EnvelopeDock
OEM · Wholesale · Factory Direct
Lai see packets — the Cantonese-market name for a red packet — printed factory-direct for Hong Kong, Guangdong and Cantonese-speaking buyers: custom lai see envelopes in the 158 × 80 mm landscape format those markets lean on, plus 80 × 170 mm portrait and 90 × 90 mm square, with foil, emboss and spot UV, and a 1,000-piece minimum. We print in Foshan and ship; there is no Hong Kong office, studio or local press behind this page.
Four order types account for most lai see printing that leaves this factory for Hong Kong and Cantonese-speaking markets.
A lai see red envelope — also called a lai see packet — is the same printed paper envelope that holds a cash gift, given around Lunar New Year, at weddings, at a baby's first month and at business openings. Buyers in Hong Kong and Cantonese-speaking communities use the Cantonese name for it; the object, the formats and the production route are the same ones we print for every red packet order.
| Order type | What is printed on it | Format usually specified |
|---|---|---|
| Bank, insurer or property set | Brand mark in foil, a campaign line, sometimes a QR code panel on the reverse | 158 × 80 mm landscape |
| Hotel, restaurant or retail giveaway | A single motif plus the venue name; high quantity, simple finishing | 158 × 80 mm landscape or 90 × 90 mm square |
| Wedding and banquet set | Couple's names, date, a monogram or crest in foil or blind deboss | 90 × 90 mm square or 158 × 80 mm landscape |
| Corporate HQ / multi-market set | A brand system printed once, used across Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia | 158 × 80 mm landscape, occasionally 80 × 170 mm portrait |
The landscape packet is what most Hong Kong buyers mean by a lai see envelope; the other two formats are ordered for specific sets.
| Format | Finished size (W × H) | Opening | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / wallet | 158 × 80 mm | Long edge | The everyday Hong Kong lai see envelope — CNY sets, retail, banquets |
| Portrait / pocket | 80 × 170 mm | Short edge | Traditional tall packets, often specified by a regional headquarters |
| Square | 90 × 90 mm | — | Hotels, wedding suites and modern brand sets |
| Custom | To your die-line | Your call | Sets that match an invitation or a campaign shape; same minimum |
Sizes are written width × height on the finished, glued packet, and the finished size is the outer dimension — the inner pocket sits about 2–3 mm smaller on every edge. Artwork needs 2–3 mm of bleed so trimming never exposes a white edge. Inner sizes and banknote clearances are on the red packet sizes page.
Foil on red is the finish Hong Kong corporate sets ask for most, and it is the one with the tightest artwork rules.
| Process | Where it is used on a lai see order | Design constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Foil stamping | Bank and insurer marks, wedding monograms, campaign dates | Foil lines ≥ 0.2 mm wide and ≥ 1 mm clear of other artwork, or the foil breaks up |
| Emboss / blind deboss | A crest or monogram raised on a plain red face | Blind work on pre-coloured card avoids printing a large solid |
| Spot UV | A gloss pattern over a matte base on hotel and retail sets | Keep spot UV away from the trimmed edges, or pressing chips it |
| Matte / soft-touch lamination | Premium corporate sets, often paired with foil | Works best over a heavier coated stock |
| Self-adhesive seal | Packets handed out at counters and receptions | Adds a converting step; confirm it on the die-line |
| Inside print | A thank-you line, a campaign code or a second brand mark | Keep the text clear of the glued seam |
The processes and tolerances are the ones listed on the red packet printing page — same presses, same foil units. On a lai see cue, the usual failure is a mark designed at envelope scale and then shrunk onto a 158 × 80 mm packet without re-checking the foil margin.
