Gorilla Print & Packaging FAQ: What a 5-Year Office Manager Actually Knows

If you're looking for custom labels, stickers, or packaging for your business, you've probably typed "gorilla" into a search bar. And if you're like me, you've gotten a lot of results for glue. (Important note: Gorilla Print/Packaging is not affiliated with the Gorilla Glue Company. They do adhesives; this is about printing.)

I'm an office administrator for a 400-person company. I manage all our branded material ordering—roughly $15,000 annually across 8 different vendors for everything from event swag to warehouse labels. I've made the good calls and the expensive mistakes.

Here are the real questions I've asked (and had to answer) about working with a commercial printer like Gorilla, based on processing 60-80 orders a year.

1. "What's the real cost? Your website shows a price, but what am I actually going to pay?"

This is the question everyone asks. The question they should ask is: "What's included in that price?"

Most buyers focus on the per-unit price and completely miss the setup fees, artwork revision costs, and shipping that can add 30-50% to the total. I learned this the hard way in 2022. I found a "great price" for 500 custom patches—$1.50 each. Didn't read the fine print. The $75 setup fee and $45 shipping brought the real cost to over $2.10 per patch. The vendor I almost switched from was charging $1.90 all-in.

With a vendor like Gorilla, you need to ask: Is artwork setup included? How many revisions? What's the shipping cost to my zip code? Get the final quote in writing before you commit.

2. "How long does it REALLY take from order to delivery?"

If I remember correctly, standard production is often quoted as 10-15 business days. But here's the blindspot: that clock usually starts after you approve the final proof, not when you click "order."

You need to build in time for your internal review cycle. In our 2024 vendor consolidation project, we timed it: from submitting artwork to having boxes in-hand averaged 18 business days across three printers. That's with us approving proofs within 24 hours.

My rule now? I take the vendor's quoted production time and add 50% for the full process. If they say 10 days, I tell my team we're looking at 15. Under-promise, over-deliver internally.

3. "Is rush service worth the extra cost?"

I have mixed feelings about rush premiums. On one hand, they feel like price gouging. On the other, I've seen the operational chaos a rush order causes on the vendor side—maybe it's justified.

Here's my "time certainty" stance: In a true emergency, you're not just paying for speed; you're paying for certainty. A "probably on time" standard order is riskier than a guaranteed rush delivery.

In March 2024, we paid a $400 rush fee for event banners. The alternative was missing a $15,000 client summit. After getting burned twice by missed deadlines, we now budget for guaranteed delivery when it's critical. The cheap option that's late isn't cheap.

4. "What materials hold up? I need something that won't fall apart."

The brand name "Gorilla" suggests durability, and in my experience, that's generally true for their industrial-grade options. But "durable" means different things.

For outdoor decals on company vehicles, you need a vinyl with UV laminate. For labels on equipment that gets wiped down, you need a waterproof, chemical-resistant material. I learned this after ordering 1,000 "durable" asset tags that smeared when cleaned with alcohol wipes. (Should mention: the vendor didn't ask about the cleaning process.)

Don't just say you need "strong" labels. Describe the environment: Will they be indoors/outdoors? Wet? Oily? Exposed to sunlight? A good printer will ask these questions—if they don't, that's a red flag.

5. "What's the minimum order quantity (MOQ)? Can I get samples?"

This varies wildly. For custom stickers or labels, MOQs can be as low as 50 or as high as 1,000. For custom boxes, it's often 250-500 units because of the setup cost for the die (the template that cuts the box shape).

Always, always get a physical sample before ordering 500 of anything. I still kick myself for not doing this with some folded cartons in 2023. The digital proof looked perfect. The actual boxes were printed on thinner stock than expected and felt flimsy. We used them, but they didn't reflect our brand quality.

Most reputable printers, including Gorilla from what I've seen, offer sample kits or will run a small batch as a proof. It might cost $25-50. Worth every penny.

6. "Can I use any artwork? What file do you need?"

You can't just send a JPEG from your website and expect it to work on a label. This was true 10 years ago and it's true today. Print requires high-resolution, vector-based artwork (like an .AI or .EPS file) or a very high-res PDF.

If you only have a low-res logo, many printers offer basic design services—for a fee. We paid $120 once to have a logo recreated as a vector file. It felt expensive at the time, but we've used that file for three years across dozens of orders. Actually, it saved us money.

Ask your printer for their specific template and file requirements before your designer starts work. It'll save you revision rounds later.

7. "What about shipping and mailbox laws?"

This is a weird one people don't think about. If you're ordering promotional mailers to send directly to customers, you can't just stick them in USPS mailboxes. Under federal law (18 U.S. Code § 1708), only USPS-authorized mail may be placed in residential mailboxes. Violations can result in fines.

For bulk commercial mailing, you typically need to work with a fulfillment service or ship via USPS Bulk Mail with proper postage. Don't assume your printer will handle this—ask. Most commercial printers produce the items and ship them to you, not your end-customer.

Shipping costs have gotten significant. According to USPS (usps.com), commercial base rates for a 1lb package start around $4.50-$8.00 depending on zone. For a box of 500 labels, factor in at least $10-$15 for shipping, often more.

8. "How do I know the colors will match my brand?"

They won't match perfectly. I'm just being honest. What you see on your calibrated monitor is different from ink on paper or vinyl.

The professional standard is to use Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors. If your brand guide has Pantone numbers, provide them. That gives the printer a specific formula to mix.

If you're printing in full-color (CMYK), ask for a hard copy proof shipped to you, not just a PDF. The PDF shows you the layout; the hard proof gives you a better sense of color. There's still variation, but it's closer. And remember, different materials (glossy paper vs. matte vinyl) will make the same ink look different.