Guides & Articles on Packaging
Packaging Labels
How to create product labels that spark sales and reinforce your brand
By Frances Sharpe
Whether you sell your products in your own shop or in other retailers' stores, your packaging label needs to make your products stand out from the clutter. No matter what type of products you offer — food items, candles, household goods, beauty products, lawn and garden supplies — powerful packaging labels can: Trigger sales. Communicate the features and benefits o...
Picking the Right Product Packaging
How you wrap, protect and present what you sell influences customer decisions
By Jennifer Baljko
Ever reject a product you wanted to buy because the packaging was crumpled, dented, dinged or just plain ugly? Whether it happens knowingly or unknowingly, customers decide to fork over money for something based on what it looks like and what condition it came in. Packaging, in short, can play a big role in the success of your business. But finding the right packaging presents man...
Retail Bags, Boxes and Cartons
Use packaging that fits your marketing and branding efforts
By Holly Ocasio Rizzo
For many retailers, choosing the retail bags, shopping bags, retail boxes and shipping cartons for purchased merchandise falls to the bottom of the to-do list. But that can be a mistake. Not only do these simple items serve a primary function of protecting your products once they leave your store, but they can also be powerful marketing tools. Customers expect a shopping bag, ret...
Green Packaging
Recycled product packaging and transport materials can help save money as well as the environment
By Beth Stackpole
Packaging waste has more than doubled in the last 30 years. Choosing recycled or "green" materials for your product packaging as well as your transport materials is socially responsible and often economical, too. The U.S. currently has no legal requirements regarding environmentally-friendly packaging, but other countries do have special requirements. If you're export...
Designing Your Own Packaging
The perfect presentation can boost sales
By Diane Benson Harrington
Want to make your product stand out from the crowd? The way buyers see it on the shelf can make all the difference in the world. To design packaging that will really catch their eye, follow these steps: Think outside the box. Integrate realistic considerations. Choose a manufacturer. Here's how to give your product's presentation some pizzazz:...
Adhesive Labels
Sometimes the simple things really make a difference for your business
By Sharon Cole
Think about where and how adhesive labels – also known as Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSAs) – are/can be used in your business. Are they used only on non-food packaging, in a climate-controlled shop, away from sunlight? Or, perhaps on packaged, raw meats, exposed to water/ice in a butcher's case? Are they used with mailings to wow your customers? Adhesive labels...
Storage Bins and Storage Totes for Business
Variety and functionality are the operative words in todays storage bins and totes
By Marianne Cotter
Nearly every industry from food processing to computer assembly requires the use of storage bins and totes. That is why today’s bins and totes are so highly specialized. While plastic storage totes and stackable plastic bins are the standard, there are a multitude of materials, sizes, systems and configurations that offer solutions to a wide variety of business and industrial...
Food Packaging Design
Packaging food in the right containers can turn into tasty profits
By Jenni Simcoe
Picture a supermarket shelf. There are two products on the shelf—same price, same quality. Which one will customers purchase? Most likely, they’ll choose the one with the best packaging. Great food packaging can influence buying decisions and increase brand recognition. That’s why you should spend as much time developing your packaging design as you spend on your ...
Boxes for Packaging, Shipping and Storage
Finding and selecting the best boxes for your business needs
By Frances Sharpe
Who knew that simple boxes could have so many important uses in your business? Packaging boxes and shipping boxes are essential to most companies. Without them, your goods might be damaged while in transit to customers - and that wouldn't be good for business. Retailers can benefit from retail gift boxes that make a strong marketing statement. Boxes also come in handy for storing f...
Plastic Boxes for Packaging, Shipping and Storage
Finding the best plastic boxes to display your wares or to store items
By Frances Sharpe
Plastic boxes can also play an important role in your storage system. Sturdy plastic storage boxes can protect goods and materials from the elements. Clear plastic storage boxes can allow you to view stored contents without having to manually move and open boxes. In addition, if you sell heavy products that need superior protection during shipping, you should consider using plastic...
Plastic Bags
Build your brand with industrial plastic bags personalized with your logo
By Frances Sharpe
Plastic shopping bags, plastic take-out bags, plastic trash bags -- plastic bags may not generate a lot of excitement on your business agenda, but these often overlooked items are essential to many businesses. For instance, plastic bags are a staple in retail and restaurant operations. For these businesses, personalized plastic bags can play a vital role in an overall marketing pla...
Tags
Retail tags, industrial tags, inventory tags and asset tags - find the tags your business needs
By Marianne Cotter
Tags are a necessity in nearly every business. Retailers need price tags and sale tags for price visibility and check-out efficiency. Manufacturing operations need industrial tags to identify equipment and materials. And all kinds of businesses require inventory tags to track merchandise and materials and asset tags to protect expensive equipment. To find the right tags for your bu...
