An export sales representative wearing a headset at a bright desk surrounded by paint by numbers product samples

Paint by Numbers FAQ — 77 Questions Buyers Ask Us

An export sales representative wearing a headset at a bright desk surrounded by paint by numbers product samples

Paint by Numbers FAQ — 77 Questions Buyers Ask Us

Straight answers on products, specifications, pricing, MOQ, samples, lead times, shipping, compliance, dropshipping, payment, quality claims and getting started.

Every answer below is the same answer we give in a quotation email, with the same numbers. If anything here conflicts with a written quotation you have received from us, the quotation governs. Anything not covered, ask us directly on the contact page — we reply within 24 hours.

1. Company & factory

Who are you, and where are you based?

Art Painting by Numbers is a manufacturer of paint by numbers kits based in Tianjin, China. We operate our own factory, employ our own production and design staff, and export to brands, retailers, distributors and online sellers across North America, Europe, the UK, Australia, the Middle East and East Asia. Contact us at [email protected] or +86 156 0537 8062 on phone and WhatsApp.

Are you a factory or a trading company?

A factory. We print the canvas, mix and fill the paint, assemble the brushes, kit and pack by hand, and handle our own export documentation. There is no intermediary between you and the production line, which is why our pricing has no trader margin inside it and why we can answer technical questions immediately rather than relaying them. Background is on our about page.

What products do you manufacture?

Paint by numbers kits are our core product: single-canvas kits from 10 × 15 cm to 90 × 120 cm, framed kits, multi-canvas gift sets, one-off custom photo kits, mini and pocket kits, and children's ranges with lower colour counts. We also produce diamond painting, felt painting, punch-needle embroidery kits and general art and craft supplies on adjacent lines, which lets multi-category buyers consolidate one shipment and save freight.

Can I visit your factory?

Yes, and we encourage it. Give us two weeks' notice and we will build an agenda covering the canvas print line, paint laboratory and filling station, brush assembly, kitting floor and QC station, followed by a meeting with the designers who would handle your artwork. Tianjin is about 30 minutes by high-speed rail from Beijing South station and roughly two hours by car from Beijing Capital airport. Send passport details if you need an invitation letter for a business visa.

How long have you been exporting, and to which markets?

We began making DIY painting kits for domestic Chinese retailers before turning the business towards export; the majority of output now ships overseas. Regular destinations include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Tell us your market and we can share what is currently selling there.

2. Products & specifications

What is inside a standard kit?

A printed numbered canvas, 18–30 pots of numbered non-toxic water-based acrylic paint at 3 ml each, three high-elasticity nylon brushes (flat, round and detail), a printed colour reference sheet and a line-art guide card. Optional additions include a branded instruction card, a thank-you card with your QR code, and framed canvas with a kiln-dried pine stretcher. All eleven components are customisable.

What canvas sizes and materials do you offer?

Sizes from 10 × 15 cm mini kits through 20 × 20, 20 × 30, 30 × 30, 30 × 40, 40 × 40, 40 × 50 and 50 × 65 cm, up to 90 × 120 cm large format, plus custom dimensions. Substrates are poly-cotton blend at 230–260 gsm for economy kits, cotton-blend at 280–320 gsm for standard retail, pure cotton at 340–380 gsm for premium, and linen at 380–450 gsm for artist-grade. Canvases ship rolled on a tube, folded with protective interleaving, or stretched over a frame.

What are the paints made of, and are they non-toxic?

Water-based acrylic, non-toxic, ready to use without thinning or mixing. Pots are numbered to match the canvas, foil-sealed under the cap and vacuum-strip packed so paint arrives wet. Standard volume is 3 ml, with 5 ml and 8 ml available for larger canvases or dark palettes. Sealed shelf life is 24 months; 3–6 months once opened, which is worth printing on your instruction card.

What brushes are supplied?

Three per kit as standard — flat, round and detail — using high-elasticity nylon filament that returns to a point after pressure instead of splaying, with double-crimped aluminium ferrules and kiln-dried hardwood handles. Two to five brushes are available, in sable-blend or tapered nylon for premium ranges. Handles can be natural wood, lacquered in your brand colour, or laser-engraved with your logo.

How many colours should a kit have?

