Counter Display Carton (PDQ) | Ship-and-Display Retail Units, MOQ 100
- Material: Litho-laminated E or B flute, 300-400gsm printed face on corrugated
- Structure: Counter display / PDQ, tear-away front, printed header, compartment insert
- MOQ: 100 pcs
- Lead time: 10-15 working days | Free dieline
Counter display cartons (PDQ) that arrive pre-filled with a tear-away front, becoming the merchandising unit in store. Litho-laminated E-flute, tested tear line, compartmented inserts. MOQ 100 pcs, free dieline.
Our Advantages
No Die and Plate Charges For Digital Samples
High quality printing
Quick Turn Around
Starting from 100pcs
Custom size and style
Competitive Price
Free Design Support
To door delivery
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COMPANY SERVICES
| Bigger Discounts Offer for large orders | Bigger Discounts Offer for large orders Prices are negotiable based on your purchase volume and Fixated prices can be offered based on frequency of the order. |
| After-service | Sample cost is refundable if it's not good quality as we promised!We will refund you the defected goods values as contract listed,if the defective goods are beyond as we contracted.Our goal is to have no bad feedback and keep doing business in the future! |
| Risk Free, Quality Assurance | We've Sate of the art production facility and all printed jobs are run through our strict quality assurance department, so there are no quality complaints. |
| Printed Method | We use Off-set printing to achieve excellent printing results. However, Digital and screen printing is also available depending on box requirements. |
| About Us | Guangzhou Ecopaperbox established in 2011 is undoubtedly an accredited manufacturer of custom boxes which are exactly according to the needs and desires of the clients. Our top priority is meeting the needs and requirements of our customers. Custom Packaging and printing are provided to the customers with excellent quality on the regular basis so that maximum benefit can be achieved in the minimum amount of time. All boxes that made of paperboard, we can produce. You are welcome to make inquiry via info@ecopaperbox.com and contact us at +8619927709433. |
What Is a Counter Display Carton (PDQ)?
A counter display - also called a PDQ, countertop display or shelf-ready display - is a carton that arrives at the store pre-filled, has a front panel torn or folded away, and becomes the merchandising unit itself. The retailer places it on the counter and it is ready to sell. No unpacking, no shelf-stacking, no separate display fixture.
The commercial case is store labour. A retailer will give shelf space to a product that costs them thirty seconds to merchandise far more readily than one that costs five minutes. For impulse categories - confectionery, lip balm, phone accessories, supplements, single-serve drinks - the display is often the condition of getting the listing at all.
Structurally it is a printed tray with a raised header and a designed tear-away front. The engineering work is in the perforation: it has to tear cleanly by hand on a cold morning, but survive an international container journey without opening in transit.
Which Industries Use This Box, and How It Is Specified
Impulse purchase categories and anywhere retail staff time is the constraint.
| Industry / use case | How we normally spec it |
|---|---|
| Confectionery and snacks | Counter units holding 12-48 bars or bags. 400gsm litho-laminated E-flute so a full unit can be lifted without bowing. |
| Cosmetics and lip care | Lip balms, mini nail products, sachets. Compartmented insert so each facing stays upright as units sell down. |
| Supplements and pharmacy | Single-pack vitamins and OTC lines at the till. Header printed with the compliance copy the pharmacy requires. |
| Phone and tech accessories | Cables, adaptors, screen protectors. Peg-hook variant or a stepped tray so back rows stay visible. |
| Beverages and single serves | Cans and small bottles. Heavier board and a reinforced base because filled weight is high. |
| Promotional and seasonal | Short-run displays for a launch or a holiday period, printed digitally at 100-500 units. |
Send us the retail planogram footprint if you have one. Counter space is usually specified by the retailer to the millimetre, and a display that does not fit gets sent back.
Material Specification
Displays hold their own weight plus the product, and get handled repeatedly during the sell-down. Board is specified for stiffness rather than print.
| Component / stock | Specification |
|---|---|
| E-flute (1.5mm) | The retail-facing flute. Takes litho-laminated or direct-print artwork cleanly and keeps the box slim. |
| E-flute (1.5mm) | More crush resistance for heavier or bulkier contents while still printing acceptably. |
| E-flute (4.5mm) | Used when the pack ships alone internationally or carries more than roughly 5kg. |
| Liner | White top kraft for full-colour print, or natural brown kraft for an unbleached recycled look. |
| Fluting medium | Recycled semi-chemical medium; the corrugated body is typically 70-100% recycled content. |
| Print method | Direct flexo for 1-3 spot colours, or litho-lamination when the artwork needs photographic CMYK. |
| Litho-laminated board | 300-400gsm printed litho sheet laminated to E or B flute. This is the standard construction for retail displays: photographic print quality with corrugated strength underneath. |
Sustainability notes
- Corrugated displays are made from 70-100% recycled fibre and are recycled through standard retail back-of-store waste streams.
- Shipping the display as the transit pack removes the separate outer carton entirely - one pack instead of two.
- Water-based inks and aqueous varnish keep the whole unit repulpable.
- Designing for flat-pack shipping and in-store erecting reduces freight volume by roughly half where the retailer accepts assembly.