Most lai see artwork carries Chinese characters as well as a Latin mark. The requirement is typographic, not cultural.
| Item | Specification | Why it matters on a 158 × 80 mm packet |
|---|---|---|
| Character set | Traditional Chinese for Hong Kong and overseas-Cantonese artwork; Simplified where the set faces other markets | The two are not interchangeable, and the strokes are denser in Traditional |
| Text handling | Converted to outlines, or fonts embedded | A missing CJK font reflows or drops glyphs at the RIP |
| Resolution | 300 dpi or better at final size | The print area is small, so low-resolution type shows immediately |
| Clear space | Traditional characters need more room than Simplified | It changes the clear margin around a foil or emboss mark |
| Foil linework | ≥ 0.2 mm wide, ≥ 1 mm clear of other elements | Hairline Chinese strokes are the first thing to break up in foil |
| Bleed | 2–3 mm on all trimmed edges | Keeps a printed border from being cut into |
| Colour | CMYK, PDF / AI / PSD | RGB artwork shifts when converted to press inks |
If the artwork is being redrawn for a smaller packet, redraw the Chinese type at final size rather than scaling a design that was built for an envelope — the most expensive mistake on a lai see order is a mark that was drawn for a larger face and never re-checked at packet size.
The minimum order for lai see packets is 1,000 pieces. Digital printing and offset printing both run from that figure, and the minimum holds for every format and every finishing combination — a Hong Kong order is not quoted from a smaller run than any other.
The floor exists because each order carries its own die, press make-ready and finishing set-ups; those are recovered across the run, so 1,000 pieces is the smallest quantity that spreads them sensibly. Freight to Hong Kong is quoted with the order rather than added later, so the quote you approve covers the cost of getting the packets to you.
| Order item | Minimum | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Printed lai see packets | 1,000 pieces | Digital and offset alike |
| Additional version (different artwork) | 1,000 pieces per version | Quoted separately; state quantity per design |
| Custom format with a new die | 1,000 pieces | Die work quoted with the order |
| Runs below 1,000 pieces | Not offered | Die, make-ready and finishing set-ups are per order |
Price and schedule come back within 24 hours of a complete specification through Request a Quote.
We are a factory in Foshan, Guangdong, an hour or so from Guangzhou. There is no Hong Kong office, warehouse or local press — the order is printed here and shipped to you.
| Stage | Typical duration | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | Within 24 hours | A complete specification: format, quantity per version, stock, finishing, destination |
| Proof | 1–3 days | Whether the artwork and Chinese type need correction |
| New cutting die (custom formats only) | 3–5 days | Skipped on the standard formats |
| Production | 7–15 business days from approved proof | Number of versions and finishing processes stacked |
| Shipping to Hong Kong | 3–10 days | Freight mode and delivery point; quoted with the order |
Guangdong to Hong Kong is a short leg by the standards of our usual export routes, which is one reason the Cantonese market is a comfortable one to print for — but the delivery terms and the freight option are set at quotation, not assumed. If you are buying through an agency or a forwarder, say so when you request the quote; the documents and delivery point are easier to arrange before production than after it. The same route serves buyers further out through the Singapore red packet page, which covers the regional order flow.
A complete brief is what turns a 24-hour quote into an accurate one. Everything below is optional except quantity and format.
| What we need | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity per version | 1,000 banquet, 2,000 corporate | Sets the run and therefore the quote; each version has its own minimum |
| Format | 158 × 80 mm landscape | Standard formats skip the die stage; custom needs a die-line |
| Stock and weight | 157 g gloss art paper, or pre-coloured red card | Affects foil behaviour and the hand of the finished packet |
| Finishing | Gold foil mark, blind deboss monogram | Each process adds its own artwork rule and set-up |
| Artwork or a rough | PDF at 300 dpi, or a photo of last year's packet | A rough is enough to quote; final artwork follows proof |
| Delivery point | Hong Kong address, or a forwarder | Freight is quoted with the order, not after it |
| Deadline | A festival or event date | Lunar New Year fills the calendar early; the date sets the plan |
Send the format, quantity per version, stock and finishing you have in mind — rough is fine — and we will come back with factory-direct pricing, the 1,000-piece minimum order, the production schedule and the freight option.