Between 20 and 28 for a 40 × 50 cm canvas, 18–24 for 30 × 40 cm, and 12–18 for 20 × 30 cm. More colours is not better: a 40-colour canvas produces segments too small for a standard brush and more pots each holding less paint, so the painter runs out partway. An automated conversion will happily generate 45 colours; our designers reduce that as a standard step. Full reasoning is in our quality guide.

Can you make framed kits?

Yes, stretched over kiln-dried pine with moisture content below 12%, mitred and stapled, with your logo available as a stamp on the reverse. Note the freight consequence: a framed 40 × 50 cm kit occupies roughly four times the volume of a rolled one, which can quadruple freight per unit. Most brands stock rolled as the core line and offer framed as a premium upgrade.

Do you make kits for children?

Yes. Children's ranges use fewer colours (12–18), larger segments, simpler subjects and larger printed numbers, so the kit is achievable rather than frustrating. Where you market to children we arrange third-party testing to EN71-3, ASTM F963 and CPSIA and print the age grading and warnings your market requires. Products supplied without child-safety testing should be graded for ages 14 and over.

Do you make accessible kits for older painters or low vision?

Yes, and it is an underserved segment. An accessible range uses numbers printed at 5–6 mm instead of 4 mm, higher-contrast outlines, larger segments, fewer colours (14–18), 5 ml pots that are easier to open, thicker soft-grip brush handles, and 12 pt minimum print on cards. These changes add roughly $0.20 per kit and support a distinct product line for an audience with high loyalty. Care homes, retirement communities and occupational therapy practices are viable B2B channels.

Can you produce diamond painting and other craft kits too?

Yes — diamond painting, felt painting and punch-needle embroidery kits run on adjacent lines. Consolidating them with a paint by numbers order into one shipment spreads fixed freight across more units, which is a meaningful saving on a volumetric product. Ask when you request a quote.

3. Customisation, OEM & design

Is the design service really free?

Yes. Converting your artwork, photograph, logo or written concept into a production-ready numbered layout costs nothing, including unlimited revisions on the digital proof, when you place a production order. This is not an automated filter — a designer decides the colour count, segment sizes, number placement and paint recipe so the painting is achievable. Where no order follows, we may charge a modest design fee, disclosed in advance.

What is the difference between OEM, ODM, private label and white label?

White label means our ready design with your packaging and label, MOQ 100 sets. Private label adds your branding decisions across components — canvas, brushes, cards, box — MOQ 100–500. OEM means you supply the artwork and full specification, MOQ 300–1,000. ODM means we develop the product and range for you against your brief, MOQ 500–1,000. Full comparison with costs and lead times: private label vs white label.

Can I make a kit from my own photograph?

Yes, and it is our most requested service. Send a JPEG or PNG of at least 2,000 pixels on the long edge with good contrast, even lighting and one clear subject. We convert it, optimise the colour count and send a proof for approval. For stores selling one-off photo kits to end customers we run a per-order pipeline with human review of faces and high-salience areas, dispatching in 3–5 days. Economics and photo guidance: custom photo paint by numbers.

What can I put my logo on?

Eleven components: the canvas as a printed corner mark or a reverse stamp on a framed stretcher, the paint strip and pot labelling, brush handles in lacquer or laser engraving, the colour reference sheet, the line-art guide card, the instruction card, a thank-you card, the retail box, a box label or sleeve, barcode and compliance labelling, and any insert. Most brands start with the box and thank-you card, which deliver most of the unboxing impression for the least cost.

Can you match a specific Pantone colour?

Yes. Provide Pantone references, a physical swatch or the artwork itself. Our colour team mixes and confirms the match under daylight-balanced lighting and sends a painted sample card for your approval before the run starts. Custom colour matching begins at 300 sets with a $45 setup per matched colour.

What packaging formats are available?

Printed colour boxes with matte or gloss lamination, spot UV, foil blocking and embossing; rigid magnetic gift boxes with foam inserts for premium positioning; kraft mailers for a low-cost eco-friendly look and for dropshipping; window boxes that show the artwork on the shelf; peg-hook and euro-slot formats for physical retail hanging displays; and tubes or flat mailers for large-format and framed canvases.

Can you print barcodes and marketplace labels?

