What is a Folding Carton?

Folding cartons are medium sized “cardboard boxes” made from cartonboard, which is multi-ply paperboard that is significantly thicker than boxboard and is used primarily for automotive, hardware, sporting goods and electronics. Because they are usually delivered to the packer in a flat form, either as a side seam glued carton, which is folded flat, or as a flat piece of printed board cut around the perimeter to a carton profile, they are referred to as “folding cartons”. This feature helps customers save a large amount of space, which helps in storage, transportation and overall bottom line.

Folding Cartons and Your Brand

Everything you want to say about your brand is reflected in the carton you design. In essence, your brand’s ethos, or credibility, is established on the outside through the packaging before the customer even sees the product. If the box is torn, crushed, or in disarray, that negative first impression will filter through to the product inside.

When you create your brand, you choose the look and feel of the design, the logo, the tag lines, special features, color, shape, size and function of the product. These choices are strategic in that they appeal to your target audience. The packaging of the product is an extension of the product itself; therefore, the package must effectively and accurately portray your product as you would like your audience to perceive it. Certain packages deliver different messages; for instance, a pharmaceutical company is going to want to have a portion of a package in white, to reflect the sterile, hygienic environment of health care.

Knowing your audience also means understanding their financial position. Customers can be divided into three basic groups: those who desire top-of-the-line luxury, those who want good quality, value, and mid-range prices, and those who are on the search for a deal.

The folding packaging, through its graphics, structure and material, reflects these values and can help connect your target audience with your product on a subconscious level. Think of the sleek packaging that all Apple products have. Apple and iPhone consumers have come to expect the expensive and impressive boxes for their latest Tablet or Phone.

Protecting Your Brand

The right folding carton can also protect your brand. If designed well, it will help ensure that your product doesn’t get damaged. Customers will appreciate a product that is 100% dependable, 100% of the time.

Sources:

http://www.ppcnet.org/Portals/0/Uploads/How%20to%20Make%20a%20Folding%20Carton%20sml.pdf

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/cartonboard.html

[8/30/2013]

A Complete Marketing Solution

Well, if you are thinking of a complete marketing campaign in the current time, you ought to think inside, outside and about the packaging box. These days, packaging has become an inevitable marketing arsenal to influence the buying decision of customers at the stores and drive sales. It is also used in promotion of brands as well as to enhance the brand image.

In short, packaging does matter. It’s vital for brands, retail businesses and even consumers. It affects the brand or product satisfaction over the entire period of product lifecycle. If you are a product owner who thinks he has given enough attention to their packaging, think again! There is still a plenty of room to improve or bring innovation in your product packaging.

It Can Drive Business!

The leading marketing agencies of the world have understood the importance of packaging in brand’s success and hence already started leveraging it to the possible extent. A number of studies, surveys, polls and researches are done by many different media agencies and renowned analysts to measure the impact of packaging in brand’s ultimate success as well as failure.

However, there is still a large group of marketers who is overlooking the benefits of packaging. If you are one of them, it’s high time now you start paying more attention to product packaging and labeling. While the cost and quality of the product are two most important factors monitoring product satisfaction, it’s not at all surprising to see why the majority of consumers think of packaging almost equally important to a brand itself.

The Evolution of the Packaging Industry Has Begun…

Now, if you think of the total investment made for the brand and the investment done behind product packaging, are they equal? Well, the numbers are not matching anywhere. Some studies have conducted to explore the purchase habits and customer satisfaction with packaging in the market, and the results show that shape, color, design, labeling, and material of the packaging are major factors in attracting customers to the shelf and drawing in sales.

Another survey was done with the same purpose in October 2012 involving 3000 US based consumers. and the results are really interesting for marketers and brand owners – around 64% of the participants admitted that sometimes they get dragged to purchase a product by just being attracted from the packaging, and they had no clue about the product before entering the store; 72% of the participants didn’t use the mobile phone while browsing the shelves in the stores. Not to be outdone, studies show that packaging is also a key factor in driving repeat business.

Why Choose Corrugated Packaging?

