When I printed the Tarot of the Revelation in English I had it published in China, having found a printer online and got a reasonable quote from him. I sent a draft as a pdf and an illustration of what the finished book should look like, cover and all.
When he sent the first samples I was shocked, he had printed the book backwards! It opened to the left, with the spine on the right. I called him and complained and he said that all Japanese books were that way - but my book is in English!! That's why I sent him the image of the finished book. All of this through an interpreter as he didn't speak English. Aaagh!
You can never plan for what people will do. He had to cut the covers off of all 2,000 books, reprint the cover and reattach. So the finished item is now about 3mm thinner. When he sent the books they were not packed in cardboard boxes, but in dozens of carrier bags! I hadn't specified how to package the books, as I assumed they would be in boxes. The cardinal rule about printing in China is to never assume ANYTHING! Luckily it turned out okay and I was able to sell all of the books in about a year.