Product Packaging FAQs

Sections in this article

Packaging your product is certainly the most important decision that will help you get the product in the hands of your customers. The best choices are based on many factors. Here’s a series of questions we ask to help narrow down the options. In most cases, you may already have a particular type of packaging in mind so we can assume in these questions we are discovering the product.

  • What industry is your product? 
    • Cosmetics, Health & Beauty, Fashion, Pharmaceutical, Electronic, Food, Beverage
  • Are you looking for an eco-friendly packaging over luxury?
    • Paperboard Packaging should be your first choice before getting into Polyethylene materials but it doesn’t mean that it can’t be recyclable.
  • Are you looking for a label, product box, shipping box, hang-tag, stand-up pouch?
    • Some products are packaged inside wrapping paper, jars, bottles and may require multiple packaging products to make it a complete product. 
  • Does your product have many flavours, SKU’s, versions, colours? 
    • This is important to know for the printer to recommend a way to reduce the number of versions by creating a generic package (the main and most costly component such as the product box or the shipping box) and the lesser expensive packaging such as the label having the most variances. Variances can be the volume, quantity, weight, description furthermore in units of measure such as; oz (ounce), lb (pound), kg (Kilogram), pack, g (gram), and mg for (milligrams).  The subsequent question about quantity will help in figuring out the solution.
  • What quantity are you looking to do produce?
    • If your product has been in the market for a while you can answer this pretty quickly based on past data. If you are launching a new product you may need to consider the initial investment in tools and prototypes however nowadays digital equipment can greatly reduce your initial cost to get a short run produced. 

Do you have lower pricing for high volumes of product packaging?

Typically orders with a quantity of 50,000 or valued at $10,000 or more, a custom quote is recommended depending on your annual estimated volume and order frequency.

What’s the difference between folding cartons and paperboard boxes?

The packaging industry can have various terms mean the same and this is one of the two terms we hear that both pertain to the same product. Folding carton is mainly a cardboard paper or cardstock paper that has a thickness range of 12pt to 36pt in a single layer of paper. You may also read FBB for Folding Boxboard which also means the product is made from a foldable paperboard that consists of a single sheet. When you are describing a box it can be related to a rigid corrugate paperboard as well which consists of 3 layers and has a thickness ranging from 1/32” to 1/4” on average.

Is it cheaper to order product packaging online?

It’s cheaper to order online as it requires less human intervention to plan the product size and provide a custom quote. Custom quotes for product packaging are great when your order value is $10,000 or more. For fast, easy and cost-effective product packaging it is highly recommended to order online.

What is the most environmentally friendly product packaging?

The most impactful environmentally friendly packaging starts from utilizing paper and less to no plastic. There are products that cannot be packaged in paper, therefore, reducing your environmental footprint by reducing the amount of plastic required to package your product. It’s important to maintain your compliance with FDA approved packaging as it is highly recommended. 

How do I make sure paper is FDA certified? 

All product packaging and folding carton offered by Newprint is FDA approved for food-safe packaging. The best way to find out is to ask when the paper specifications and data are not listed when placing your order. 

What’s the difference between cut sheet labels and roll labels?

When deciding on ordering labels you would already know when you really need roll labels. Roll labels are necessary if you have a label machine dispenser that requires your labels to be on rolls. There are, however, some machines that will accept cut sheet labels to apply to your product however, they wouldn’t be with a liner. Most machines that are for cut sheet labels will apply a very thin layer of adhesive as you feed it the paper through the machine. In more simple terms, cut sheet labels are only needed when you are applying the labels manually or it’s a label that you will be used to handout. The benefits of cut-sheet labels are typically cost and speed to some formats and quantities. It’s always important to compare the prices for both roll and cut sheet (crack and peel) labels if on rolls is not necessary for your application.

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