Yes. We print and apply EAN-13, UPC and Amazon FNSKU barcodes at kitting stage, add batch and production codes for traceability, and print the warnings your market requires — poly-bag suffocation notices, age grading, choking-hazard statements, CE or UKCA marking and country-of-origin. Supply your barcode numbers before production; buying EAN or UPC codes from your national numbering body can take a week.

Will you sign an NDA and keep my designs exclusive?

Yes. We will sign your NDA or provide ours before any files move. Your bespoke artwork, packaging design, colour recipes and customer data are never reused, resold or shown to other buyers, and project files are deleted on written request once the order and warranty period are complete. The commitment is written into section 5 of our terms of service, not left to a chat message.

Can you copy a competitor's kit?

We can match specification, size, component quality and packaging construction, and improve on anything you found weak — send the sample and tell us what to keep and what to fix. We will not reproduce another brand's artwork, logo or copyrighted designs. The same applies to copyrighted characters, film and game imagery, sports team marks and celebrity likenesses: we require written evidence of a licence.

4. Pricing, MOQ & payment

What is your minimum order quantity?

None for dropshipping — we ship single kits. 50 sets per design for ready-library designs. 300 sets total for an assorted order with no per-design minimum. 100 sets per design for a custom kit with standard packaging. 500 sets where a fully printed custom box is required, because box printing carries plate costs. 1,000 sets for a rigid magnetic gift box. The full table is on the wholesale page.

Why is the MOQ higher when I want a printed box?

Lithographic box printing needs a plate and a cutting die, costing $60–$300 per dieline. Spread across 100 kits that adds up to $3.00 per unit — more than the kit costs. Spread across 2,000 it adds $0.05. The MOQ is simply where those two curves cross into something commercially sensible. The arithmetic for every component is in paint by numbers MOQ explained.

How much does a kit cost?

Indicatively, FOB Tianjin, for a 40 × 50 cm kit with printed canvas, numbered paints, three brushes, reference card and retail packaging: $2.15 at 50–99 sets, $1.76 at 100–499, $1.42 at 500–1,999, $1.25 at 2,000–4,999 and $1.06 at 5,000+. Smaller sizes start at $0.46 for a 10 × 15 cm mini at volume; framed 40 × 50 cm starts at $2.08. Custom colours, rigid boxes and laboratory testing are quoted separately.

Can I order fewer units than the MOQ and pay the setup cost?

Sometimes. If you absorb a plate cost outright we can run smaller quantities at a higher unit price — for example 200 sets with a printed box at roughly $2.30 per set instead of 500 at $1.60. There are also three structural ways below a stated MOQ: substitute the component carrying the setup cost (a printed sleeve instead of a printed box), share one dieline across a whole range, or stage the order. Send your target quantity and we will quote both options.

Is the MOQ per design or per order?

Per design for custom artwork, and per order for assorted ready designs. An assorted order starts at 300 sets total with no minimum on any individual design, so ten designs at thirty sets each is a valid first order — and usually a smarter one than three hundred units of a single untested design.

What payment methods and terms do you accept?

T/T bank transfer with 30% deposit and 70% balance before shipment is standard above $2,000. PayPal and Wise suit smaller orders, with PayPal fees disclosed on the invoice. Alibaba Trade Assurance is available if you prefer platform escrow. Letter of credit at sight for container loads above $30,000 by prior agreement. Net terms may be available to accounts with three completed orders and a clean payment history.

Why do you require a deposit?

Because custom kits are made to your artwork and specification with materials bought specifically for your run, and they have no market other than to you. The deposit schedules that production. Standard practice across made-to-order manufacturing in China is 30/70; a supplier asking for 100% in advance from an unfamiliar buyer is the arrangement you should question, not ours.

How long is a quotation valid?

30 days from issue unless a shorter period is stated. Material, print, packaging and freight costs all move, so after the validity period we re-quote rather than honour a stale price. Indicative pricing published on this website is for budgeting only — only a written quotation referencing your specification is binding.

5. Samples

Can I get a sample before ordering?

Yes, and we strongly recommend it. A supplier's photograph tells you nothing about whether the paint covers a dark outline in one coat or whether a brush recovers its tip. Order a sample, paint it, and judge the product the way your customer will.

