How our custom seed packets are made
Each custom packet is a white wallet envelope, 90 x 145 mm, printed front and back on our own printer in Sydney, with a heat-sealed foil satchel of Happy Valley Seeds seed inside. The satchel is labelled with the variety, the botanical name and a short sowing note; it does not carry a lot number or a sow-before date. Up to 250 packets leave us within 1 to 3 business days of your approved proof and payment, depending on the time of year.
The back of the envelope carries the seed and its botanical name, growing notes where we have them and your message. At the foot sits one short line from us with a small QR code to our website, or a single line on the flap if you would rather keep the back for your words.
We are a seed company, not a print shop: the seed is ours, packed in our own satchels, and the packets are printed, filled and posted by our own team. This is what happens between your proof and the post.
1. Your proof becomes the print file
The designer draws the front and back at 90 x 145 mm as you type. When you approve the proof and pay, the design is saved with the order exactly as you saw it, and the print file is drawn from that record by the same program. What you approved is what goes to the printer, so check the names, dates and spelling before you approve. Printed colours can differ a little from your screen.
2. The morning list
Each morning starts with the orders due that day and the next. The smallest orders are printed first, so a 100-packet order is not held up behind a 2,000-packet one; the large jobs fill the rest of the day. The date we work to is the end of the dispatch window the designer showed you before you paid.
3. Printing
The printer puts toner on uncoated white paper, about five envelopes a minute on each side. Each batch is printed on the front first, then turned and printed on the back, with the flap folded so it stays clean. It is built for line art and type, which is why the designs keep areas of colour small and leave a 6 mm unprinted margin rather than printing large solid blocks.
Before a batch runs, the first envelope of each design is checked against your proof and measured with a steel rule, front and back. A few spares are printed with every order.
4. The seed satchel
The seed goes into a foil satchel that is heat-sealed shut and labelled with the variety, the botanical name and a short sowing note. None of the seed in the custom packets is treated. A starter pack puts two satchels of different seed in each packet, for $1.20 a packet more, plus 50 cents for each Premium satchel.
5. Filling and sealing
At the bench, while the printer runs the next batch, a satchel goes into each printed envelope and the flap is sealed, three to four packets a minute. The seed named on the back of your packet is checked against the satchels going in. Empty printed envelopes, from 49 cents each for customers who fill their own, are counted and left unsealed.
6. Packing and post
Finished packets are counted, boxed with a packing slip and posted with Australia Post, and the dispatch email carries the tracking number. Western Australian orders are posted on the first Friday after they are ready and go to Quarantine WA in Perth before they reach you; Tasmanian orders are notified to Biosecurity Tasmania. Both take about a week longer.
We deliver within Australia only. Cherry tomato cannot go to Western Australia and dwarf sugar snap pea cannot go to Tasmania; the designer takes them off the list for those states.
How long it takes
| Packets | Dispatched within |
|---|---|
| Up to 250 | 1 to 3 business days of your approved proof and payment, depending on the time of year |
| 251 to 1,000 | 4 business days |
| 1,001 to 2,500 | 7 business days |
If your proof is approved and paid before 12 pm Sydney time on a business day, that day counts; otherwise counting starts the next business day. Orders of 2,500 or more of one design are quoted. Delivery by Australia Post is on top, and we have no rush service: if your date is close, email us before you order. With design help, the first proof is emailed within two business days, and dispatch counts from the day you approve the final proof.
To see the printed envelope before a bigger order, the sample pack is five envelopes printed with your design for $15, postage included. The minimum order is 50 packets of one design, with up to three designs an order. More on custom printed seed packets, with the prices and every occasion.