Packaging is a crucial aspect of any product’s success, as it not only protects the item during transportation but also serves as a marketing tool to attract customers.

However, the importance of choosing the right carton material for packaging is often overlooked.

The type of carton material used can have a significant impact on a product’s success, including its durability, sustainability, and overall appeal to consumers.

In this article, we will explore the benefits of choosing the right carton material for your product and how it can positively impact your business.

Whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, understanding the importance of carton material selection can help you optimize your packaging strategy and ultimately drive greater success for your product.

The Benefits of Paperboard Packaging

Folding carton boxes can be printed on, cut, and laminated to fit your product’s size.

They are quick to produce, highly customizable, cost-efficient, and easily transported and stored.

Custom folding carton boxes are practical for almost any industry, so if you’ve decided paperboard is the right solution for your retail packaging, you’ll know there are an array of product packaging options.

When making decisions for your product, there are many things to consider, including the type of material to use.

No product is alike, and each product requires different things based on its unique journeys.

And though this notion of seemingly endless choices may feel intimidating, it is a necessary step to protect your product, save money, increase your brand presence, and reduce your environmental impact.

Ultimately, choosing the most suitable material will benefit you and your product just as much as choosing the right style of custom product packaging.

By offering some key benefits and factors to consider, we hope to make your decision on the ideal Folding carton material easier for you.

Protection for your Product

First and foremost, paperboard boxes must protect the valuables inside. It is essential to consider the fragility of your product when deciding on the number of materials you’ll want to use.

The last thing you want to happen is for your product to be damaged or compromised.

That said, you don’t need to make your package the Fort Knox of packaging, but choosing the appropriate materials will ensure your product is sufficiently protected and stylish without overspending.

Folding carton packaging naturally offers protection from superficial damages like scratches, dents, and dust while also protecting your package from drops and mishandling, if needed.

Folding carton boxes also allow for additional protection like corrugated inserts or VAC forms to assist with more fragile products such as liquids contained in glass.

Different items require different levels of protection, but keeping your product’s fragility in mind will help you determine the suitable supplies to maximize their benefits.

For this, the different grades available for folding cartons, like Solid Bleach Sulfate (SBS) or Solid Unbleached Sulfate (SUS), help businesses hone in on what they need, whether it’s to meet sustainability goals, increase the quality of printing or ensure more durability.

Sustainability for the Planet

The next factor to consider expands on the materials you choose for the packaging. Not only should you consider the protection of your product, but also the protection of the planet.

Many consumers now look for sustainable brands that are using environmentally friendly packaging to deliver their products to customers.

Choosing an alternative, more environmentally friendly material without compromising the integrity of your package will help boost your brand image and favourability to the increasingly environment-conscious consumer.

Thankfully, custom folding cartons are already highly eco friendly.

Custom folding cartons are made from renewable materials, is less resource intensive to produce, and is 100% recyclable!

Even the inks and coatings available for printing on folding carton boxes are sustainable and ensure materials remain recyclable or biodegradable!

However, if you still wish to really delve into more sustainable custom packaging options, may consider more versatile options like recycled paper, kraft, or hemp!

Branding and Visibility

With the paperboard box materials covered, it’s time to consider what you put on the actual custom folding cartons.

Printed boxes are your way of communicating with the customer, so getting your story across clearly and uniquely is essential to creating a positive impression.

To that extent, custom folding cartons offer much more real estate and freedom to do this.

Not only can you mention that you are using sustainable packaging, but a well-conceived design will help your product stand out from competitors on the shelf and help further develop your brand identity.

Printing & Decorative Options for Paperboard Boxes

And to assist with this, custom folding cartons have two available printing options: offset and digital printing.

Deciding which method is best for your package depends on a case-by-case basis. However, offset printing is generally better for larger batches and offers higher print quality, while digital printing is better for smaller sets or simple designs.

In addition, decorative printing options are also available, like foil stamping, specialty coatings and laminations, and embossing and debossing to make your custom carton pop.

Foil stamping involves adhering metallurgic materials to your packaging to create a degree of elegance associated with your brand.

Specialty coatings and laminations involve bonding a film derived from polyester, nylon or polypropylene onto the surface of your packaging solutions using high temperatures to create additional glimmer and durability to the box.

Finally, embossing and debossing involves raising or depressing some aspects of your box to create a luxurious look and feel for your box. Combining this with the previously mentioned printing methods may be worth considering!

Regardless of the printing methods and decorative printing you choose for your product, it is guaranteed to provide a positive visual on the shelf!

Case Study: How Folding Cartons Benefitted the Drop Supplements Brand

Let’s now examine a specific case of how the right custom folding carton benefitted Drop Supplements, a small family-run business.

Initially, Drop Supplements used bubble wrap as their packaging solution

This solution resulted in damaged products, an unappealing package, and extended shipping times.

And in the beginning, custom packaging seemed unattainable for this small family business

However, upon discovering PakFactory, Drop Supplement found custom sizes and solutions tailored to their needs.

Being a small company using natural ingredients, Drop Supplements wanted an efficient packaging method while maintaining its high-quality brand image.

So together, PakFactory and Drop Supplements determined that a folding carton, tuck-end box was the solution.

This solution was easily shipped and stored, provided optimal space for high-quality printing, was sturdy enough to hold a product with a little more weight, and was eco-friendly and recyclable.

And after working with PakFactory to develop a unique box, Drop Supplements managed to streamline its shipping process, create more brand visibility with customers and saw an overall increase in sales and packaging productivity.

Drop Supplements is just one of many success stories at PakFactory.

If you would like to inquire more about what packaging solution is right for you, please don’t hesitate to contact us!