How much does a sample cost?

For a ready design, product cost plus courier — typically $25–$45 delivered depending on destination. A custom pre-production sample built from your artwork takes 3–5 working days and is quoted separately. Sample cost is refunded in full against your first production order placed within 90 days, so in practice sampling is free for anyone who goes on to buy.

How long does a custom sample take?

3–5 working days to produce after the digital proof is approved, plus courier time. Pre-production samples use actual production materials and the approved paint recipe, so what you paint is representative — though hand-made goods still vary slightly between sample and mass production within our stated tolerances.

What should I check when the sample arrives?

Four checks predict customer satisfaction better than everything else combined. Paint one coat of the lightest colour over the darkest outline and hold it to daylight — can you still see the number? Paint a pale colour over a dark area and count the coats needed for full coverage. Press each brush firmly for five seconds and time how long the tip takes to recover its point. Try to paint the smallest segment with the supplied detail brush. Then check seals, count pots against the colour key, and measure number size. Full 14-check list: how to vet a supplier.

6. Production & lead times

What is your production lead time?

8 to 15 days from the later of cleared deposit and written artwork approval, for a standard custom order. More heavily customised orders take longer: printed custom boxes 15–20 days, custom Pantone colours 15–20 days, engraved brushes 18–22 days, rigid gift boxes 20–28 days, a fully bespoke ODM range 25–35 days. The per-level table is on the OEM page.

From what date does lead time actually run?

From the later of two events: cleared deposit funds, and your written approval of the digital proof. Not from the date you placed the order, and not from the date you first emailed. A three-day internal delay in approving a proof is a three-day delay in shipping, which is why we ask buyers to nominate one person to sign off artwork.

How fast can you restock a design that is selling quickly?

8 days for a repeat order of an existing design, because the numbered layout, paint recipes and packaging artwork are already approved and on file — no re-proofing and no re-sampling. This is the single biggest lead-time advantage available to an established brand, and it matters most to sellers whose demand spikes after a viral post.

Does lead time change in peak season?

Yes. Orders confirmed before mid-September run at the standard 8–15 days. After that, capacity across the whole craft and gift category tightens and 15–25 days is the honest figure — we will say so at quotation rather than promise a date we cannot hold. December to early January is the best window of the year: capacity free, freight off its peak, lead times back to 8–15 days.

What happens over Chinese New Year?

Plan for six weeks, not one. The official holiday is about a week, but production winds down ten to fourteen days beforehand as workers travel home, and full staffing takes two to three weeks to return afterwards — some workers do not come back at all, so February and March are often spent recruiting and retraining. Anything you need delivered before the end of February must be confirmed by early December.

What happens if production is delayed?

We tell you as soon as we know, with a revised date and the reason. Where the delay is ours, we will absorb the cost of upgrading part of the shipment to air freight so you can still make your launch or seasonal window — splitting a shipment between air and sea is the standard recovery and costs far less than air-freighting everything. Delays caused by late proof approval, late artwork files or a change requested after approval are quoted separately. The full calendar is in Q4 planning and lead times.

7. Shipping & logistics

What Incoterm do you ship on?

Our default is FOB Tianjin: we handle inland haulage from the factory, Chinese export customs clearance, export documentation and port charges, and deliver alongside or on board the vessel you nominate at Tianjin Xingang. You handle main carriage, insurance, import clearance, duty and onward delivery. We also quote EXW Tianjin, CFR, CIF and DDP. Never compare two suppliers' prices without first confirming which term each number is quoted on.

Why does shipping from Tianjin matter?

Tianjin Xingang is one of northern China's largest container ports and sits roughly an hour's drive from our factory. Short inland haulage costs less and reduces the risk of missing a vessel cut-off — which matters when you are working against a seasonal deadline. Tianjin is also a departure point on the China–Europe rail corridor, giving EU buyers an 18–25 day option between sea and air.

How long does shipping take?

International express 4–8 days. Air freight 6–12 days. Sea LCL consolidation 25–40 days. Sea FCL 25–45 days. China–Europe rail 18–25 days. For dropshipping parcels: 9–16 days to the US and Canada, 10–18 days to the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, 7–14 days to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, all by tracked economy, or 3–8 days by express courier. These are transit figures; add time for import clearance and inland haulage at destination.