While there are several packaging options available out there, corrugated packaging solutions have been dominating the industry since ages. There won’t be hype if one says corrugated cardboard boxes are the synonym of the packaging. From the aesthetic appeal, durability, flexibility and sustainability to affordability, corrugated carton wins from all aspects!

So, what’s stopping you now? Hire the best packaging company to create an award-winning corrugated box design for your brand and leverage the power of packaging!

[8/27/2013]

The folding carton is a staple of the packaging industry. It is created from paperboard that is then folded, cut, printed, and laminated in order to be transported to a variety of manufacturers for their business packaging needs. They can also be sold in retail stores for customers to use in their own homes for their personal needs. They are shipped completely flat to the manufacturer and are then folded into their proper state to fit the manufacturer’s needs. Folding cartons have a variety of uses, the most common of which are discussed below.

Gift Boxes

Folding cartons are perfect for packaging gifts of all sizes. They are perfect for apparel boxes and are just the right size for packaging up clothing items to give to a loved one. These folding boxes are created in one piece so that the packing of gifts is both convenient and easy. They are great for jewelry along with other small items. They are also beneficial because they can store flat and then pop up to be easily assembled. Certain features like ribbon closures and window lids may also be available to showcase your gift.

Food Products

A folding carton is also a great solution for the food industry, as these items can help to best showcase the food from a business while transporting it safely. They are staples in grocery stores and bakeries across the country. Most commonly they are used to package pies and cakes, and those with a plastic window can display the decorative features so that customers can know exactly what the product looks like when they are considering their purchase.

Marketing Tool

Folding cartons can help to market a business, and successful packaging can make or break the product of a business. The retail shelf will serve as a final marketing campaign moment for your business, and it is your last chance to promote yourself and your product prior to purchase. Not only can these ackages get the attention of the customer, but they can also fulfill the needs of the customer for information. To be used as a successful marketing tool, folding cartons must complete the following activities:

• Communicate the benefits and details of the company’s product
• Provide complete production for the product as well as any other components
• Maximize the product’s shelf appeal in order to capture the attention of the customer
• Communicate the sales and brand message effectively

[8/15/2013]

Regardless of how great your product might be, if the product packaging that you choose falls short, this could be detrimental to attracting repeat business. The type of packaging that you choose will ultimately be dependent on your actual product, but some of the top factors that you should consider before you choose your packaging material are outlined below.

Design

The design of your packaging should work to reflect your product to your intended audience. While products that display strong colors may work for a predominately male audience, products intended for females may benefit from packaging that displays more feminine colors and graphics. You should ensure that your company logo is prominently displayed in order to ensure that your product is recognizable and to promote awareness of your brand.

Types of Packaging

Packaging is available in a variety of different options, the most common of which is cardboard. Cardboard is a popular solution because it’s durable, can be recycled, and is generally affordable. There are many grades of cardboard, and while corrugated cardboard may be best for heavier items, lighter and thinner versions are also available for smaller items. Packaging accessories are also available, such as bubble wrap, and these items help to provide additional protection to the items inside of the package.

Proper Size

The heavier and larger your products are, the more expensive that your packaging will be. Choosing a large packaging solution for small items is wasteful, and because it weighs more it will also be more expensive. The high cost of shipping may be off-putting to many buyers in these situations.

Cost

When selecting packaging materials it is important to take the overall price into account. If you need to ship a large number of products, purchasing your packaging materials in bulk may make the most sense. However, it is important to not forget quality, as low-quality products can provide a bad impression of your business and may be more likely to become damaged during transport.

Package Contents

The packaging solution that you select should be functional and appropriate or the contents that you are placing inside of it. This will help to safeguard your product against possible damages during shipping or in storage, and this is especially important if the contents are of high value or are fragile. Plain packaging may be beset if you are intending to send something as a gift or if the contents are personal in nature.

[8/12/2013]

As the market pushes packaging converters and printers toward faster turnaround times and shorter runs, many people believe that printing folding cartons is a method that has run its course, especially due to the complexity associated with the folding carton product supply chain. However, this has not been the case. Brand owners are continuing to look toward folding cartons over the option of labeled containers. Today’s business mantra focuses on customer intimacy, and the folding carton helps to provide both new and existing businesses with that effect.

