Test Kit Packaging.

The tray has numbered positions in the order the test is done, so the sequence is obvious before anyone reads the leaflet. Someone doing a test for the first time, often anxious, looks at the tray before the instructions. When position 1 holds the first thing they need, they follow the order without thinking about it.

We print or emboss the numbers on the tray itself, next to each cavity.

Differentiate them by colour and by cavity shape, instead of relying on a printed label alone. Two vials that look alike and have to be used in a fixed order are a known hazard in home testing. A round seat for one and a square seat for the other means neither fits back in the wrong place.

Colour bands on the tray should match the colours used in the instructions, so the user can cross-check at each step.

They should, because a leaflet that lists steps in a different order from the tray is a known source of errors. We lay the instruction panels out in the same left-to-right sequence as the cavities, using the same numbers.

The leaflet also has to fold legibly and fit the box without crushing. Result-interpretation graphics showing what each line means can go inside the lid, where they're visible while the test develops.

Strips go in sealed foil pouches, often with a desiccant, and the kit box holds those pouches flat and dry. Moisture and heat are what degrade reagents in storage, so the barrier sits at the pouch level. The outer box protects the pouches from crushing and keeps the components together.

We size the pouch cavity so it doesn't crease the foil, since a creased pouch can split along the fold.

Matte lamination over CMYK with Pantone matching is our usual spec, with spot UV on the brand mark if you want it. Matte keeps instructions and result graphics readable under bathroom lighting without glare.

Expiry has to be findable before the test is used, so we give it a clear printed zone on the outside, sized for your coding. A tamper-evident seal across the opening shows the kit hasn't been opened before.

Common kit formats are 6 × 4 × 1.5 in and 8 × 5 × 2 in. The smaller one suits a single test with a strip pouch and a buffer vial, and the larger fits multi-test kits or kits with swabs and lancets.

We work from the component list and each item's size, then draw the tray layout first and size the box around it. Rigid chipboard suits a premium kit, and SBS keeps retail kits light.

Test kit packaging has a 500-unit minimum. That includes the printed box and its numbered tray, which are designed together and quoted as a pair. A pilot launch or a clinical-study batch fits comfortably at that level.

Once the tray is right, larger runs reuse the same tooling.

We produce test kit boxes in 7 to 10 business days after sign-off, or in 5 to 7 when rushed. Sampling runs 5 to 7 business days, and we recommend it for any kit with a tray, since you'll want to fit every component and walk through the steps.

If you go ahead, the sample fee is credited against the production run.