Industry Trends

7 Questions About Fillmore Container (Answered by Someone Who’s Made Every Mistake)

What I’ve Learned Ordering from Fillmore Container (the Hard Way)

I’ve been handling packaging and print orders for about six years now. When I first started, I assumed the cheapest quote was always the best choice. Three budget overruns and one embarrassing reprint later, I realized total cost matters more than sticker price. Now I maintain our team’s checklist to keep others from repeating my errors. Here are the questions I get asked most—and the answers I wish I’d had from day one.

1. What products does Fillmore Container offer? Can I really get everything I need in one place?

Yes, and that’s one of the biggest time-savers. Fillmore Container covers both packaging (bubble wrap, foam board, shipping boxes, garment bags) and printing (business cards, flyers, brochures, envelopes, letterhead, posters, custom water bottles, tote bags). I’ve placed orders for as few as 50 business cards and as many as 2,000 foam boards. The catch? You need to know what you’re ordering. I once assumed “garment bag” meant the clear plastic ones for dry cleaning—it doesn’t; they’re non-woven poly bags for suits. Check the product specs. (Should mention: they also sell promotional products like custom water bottles and drinkware.)

2. Does Fillmore Container offer discount codes or coupon codes? How do I use them?

Yes—most of the time you can find a Fillmore Container discount code or coupon code on their site or through partner emails. My go-to is the seasonal promo page. Just copy the code and apply it at checkout. But here’s a mistake I made in 2022: I assumed the coupon would work on everything. It didn’t. Most codes apply to regular-priced items only, not custom quotes or rush orders. I lost a $47 discount because I hit “submit” before noticing the fine print. Now I always test the code on a sample cart first. Oh, and don’t bother stacking codes—their system only accepts one per order.

3. I need a custom water bottle with my company logo. What are the typical volume options (liters) and how do I avoid ordering the wrong size?

Great question. Standard promotional water bottles from Fillmore Container come in 16 oz (0.47 L) up to 32 oz (0.95 L). If you’re asking “how many liters are in a water bottle,” you’re probably dealing with a metric requirement—maybe for an international client. For 1-liter bottles, you’ll need a specific model; not all stock is metric. My 2023 error: I ordered 500 bottles assuming they’d hold 1 liter each. They were 24 oz (0.71 L). I didn’t check the product dimension table. The reprint cost $340 and delayed the event. My rule now: always verify the exact volume in milliliters or liters before approving the proof. Fillmore’s product page lists this, but it’s easy to miss if you’re in a hurry.

4. I’m looking for a Greenworks 80V mower manual. Does Fillmore Container sell equipment manuals?

No—they’re a packaging and print supplier, not a parts distributor. But here’s why this question matters to me: about once a quarter I get an inquiry from someone who confuses “Fillmore Container” with a company that sells tarp parts or power tool accessories (like US Tarp Parts). We don’t carry those. However, Fillmore Container can print custom manuals, catalogs, and instruction booklets. If you need a Greenworks 80V mower manual printed and bound in small quantities (say 25 copies), they’ll do that. Just upload the PDF and choose saddle-stitch or spiral binding. I’ve helped a client print 200 copies of an automotive parts catalog using their online tool. So the answer is: they don’t sell the manual, but they’ll print whatever you send them.

5. I need to order bubble wrap and foam board. What are common mistakes when ordering protective packaging?

Three big ones, from personal experience. Mistake #1: Assuming all bubble wrap is the same. It’s not—Fillmore offers small, medium, and large bubbles. I once ordered large bubbles for packing small electronics; the items shifted during transit. $450 in damaged goods. Mistake #2: Forgetting to count the perforation sheets. If you need 500 pieces of 12×12 foam board, make sure you’re ordering “500 sheets” not “500 square feet.” I learned that after receiving a single 4’×8’ board instead of 500 precut pieces. Customer service fixed it, but it cost a 3-day delay. Mistake #3: Ignoring the thickness specs for foam board. Standard is 3/16” or 1/2”—they’re used differently. I always keep a sample board on hand now to compare. (Should mention: us tarp parts catalog—if you’re ordering tarp parts, you’re in the wrong store. But if you need a catalog printed for your tarp business, Fillmore can do that too.)

6. How do I avoid mistakes with custom printing (business cards, flyers, envelopes)? Give me your checklist.

My initial approach to printing was completely wrong. I thought as long as the PDF looked good on my screen, it would print perfectly. Two rejected proofs later, I developed this pre-check list:

• Convert all text to outlines (fonts get lost).
• Set color mode to CMYK, not RGB.
• Add 1/8” bleed on all sides—Fillmore’s templates show this.
• Check image resolution: 300 dpi minimum.
• Verify trim size: a business card is 3.5” x 2”, not 3.75” x 2.25”.

For envelopes (#10 size, 500 quantity, 1-color), I once ordered without checking the window position. The window was on the wrong side because I used a mirror image. That cost $120 in setup fees plus a reprint. Now I always request a PDF proof before production—it’s free and catches these issues. If you’re ordering flyers, the same rules apply. Pricing reference (January 2025): 1,000 flyers, 8.5×11, 100lb gloss text, single-sided: $80–150 online. Rush fees add 25–50%.

7. What about turnaround times and rush fees? How do I avoid panic ordering?

I’ve placed enough rush orders to write a small book on the subject. Fillmore Container’s standard turnaround is 3–7 business days. Rush options bump it to 1–2 business days for about a 25–50% premium. The surprise wasn’t the cost—it was how many of my “urgent” orders could have been avoided with better planning. My worst: in September 2022 I needed 2,000 custom tote bags for a trade show. I waited until 2 weeks before. The rush fee was $600 on top of the base order. The bags arrived on time but with a color mismatch because I approved a digital proof that looked different on my monitor. Lesson: if you need something by a hard deadline, build in a 5-day buffer and request a physical proof ($25–50) to verify colors. Also, note that Fillmore does not offer same-day delivery on most items—if you think you need it tomorrow, you’re likely too late. This was accurate as of Q4 2024; shipping times may have evolved.

That’s the short version of what I’ve learned. My experience is based on roughly 80 orders with Fillmore Container over four years. If you’re ordering something unusual like a custom die-cut shape or large quantities of tarp parts catalogs (again, they print those, but don’t sell the parts), your process may differ. Always start with the checklist, verify everything, and don’t trust the coupon fine print. Happy ordering.