Plastic Containers
Select from a variety of plastic storage containers to help store, track and move inventory
By Stephanie Fagnani
For storing and organizing inventory, plastic containers get the job done. Plastic storage containers also act as a protective shield when transporting products from one location to the next. Options have never been more plentiful and today’s plastic storage bins come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and price points. With all of this competition, it’s easy to get ...
Selecting and Storing Bubble Wrap Packaging Materials
The right bubble packing cuts losses due to shipping damages
By Rodney Ruff
To the recipient, bubble packaging is like the cardboard box a child's Christmas toy comes in: something to play with when bored with the item that it once wrapped. To the shipper, however, bubble packing is often a cost-cutting, more resilient and more flexible alternative to foam or tissue packaging.Bubble Wrap packaging consists of top and bottom layers of thin, low-density ...
Shrink Wrap Supplies Online
How to get shrink wrap products with online orders
By J. Stoltzfus
In any business where palletized product has to be shipped out, shrink wrap is a must. Busy warehouses use shrink wrap machines to dole out the plastic adhesive as the pallet spins slowly; low-tech shops just have rolls of shrink wrap on hand that workers apply to products manually. Things you should know about shrink wrap supplies online:1. Online vendors can ship you shrink wrap ...
Blister Packaging Materials
Wrap your products in blister packaging materials for shipping or sale
By J. Stoltzfus
While product packaging evolved, blister packaging materials became a popular way to show off and package products. The simple plastic-bubble design of blister packaging provides protection without concealing what the consumer is buying. You can get great solutions for blister packs by ordering parts and putting together your own sets, or by arranging for blister pack assembly off...
Drawstring Bags
Get the most use out of drawstring bags
By Jennifer Ehlenfeldt
Whether you're looking for a good advertising bag to use at a trade show, or a product bag for daily business use, drawstring bags are a great solution. Quality and capabilities of drawstring bags differ tremendously. Here's what to think about when choosing drawstring bags:1. Compare plastic, cloth and vinyl drawstring bags.2. Decide if you want a company logo printed on t...
Foil Labels
Find online foil label resources for mailing, promotions and product identity
By Jennifer Ehlenfeldt
Whether you're looking for gold foil labels, silver foil labels or even silver foil stickers, the choices can be overwhelming. Narrow your options using online suppliers that offer help in designing the perfect foil seal.1. Find a company that will work with your foil label ideas.2. Design a label on your own, or with help from the supplier, that meets your marketing or general...
Canvas Bags
Using canvas bags for business solutions
By J. Stoltzfus
Canvas bags are reusable and less wasteful than plastic bags, but there are also other reasons for business managers to seek out these products. Canvas bags can be a tool for branding, product handling or promoting good stewardship of materials. Canvas bags are a sturdy way to transport goods, popular in an urban environment, and they can be customized for easy identification.Busin...
Pharmaceutical Packaging Equipment
How to select and purchase pharmaceutical packaging equipment
By Nadine Skinner
Selecting pharmaceutical packaging equipment and machinery depends on the types of pharmaceuticals you intend to package. Pills, capsules and liquid pharmaceuticals all require different types of packaging and packaging machinery. Be sure to understand the types of pharmaceuticals that your business deals with.Many companies make and sell all sorts of pharmaceutical packaging ...
Glass Bottles
Glass containers are manufactured to suit any small business
By Emmet McMahan
Glass bottles are manufactured in a highly mechanized process and are no longer hand blown as they were in the past. Factories that make glass containers are usually divided into a batch house, a hot end and a cold end.The batch house contains the limestone, sand and soda ash among the other raw materials required for creating the glass bottle. They are measured out into calculated...
Crates
Find the right type of shipping crate to transport your goods
By Emmet McMahan
Crates are self-supporting containers that may or may not have sheathing. A container is usually called a crate if it remains standing as a framed structure when the sheathing is removed. Otherwise, it is probably considered to be a box.The difference between a box and a crate is an important distinction because of the difference in the way their strength is measured. Crates have a...
Wooden Containers
Locate and order from vendors that carry the right types of wood containers
By Heather Topham Wood
If you are a small business that has to ship using wooden containers, then you need to find a reliable supplier that can offer you the best prices on their products. Before placing your initial order, you’ll have to estimate your wooden container needs and the grade of these containers. Most often, if you order your wooden containers directly from the manufacturer, they can g...
Metal Tags
How to get custom metal tags and asset labels
By Lesley Graybeal
Metal tags are durable and attractive, and make excellent options for signage, identification tags and asset labels. When you're shopping for metal ID tags or asset tags, though, quality is key, and you'll want to compare a range of products before you buy.Metal asset tags are a common type of metal tags on the market, and come in several customizable formats for personali...
Clamshell Packaging
Protect your product during shipping and display with the right clamshell packaging
By Christine Reeves
Clamshell packaging, so named because the attached top and bottom snap closed like a clam shell, has increased in popularity and is used for a variety of products. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are the clamshell packaging materials of choice because of their clarity and strength. PET is the standard clamshell packaging material used when FDA approved...