A Changing Market

The days in which packaging was simply done in order to hold a product are gone, and a superior packaging solution that simply protects a product and facilitates storage is no longer good enough in the current market. Today, the top packaging solutions need to do all of these tasks along with maximizing the brand owner’s selling power. As the current marketplace becomes increasingly cluttered, business owners are given the daunting task of creating a recognizable brand that is also protected. Custom-designed folding carton packaging allows for individual businesses to effectively communicate with their customers.

Crucial Folding Carton Printing Features

There are a variety of features that have been identified as crucial for the printing of folding cartons.

• Conventional Substrates: Using toner that can be printed on any conventional substrate without being pretreated is crucial. This helps printers to save money and time, and it also allows for easy press integration into a traditional environment of production.
• Food Safety: When producing folding boxes, it is important for a manufacturer to consider the advantages of technology in dry toner. The FDA has established guidelines for direct and indirect food contact with certain surfaces. All folding carton process colors have been deemed as suitable for direct food contact, and they are also odorless.
• Inline Finishing and Durable Clear Toner: Toner choices can eliminate the need for a business to invest in a separate varnishing station. The toner choices that are available today therefore make this printing type a viable option.
   

The Future Market

A study by Pira International has indicated that strong growth is expected in the market of digitally created folding cartons. A study completed in 2011 indicated growth of over 30% worldwide from 2011 to 2016. This forecast works to confirm that digital printing is becoming increasingly popular and accepted within the folding carton printing market.

[8/8/2013]

Properly preparing boxes for shipping is extremely important, as this task is essential in order to ensure that your item is protected and that it arrives at its intended destination. Some important tips for preparing both large and small shipping boxes are outlined below.

Use Corrugated Boxes

When shipping an item it is best to use a new box, as the more often that a box is used, the more it will lose its original qualities for protection. It is important to select a box strength which is suitable for your package contents. Many boxes include a Box Maker’s Certificate that will outline weight limits, and this can be a guideline to determine if you need small or large shipping boxes to safely send your item. Improper packaging can result in an alteration of the dimensions of a package during transport, and if the dimensional weight is affected it may result in a correction of the shipping charge.

Include Internal Protection

It is extremely important to cushion your items properly within your package. It is recommended that each of your items is wrapped separately, and fragile
items should be kept away from each other. Proper internal protection materials that can help to ensure your items arrive at their final destination intact
include:

• Air-encapsulated plastic
• Loose fill, or packing peanuts
• Inflatable or air bag packaging
• Foam-in-place or engineered foam enclosures
• Crumpled craft paper
• Corrugated inserts and liners

Secure Your Box Properly

Properly closing your box is also important to the security and safety of your item. You should use a very strong tape with a width of at least two inches
rather than masking tape, duct tape, or cellophane. Some of the best packaging tapes to use include nylon-reinforced filament tape and pressure-sensitive
plastic tape.

Label Your Package

To ensure that your package is delivered quickly and efficiently, take the following points into consideration while labeling your shipment:

• Include the recipient’s complete address including postal code.
• If applicable, include a unit or apartment number on the shipping label.
• If you are shipping to a Post Office Box, include the phone number of the recipient on the label.
• Fasten the shipping label directly on top of the package, and only include one label per package.
• Don’t place a label on a closure, seam, or sealing tape.
• Cross out and remove any old markings or labels that may be found on a used box.
• Include your return address including street address and zip code.

[8/5/2013]

Shipping items and merchandise is one of the most complicated processes for a small business, especially when it comes to the transport of large shipping boxes. By not properly planning this function, results can include overpaying and losing sales if you are not able to provide your customers with cost-effective and consistent product delivery. Here are some of the top factors that you should consider prior to sending large shipping boxes to customers in order to save money.

Match Fees and Delivery Requirements

After you have selected your shipping provider, it is recommended that you work with that organization’s small business specialist. This person can help you to match the services and fees of the carrier with the common shipping requirements of your business, which may include delivery timing and mode of transportation. It has been suggested that businesses that fail to work with their shipping carrier to map shipping criteria may send up to 40% more in fees than necessary.

