Personalised wedding matchboxes: prices, what is included and when to order

How the price is made

A matchbox price has two parts: the boxes and the artwork. The boxes cost the same whoever makes the artwork, and their price already includes a check of your file, a digital proof and standard delivery.

Each matchbox is about 55 × 36 mm, filled with natural wooden matches, with the striker on the box. It is printed on G.F Smith paper, matte or gloss at 300 gsm.

The boxes, with your own print-ready artwork: 25 boxes £120, 50 boxes £150, 75 boxes £185, 100 boxes £215, 125 boxes £250, 150 boxes £290, 200 boxes £370, 250 boxes £455, 300 boxes £535, 500 boxes £825, 1,000 boxes £1,450. 2,500 and 5,000 boxes are quoted by the studio.

The artwork

The artwork is charged once for the design, never per box. Your own print-ready file adds nothing, and file preparation for a file that needs redrawing or tidying is £45.

A drawing by the studio is one fee of £100, whatever the subject: names, a monogram, a venue or a full scene. Reordering a design you have already paid for adds nothing.

The proof

Before anything is printed we send a digital proof by email, and nothing goes to print until you approve it. A drawing by the studio has revisions until it is right. With your own file, the proof is where you check the layout, colours and spelling.

Three worked examples

100 guests, a new drawing: £215 for the boxes and £100 for the drawing, £315 in all.

150 guests, a new drawing on the textured 400 gsm paper: £290, £100 for the drawing and £42 for the paper, £432 in all.

125 guests, your own artwork with gold foil on the front: £250, then £75 set-up and £40 for the foil, £365 in all.

In the UK each of these is delivered to your door for that price.

Extras

The textured 400 gsm paper adds 28p a box, at least £20. Gold or silver foil is £75 set-up and 32p a box for each face. A coloured drawer is £2 a box, or £2.50 matched to your Pantone code. Other foils, embossing, letterpress, printed drawers and coloured match heads are quoted before you pay.

How many to order

Most couples choose about one box per guest, often 100 to 150, and keep a few back for the table and the photographs. If the boxes sit in bowls on the bar or on shared tables rather than at each place, you can order fewer.

When to order

Standard delivery is about three weeks from the order, including the drawing, the proof and tracked delivery, and it is included in the price. For a sooner date, Express (about two weeks, £75) or Priority (about one week, £175) can be chosen at payment. For more than 250 boxes, or with foil, only standard delivery is offered.

These timings assume the proof is approved promptly, and delivery dates are estimates. Ordering about two months before the wedding leaves time for changes and a margin before the day.

Delivery and duties

Everything is sent from London with tracking by DHL, UPS or FedEx. In the UK the price is delivered to your door, and US prices include import duties. Everywhere else, any duties are paid by the recipient on arrival.

Before you order

If you would like to feel the papers first, the Sample Folio of papers and printed examples is £35 with delivery included, and the £35 is credited against a later matchbox order.