on the outside of the pack. ODM is possible where a buyer wants a profile developed for a specific load rather than specified by them. What we do not do is put a third-party brand on a board we have not produced, or quote a certification we do not hold. If a specification needs a certificate we cannot show, we say so before the order.

Questions buyers ask

Can the legs be unequal? Yes — 40 mm on one face and 65 mm on the other is a routine custom profile.

Can the angle be something other than 90 degrees? Yes, 60 and 120 degrees are both produced; state the angle on the drawing.

How many colours can be printed? Two, water-based. More than two is a different process and not economic at these volumes.

What is the minimum for a custom size? 3,000 metres, the same as a standard size, because a size change is a production instruction rather than a new die. A die-cut feature raises the minimum.

Can I see production before it ships? Yes — photos of the first bundles and the print registration are sent before dispatch, and a third-party inspection can be arranged at your cost.

Send the drawing, the quantity and the destination, and we will return a quotation with the sample plan and the lead time. Email mona@hengnicepacking.com.