Utilize a Postage Meter

Postage meters are portable machines that come with a scale that can weigh packages. These meters also assess exact charges for postage and can print shipping labels. These systems can eliminate your need to guess the weight of boxes for shipping and can prevent you from needing to buy extra postage “just in case.”

Consolidate When Appropriate

If you need to send a shipment that weights over 150 pounds in heavy duty shipping boxes, it may be advisable to work with a shipping freight consolidation service. This service works to combine your shipments with others in order to fill an entire truck. Load rates for less than a container or truck load are typically higher than full container load rates.

Track Your Carrier’s Performance

One of the most efficient ways to track your carrier’s performance is to keep a sort of scorecard to track cost and service. Service factors may include
the following factors:

• Pickup
• Delivery
• Access to data about status online
• Accuracy of online data
• Customer service inquiry response
• Meeting appointment times for pickup and delivery
• Meeting transit times that were originally agreed upon

Cost factors that you can use to track your carrier’s performance include the following:

• Cost by level of service (including overnight, standard, or expedited)
• Baseline by distance or weight
• Non-essential fees (such as delivery times or special handling)

[8/1/2013

Developing a label for your product is an important task, and you need to balance branding platforms, presentation, shelf impact, and your marketing goals. By taking a few considerations into account when developing your packaging label strategy, you will be able to succeed in all of these areas.

Make Labeling a Priority

The packaging labels that you use should not be an afterthought. Your packaging materials and label should work together both aesthetically and physically, and choosing a certain type of label will affect the design of your container. When considering packaging solutions you should also examine all of your labeling options, as deciding on these will allow you to get your package onto the market as quickly as possible.

Consider Your Label in Context

Don’t look at your label as an independent part. Examine it in terms of the context in which it will be displayed on a shelf. Consider whether your label
design will look appropriate while providing enough contrast in order to be noticed in a crowd of other products. Ensure that your label doesn’t become
obscured by your display or within other marketing contexts.

Functionality Trumps Decoration

When considering what label to use, ensure that functionality is more important than decoration. Consider what you expect out of a label, and some
questions you may want to ask yourself include the following:

• Do I need to include regulatory or compliance information?
• Will regulations possibly change in the future?
• Will a certain functionality aspect make my product easier for the customer to open?
• Do I need to hide an unattractive product?
• Will including information increase the amount of my product that a person buys?
• Can I promote other products with the use of my label?
   

Less Means More

Many customers believe that less means more. Your label should include a maximum of four primary messages for your customer, including:

• Name of the product
• Name of the brand
• Serving size for food products
• One feature or benefit

Customers have a variety of choices when shopping for products, so crowding your label with too many elements or excessive text may frustrate and confuse them.

Minimize Label Materials

Product packaging manufacturers are beginning to offer more options for thin labels that reduce the amount of materials you will need to consume. However, before you commit to any label long term you should be sure to thoroughly test its performance.

[7/29/2013]

The type of packaging supplies that a business will eventually use depends on its product type and the industry it belongs to. Regardless of what size and
shape of packaging cartons you require, you will easily find packaging solutions for all sizes and shapes, from large scale specialty packaging to postal
tube packaging products.

Selecting the right packaging supplies based on your requirements is a crucial decision for your business success. For those not aware, packaging products aren’t only used to hold, store and protect the products. Instead packaging has become a key arsenal in branding and marketing products.

However, it is essential to ensure the right set of protection and branding requirements of your products as well as your business, with the budget amount
you can spend on packaging products.

Small Company, Small Purchase

Startups and small scale business are not always having the financial capacity to place large purchase orders. In fact, they often have to balance their
packaging requirements against their budget – and also with the floor space available in their warehouse or office to store those packaging products.

And hence, startups mostly prefer to outsource their packaging needs to a vendor who also caters to small orders without compromising the quality. Reasonable rates and good discounts on smaller orders help small businesses grow and start seeking for larger quantities of packaging solution gradually. The supplier company that offers quality cartons at affordable price and ensure a hassle-free, on-time delivery all the time is more likely to rule the packaging market and retain the interests of businesses in their transitional phase.