Structure and Size Options
The tear line and the header do most of the work here.
| Option | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Tear-away front | Perforated or zipper tear line. Tested to open cleanly by hand but hold through transit and handling. |
| Header card | Raised printed header for branding above the product. Fixed, or folded flat for shipping and raised in store. |
| Compartments | Die-cut inserts keeping each facing upright as stock sells down - the difference between a tidy unit and an empty-looking one. |
| Stepped or tiered base | Rear rows raised so all facings are visible from the front. |
| Ship-and-display vs flat-pack | Arrive pre-filled and ready, or ship flat and be erected in store. Pre-filled costs more in freight but nothing in store labour. |
| Base reinforcement | Double-wall base or an inner support for heavier products such as cans and bottles. |
We always sample the tear line before production. A perforation that works on a desk sample can behave differently after a laminated board has been through a humid container - it is the single most common failure on this format.
Printing and Finishing
- Offset CMYK - photographic artwork, gradients and product imagery.
- Pantone spot colour - exact brand colour matching, up to 6 colours plus varnish.
- Digital printing - the reason we can hold MOQ at 100; no plate cost on short runs.
- Hot foil stamping - gold, silver, rose gold, holographic. The most requested logo finish.
- Emboss / deboss - raised or recessed logo, with or without foil.
- Spot UV - gloss varnish over a matte laminate to pick out a logo or pattern.
- Finishes - matte, gloss, soft-touch, anti-scratch lamination or aqueous varnish.
Ordering: MOQ, Dieline and Lead Time
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| MOQ | 100 pcs per size and per design |
| Dieline | Free. We send a print-ready structural dieline to your designer before you commit to anything. |
| Pre-production sample | Plain structural sample in 3-5 days, printed sample in 5-7 days. Sample cost is credited against the bulk order. |
| Production lead time | 10-15 working days after artwork and sample sign-off |
| Artwork format | AI or PDF, CMYK, 300dpi, 3mm bleed, fonts outlined, placed on our dieline |
| Shipping | Ships pre-filled and ready for the counter, or flat for in-store assembly. We will quote both so you can compare freight against store labour. |
Counter displays carry more die and tooling work than a plain carton, so the 100-piece MOQ matters here - it lets you test one display design in a handful of stores before committing to a national rollout.
Related Packaging
Same family - other folding carton structures
Four Corner Tray | Reverse Tuck End Carton | Sleeve Carton | Auto Bottom Carton
Retail-ready and window formats
Vitamin Display Box with Window | Tear-Off Corrugated Boxes | Drawer and Sleeve Box | Nail Polish Cartons
Surface Choice
Our Guangzhou custom packaging factory runs four-color offset printing, automatic lamination, die-cutting and rigid box assembly on one floor. In-house production keeps lead times short and print color consistent from the first sample to full volume. Buyers are welcome to request a video tour or a factory audit before placing an order.
Packing Method For Corrugated Packaging:
Generally no need to put the PE bags inside of the cartons. Since the boxes are glued a layer of cardboard, generally production time is not long enough to dry the paper box. If you tie the PE bags, the steamed water pearl will be produced inside of the bags.
Product Details
- Custom sizes & shape – made to your exact dimensions, flute and box style.
- Eco-friendly board – recyclable corrugated / kraft material with low-migration inks on request.
- Secure closure – self-locking or magnetic options keep contents safe in transit.
- Full-surface printing – CMYK, Pantone, foil, emboss and spot UV available.
- Low MOQ & fast turnaround – start from 100–500 pcs with 7–15 day lead time.
Customer Reviews
The Counter Display Folding Carton Box arrived exactly as proofed. Print quality is sharp and the structure is sturdy - our customers loved the unboxing.
Fast turnaround and helpful dieline support. The Counter Display Folding Carton Box fits our product perfectly and the price was fair at our MOQ.
Clean printing on eco-friendly board and smooth communication. We will reorder the Counter Display Folding Carton Box for our next campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PDQ mean in packaging?
PDQ stands for pretty darn quick - retail shorthand for a display that can be merchandised in seconds. The unit arrives pre-filled, the front tears away, and it goes straight onto the counter or shelf. It is also called a shelf-ready display or a counter display unit.
Why do retailers prefer ship-and-display packaging?
Store labour. Merchandising a PDQ takes around thirty seconds versus several minutes to unpack and shelf-stack loose units. For impulse categories many retailers now make shelf-ready format a condition of the listing, because it directly reduces their handling cost.
How do you stop the tear-away front opening during shipping?
By testing the perforation, not just specifying it. We sample the tear line on the actual laminated board and check it after conditioning, because humidity in a container changes how a perforation behaves. The target is a line that opens cleanly by hand but survives handling and stacking.
What board is used for a counter display?
Litho-laminated corrugated - a 300-400gsm printed sheet laminated to E or B flute. That combination gives photographic print quality on the face with corrugated stiffness underneath, which is what lets a filled unit be lifted without bowing.
Can I order a small quantity to test in a few stores?
Yes, that is exactly why we hold MOQ at 100. Display tooling is more involved than a plain carton, so being able to run 100 units into a test group of stores before a national rollout removes most of the risk from the format.
Should the display ship pre-filled or flat?
Pre-filled saves all store labour but costs more in freight volume. Flat-packed halves the shipping volume but requires someone in store to erect it, which some retailers will not do. We quote both so you can weigh freight cost against the retailer requirement.