Can you ship directly to an Amazon FBA warehouse?

Yes, DDP to your nominated FBA warehouse, with FNSKU labels applied at kitting stage, poly-bags with suffocation warnings where required, and cartons built to Amazon's size and weight limits so they are received without issue. Send your listing plan and we will confirm carton dimensions against current FBA requirements before production.

Should I buy marine insurance?

Yes, on any sea shipment. Marine cargo insurance for craft goods typically costs 0.3–0.6% of insured value — under $10 on a $1,500 order — and covers water damage, carton crushing, theft and general average contributions. Under FOB and CFR those risks are yours once goods are on board; under CIF we arrange the cover for you.

How many kits fit in a container?

Planning estimates: about 14,000 sets of 40 × 50 cm rolled, or 29,600 in a 40ft HQ. The same size framed drops to roughly 3,800 and 8,000 — framing nearly quadruples freight per unit, which is why it is usually a premium line rather than a core one. Carton sizes, sets per carton and gross weights for every standard size are on the wholesale page.

Why is freight quoted on volume rather than weight?

A 40 × 50 cm kit weighs about 380 g but occupies roughly 3,500 cm³ packed flat — a density around 108 kg/m³, far below the 1,000 kg/m³ break-even carriers use. So you pay for space. Every centimetre of packaging thickness costs money, which is why we quote carton dimensions and volumetric weight alongside every price. The full maths is in FOB Tianjin explained.

What documents do you provide?

Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, certificate of origin (general or preferential where an arrangement applies), and EN71-3, ASTM F963, CPSIA or REACH test reports where your market requires them. All are supplied in PDF on the day of shipment, with originals couriered where your bank or broker needs them. Our standard export cartons are not wooden, so no fumigation certificate applies.

8. Compliance & safety

Which safety tests can you supply reports for?

EN71-1, EN71-2 and EN71-3 for the EU (mechanical and physical properties, flammability, migration of heavy metals). ASTM F963 and CPSIA for the United States (toy safety, lead and phthalate limits, tracking labels). REACH for EU chemical restrictions. CE and UKCA marking for regulated categories. ISO 9001 for quality management and BSCI for social audits where a retailer requires them.

Who pays for testing, and how long does it take?

Testing is chargeable and quoted separately, because it is commissioned specifically for your product and your market. Laboratory turnaround adds 7–10 days, so book it at proof stage rather than after production. Reports can be issued in your company name, which lets you present them to a retailer, marketplace or customs authority as your own documentation.

Are the paints safe for children?

Our acrylic paints are water-based and non-toxic as standard, in foil-sealed pots. For a product you intend to market to children, specify third-party testing to EN71-3, ASTM F963 and CPSIA, and apply the correct age grading, warnings and importer details to the packaging. Goods supplied without a child-safety report should be sold as adult craft products, graded 14 and over.

Which packaging warnings do you print?

Whatever your destination market requires: poly-bag suffocation notices, age grading, choking-hazard statements, small-parts warnings, CE or UKCA marks, importer name and address, batch and production codes for traceability, and country-of-origin marking. Tell us the destination country and target age group when you request a quote so the correct regime is applied from the start rather than corrected after printing.

Who is responsible for compliance in my market?

We supply the product, the testing documentation and the printed labelling you instruct. You remain responsible for compliance as the importer or seller of record in your own market: correct age grading, product safety registration, importer details, marketplace requirements and any recall obligation. We provide documentation within our knowledge and control; we do not give legal advice on your market's rules, and we recommend a customs broker or compliance consultant for a new market.

Will you under-declare value to reduce my duty?

No. Under-declaration is customs fraud in the destination country. It exposes you to seizure, penalties and marketplace suspension, and it puts our export licence at risk, so we will not do it at any buyer's request. We declare goods accurately and describe contents correctly. If duty is a problem, the legitimate solutions are tariff classification review, origin preferential treatment, freight method or order structure — several of which are effective.

9. Dropshipping

Is there really no minimum order and no monthly fee?

Correct. No MOQ, no setup fee, no monthly subscription and no requirement to buy stock in advance. You pay only for orders your customer has already paid you for. Registration is free and applications are reviewed within one working day. Full programme detail is on the dropshipping page.