Packaging Outsourcing

A growing company often comes at a point where it has to revise its existing order arrangements. Earlier it might be appropriate for the company to put an order of small quantities of packaging products and deal with all shipping process in-house. But with the significant growth, the company needs to
emphasize more on product development and sourcing, and a little less on the supply-chain.

And this is when the company needs to take the warehouse related decision – should I get my own warehouse and appoint needed management and other staff or should I simply outsource the storage and shipping to another company, who has ample experience and expertise to accomplish this for you professionally?

Most of the time, the experts go with the second choice i.e. to outsource the packaging and shipping needs to another professional company. With this
option, the company can leverage from custom warehouse facility and the workforce it needs to best match its packaging requirements. And most
interestingly, this will cost you very less money than what you might have invested in owing a warehouse of own and hiring new resources.

There are a number of companies across the U.S. that offers comprehensive packaging solutions – packaging design and delivery, to all businesses and individuals. Some packaging companies also offer logistical assistance, making a one-stop-solution for all sizes of businesses.

What are the packaging choices available out there?

While you can easily get an idea of company’s packaging demand based on the kind of products it makes or supplies, there is still a room for maneuver. Some packaging solutions are aptly environmental friendly – quite a right packaging choice for a company who want to boost awareness of the green world and create an ethical and more powerful social image of their brand or business in the marketplace.

However, if you want to explore all packaging options, including styles, types, shapes and sizes, available out there, resort to the internet. Start browsing and partner with the best packaging supplier you can find.

[7/25/2013]

There won’t be hype if I say corrugated cartons are the synonymous of shipping boxes. These boxes make the third highest overhead cost, after labor and facilities cost, in all order fulfillment operations. Regardless if you outsource the packaging of your shipment or do it on own in-house, keeping the cost of shipping boxes and other supplies as low as possible is a top concern for businesses that ship products in bulk on a regular basis.

Make a blanket order

Creating a blanket order for the manufacturer or supplier of corrugated boxes is the first step in cost reduction. Learn about blanket orders. Most of the time businesses looking for shipping supplies starts with local vendors and buy the boxes in small lots at the market price (or the one published on its website).

When the volume of your order increases, it’s the right time to contact the supplier company’s custom quote department and put a blanket purchase order entitled to some big discounts. Of course, it will require a purchase in large volume, but the savings can be crucial for your business.

Purchasing in Bulk Isn’t Always Economical

Per unit cost of shipping box or supply increases if the quantity or order size decreases; vice versa is true as well. But when you order extra quantity, you are actually making ‘extra investment’ in packaging stock. Now the real thing you need to check is, if your extra savings when divided by the extra
investment results in ample return amount as compared to other investment opportunities, it is worth making an additional stock of packaging supplies on hand.

How blanket order can boost your revenues?

There is a solution for the low ROI problem discussed in the above paragraph. You can place blanket orders with the packaging companies subjected to batch releases over time. In this case, the blanket purchase order allows you to fix the volume targeting lower unit price in advance, but then you can release it in monthly or quarterly amounts till the blanket order volume is filled. This way you can ensure cost savings on boxes for shipping and at the same time
can lower the added investment per release to a level your ROI can go beyond your minimum.

Buying custom boxes from local manufacturers can further reduce the cost

If you put a blanket purchase order for minimum 1000 corrugated boxes of the same size, you can certainly cut down the expense to the next lower level by having your boxes made to order by a local supplier or a manufacturing company in your region. You may take help of yellow pages and other trade directory kind of services to find one or more suppliers of shipping supplies in your area. However, internet is the fastest and simplest way to find your best packaging partner.

The supplier company will provide you with the exact size boxes that you need to fulfill your packaging requirements. The supplier can imprint your company’s logo and a sales message above the shipping boxes; this will gain more exposure and visibility for your brand.

Moreover, the supplier company will deliver the boxes to your site, and probably will warehouse your production run and release covering a blanket quantity; this will not only increase your return on investments but make the most of floor space available.

Follow these tips while buying shipping supplies including small shipping boxes, heavy duty shipping boxes, mail tubes and RSC boxes, and save BIG!

7/22/2013