The sewn label gives the customer the minimum; the loose card inside the box gives them the rest. Insert cards and care leaflets are cheap to print and expensive to get wrong, because they are read at home, after the pack has been approved — and rarely seen by the retailer.
The short answer
Include the care routine and use instructions in the market’s language, the safety warnings, a support route and a short brand note; leave out claims you cannot prove and information that belongs on the label. Keep the set to one or two pieces per SKU, because every language and size variant is a separate print version. Paper, print and insertion are confirmed on your spec sheet, and cards are produced with the order.
What the leaflet is for
Three printed pieces usually travel with a pet product: the sewn label, the hangtag and the loose insert. The label is the legal carrier, the tag sells the unit on the shelf, and the leaflet is read after purchase. Its job is to turn a product into something the customer can use and care for: the first wash, the right fit, the warning that prevents a return. A leaflet that only repeats the logo has spent money without answering a question.
Contents of a care leaflet
Start with what the customer must do, then add the brand. A workable card carries:
| Block | What to put there | Why it earns space |
|---|---|---|
| Care routine | Wash method, temperature, drying, what to avoid | Matches the sewn label and prevents first-wash damage |
| Use instructions | Fitting, adjustment, how to check the product is secure | Stops misuse that looks like a defect |
| Safety and warnings | Supervision, choking, heat or electrical limits where relevant | May be required in the consumer’s language |
| Support route | Website, contact channel, model code and batch | Gives a complaint a route before it becomes a review |
| Brand note | A short thank-you and what the range is for | Builds recognition without making a claim |
The leaflet can expand the label; it cannot replace it. Care instructions belong on the attached label too, because a loose card is easy to lose. The care wording itself is covered in care labels for pet textiles; this piece is about the printed insert.
Thank-you cards, QR codes and registration
A thank-you card is the one piece that can carry brand voice without legal weight. Keep it to a sentence or two: what the product is for, how to reach support, and a genuine note about the range. If you add a discount code, its terms are a commitment; the operation behind it must exist before printing.
A QR code can link to a fitting video, a wash guide or a registration form and save space. Required instructions cannot live only behind the code, because not every customer scans and some markets expect the information in the pack; the link also has to stay live for the product’s life. If the form collects customer data, the privacy notice is yours.
Where inserts cross into compliance
An insert is marketing material until it makes a claim; after that it is part of the product’s representation. Do not print a certification you do not hold, a test standard you have not been tested to, or a phrase such as non-toxic, hypoallergenic or vet approved without evidence. They invite a challenge, and the production partner cannot supply missing proof after the fact. The care claim follows the same rule: if the card says machine wash, the product must survive that cycle, tested on the approved sample.
For the EU, the General Product Safety Regulation has applied since 13 December 2024, and instructions and warnings must be in a language the consumer understands in the market. Packaging information requirements apply from 12 August 2026 under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Confirm the exact wording and language set before the print run.
Cost and version control
Four things drive the cost of an insert, and only one is paper. Version count is the largest: every language, size or SKU variant is a separate print version. Paper and coating come next, then print method, then the packing step of inserting it.
Keep it manageable:
- One leaflet per instruction set, not per SKU; vary the model and batch.
- A version code and date, so a complaint traces to the wording in the box.
- An insertion method; a loose card can be missed.
- One approved copy in the production file, alongside the label and pack proof.
Insertion is a line step with a labour cost, and a card that is heavier than it needs to be adds freight across the order. Settle it with the pack spec.
Questions we get asked
Does every SKU need its own leaflet?
No. Share one leaflet across SKUs that use the same instructions and care routine, and vary the model code. A leaflet per SKU multiplies print versions and proofs without adding information the customer needs.
Can the leaflet replace the sewn care label?
No. A loose card can be removed or lost before the product reaches the customer. Care and safety information should also sit on an attached label or the product itself; the leaflet repeats and expands it.
Should we put a QR code on the card?
Yes, if it leads to something useful — a fitting video, a wash guide, a support form. Keep required instructions readable without it, and make sure the link and the page behind it stay maintained for the product’s life.
What should we never print on an insert?
A certification, test result, safety claim or care instruction you cannot prove for that product. Also avoid promising a warranty or a response time your operation does not keep; the card is a commitment once it is in the box.
Send the product, the markets and the insert you have in mind, and we will mark up what the card has to carry, which wording needs local review and how many versions it needs. The service page covers how inserts, labels and packaging are specified together, the labeling guide covers the rest of the label set, and the contact page reaches us — one business day for a reply.