Will my customer see any reference to your company?

No. Parcels ship in plain packaging with your store name or no branding at all, a customs declaration describing generic art and craft materials, and no commercial invoice showing your cost price. Our company name, address and Chinese-language markings appear nowhere on or inside the parcel. The one thing that cannot be concealed is the postal origin country — disclose it in your shipping policy, because sellers who pretend otherwise accumulate disputes.

How quickly do dropshipping orders dispatch?

24–48 hours for stocked designs. 3–5 days for custom photo kits, which need design conversion and human review before printing. Transit then runs 9–16 days to North America, 10–18 days to Europe and Australasia, or 3–8 days by express courier. Every parcel has tracking, which is written back to your store automatically.

Which platforms can I sell on?

Shopify and WooCommerce via app sync, REST API or scheduled CSV export. Etsy, TikTok Shop, Amazon and eBay via their order file exports. Anything else, send a CSV with order ID, SKU, quantity, recipient name, address, phone, email and a personalisation URL or note. For Amazon you must comply with their drop shipping policy by being the seller of record on all packing slips and packaging — our blind shipping meets that requirement.

Do you supply product images and descriptions for my listings?

Yes. On registration we send a product data pack: high-resolution images on white and lifestyle backgrounds at square, 4:5 and 16:9 crops, SEO titles, long descriptions, bullet-point features, dimensions, weights and suggested retail prices by market. You are licensed to use them across your own sales channels. We ask only that you do not use them in advertising that misrepresents the product.

Can I include my own branding in a dropshipped parcel?

Yes, and you should. Your thank-you card, discount code card, review-request card or branded sticker goes into every parcel for about $0.03–$0.06 per card. A branded sealing sticker or printed sleeve over a plain mailer starts at 500 units; a fully printed box from 500 units. The thank-you card is the highest-return item in the parcel — it is what turns a one-off buyer into a repeat customer.

What happens if a parcel is lost or arrives damaged?

Tell us within 14 days with the order number and photographs. We reship the order at our cost or refund it in full, at your election. Lost-parcel claims are ours to pursue with the carrier, not yours. Parcels showing delivered but not received are assessed case by case against carrier proof of delivery. Economy international tracking often shows no scan for 3–6 days between departure from China and arrival in the destination country — that is a normal gap, not a lost parcel.

Do I need a business licence to apply?

No. Sole traders, individuals testing a first store and established companies are all welcome. We ask for a live store URL or marketplace profile so we can confirm the designs suit your audience, and we decline applications intending to sell infringing artwork.

When should I stop dropshipping and buy stock instead?

When one design sells more than 30 units a month, because the gap between a $5.40 dropship unit and a $1.42 wholesale unit now exceeds the cost of holding stock. Also when delivery time is your most common support query, when you want to bundle kits or offer fast domestic shipping, when you are ready for printed private label packaging at 500 units, or when you want a marketplace's fast-delivery filter. Nothing is wasted in the transition — your artwork and paint recipes stay on file, so a wholesale run ships in 8 days.

10. Quality & claims

How do you control quality?

At four points rather than one: incoming materials (canvas weight and coating, paint viscosity and pigment, brush filament elasticity, board grammage), in-line printing (registration against the approved proof, colour consistency, legibility of the smallest numbers), kitting (pot count against the canvas colour key, seals intact, no dried or leaked paint, cards present), and final AQL sampling before cartons are sealed. You receive an inspection report with photographs.

What inspection standard do you work to?

AQL 2.5 for major defects and AQL 4.0 for minor defects, unless you specify a stricter level in writing. Stated tolerances: canvas dimensions ±2 mm, print registration ±0.5 mm, paint fill volume ±5%, colour difference from the approved reference ΔE ≤ 3.0, carton dimensions ±3 mm, gross weight ±5%, and quantity shipped ±3% invoiced at actual count. These are in section 6 of our terms of service.

Can I appoint my own third-party inspector?

Yes, and we would rather you did. Appoint SGS, Bureau Veritas, QIMA, Intertek or any agency you prefer, at your cost, at our factory before shipment. We will cooperate with any reasonable inspection and will not ship until you confirm release following a passing report. A supplier who resists third-party inspection is telling you something.

