Seed Packets: Part 1
Hi! A member reached out recently for help with a seed packet printing project. This post will be split into two, because there are some really different ways to approach this project. And they are largely dependent on how many order you have or hope to receive. The risk with a print project like this is that you could accidentally over print for your project and incur costs that you can’t make up with your sales.
My recommendation is to start small and consider doing some work in house -OR- offer your seeds at a pre-sale using mock-up imagery and have a plan in place to go to a printer to have the proper number of packets printed.
Here are some ideas from simple to complicated. They begin with finding the proper envelope. The common envelop size is 3.25 inches by 5 inches with a re-sealable flap. You can find some here for DIY projects or to share with a professional printer.
Have a rubber stamp(s) made to match the size of the seed packets. Make one common stamp that you can use for all varieties or have a new stamp designed for each variety. Add a sticker label with growing instructions on the back.
Use a sticker label for both sides.
Print your design on the front and back on your home printer. I have had luck only with printers with a vertical document feeder. Feed the envelopes bottom end in. (You may have to rotate your designs upside down in order to print them in the proper orientation). Here is a template I made in Canva for use with Proterra seed packet envelopes.
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Work with a professional printer. They will appreciate some sample packets from other vendors if you have some. We are sending some old packets and some Proterra seed envelope samples to the printer we use for our course book printing. They will be making some estimates up for us, and I will share that info. with you as I learn it. This is the sort or project that a professional printer might be hesitant to take on — because small printing runs of a lot of different designs is tedious. The price per packet for sourcing envelopes and printing will be higher, the fewer you order. We will share what we learn about this in Part 2 of this seed packet tutorial.