What if some kits arrive damaged, or the paint has dried?

Report it within 14 days of delivery with photographs sufficient to identify the defect and the affected quantity. We then, at your election and our cost, replace the affected units in your next shipment, issue a credit note against future orders, or refund the proportion of the price attributable to them. Dried paint is almost always a seal failure rather than a formulation problem — every pot is foil-sealed and vacuum-strip packed precisely to prevent it, and seals are checked at kitting stage.

Can I cancel an order?

Standard orders from our ready design library may be cancelled by written notice before production begins, with a full refund of any deposit. Custom orders — anything made to your artwork, branding, packaging design, colour specification or size — cannot be cancelled once the proof is approved and production has begun, because those goods have no market other than to you. This is normal for made-to-order manufacturing and is stated in section 9 of our terms.

What does your warranty cover, and what does it not?

It covers manufacturing defects: wrong colour count against the canvas, dried or leaked paint, missing components, print misregistration outside tolerance, and packaging that fails under normal handling. It does not cover variation within stated tolerances, defects that were present in a proof or sample you approved, damage caused by your chosen carrier after risk passed under the Incoterm, improper storage or water damage after delivery, or normal wear in retail handling.

Why do you print numbers in grey rather than black?

Because black outlines require two coats of paint to cover, which produces a muddy result in pale areas and exhausts the paint supply. Light grey at 0.3–0.5 mm line weight covers in one coat while staying legible. If a sample you receive has black outlines, that is a specification question worth raising before you order.

11. Getting started

What information do you need from me to give a quote?

Six details: what you want to buy (wholesale stock, custom or private label build, or dropshipping); canvas size and framed or unframed; quantity, total and per design; artwork files or a description for free design; packaging format and whether you need barcodes or multilingual warnings; and destination country plus preferred Incoterm. Add a target retail price if you have one and we will work backwards to a specification that hits it.

How quickly will I get a reply?

Within 24 hours, and usually the same working day during our business hours of 08:30–18:00 China Standard Time, Monday to Saturday. WhatsApp on +86 156 0537 8062 is fastest because it delivers photographs and artwork files instantly. For reference, 09:00 CST is 01:00 in London, 02:00 in Berlin, 21:00 the previous evening in New York and 11:00 in Sydney.

Can I get a catalogue and price list?

Yes. Email your company name, country and the product categories you are interested in and we will send the current design catalogue PDF with thumbnails, sizes, colour counts and item codes, plus the wholesale price list. Indicative tier pricing is also published on the wholesale page so you can budget before you ask.

Do you work with individuals and very small businesses?

Yes. Sole traders, first-time Etsy and Shopify sellers and individuals testing an idea are welcome — that is exactly what the dropshipping programme exists for, since it has no minimum order. For wholesale we ask only that you have a sales channel in place. A 300-set assorted first order at roughly $700–$850 all-in is a realistic entry point.

What is the whole process, start to finish?

Brief and quotation within 24 hours. Free design and digital proof in 2–3 working days, with unlimited revisions. Physical pre-production sample in 3–5 working days. 30% deposit to schedule the run. Production in 8–15 days with in-line checks and photographs. AQL inspection with a report, then 70% balance. Shipment FOB Tianjin, or CIF or DDP, with full documentation. Eight steps, six to eight weeks end to end by sea, three to four weeks if you pay for air.

How will my information and artwork be handled?

Enquiry details are used only to answer you, prepare quotations and fulfil orders. We do not sell or share contact data with third parties. Files you send — artwork, photographs, logos, packaging designs, customer lists — are used only to produce and deliver your order, are never added to our design library or shown to other customers, and are deleted on written request once the order and warranty period are complete. Photographs uploaded by your customers for custom kits are handled the same way. Full detail, including your GDPR and CCPA rights, is in our privacy policy.

My question isn't here.

Ask us. Email [email protected], WhatsApp +86 156 0537 8062, or use the form on the contact page. We answer in writing, with numbers rather than adjectives, within 24 hours — and if a question comes up repeatedly we add it to this page.

Ready for a price?

Send six details — what you want to buy, size, quantity, artwork, packaging and destination country. Firm itemised quotation within 24 hours, free design, and a sample you can paint yourself.