Monthly Archives: August 2023

What are Packaging Inserts

Packaging is great for marketing the stuff that you have, but you also need to look at more than just the box where this came from. Box inserts are actually a great way to enhance, and boost the branding, elevating the experience of unboxing.

It also can be good for cross-selling, feedback, and a personalized connection that comes with the market you’re going for. Here, we’ll discuss the benefits, and options of these inserts.

What Inserts Are

Inserts are some new additions that are put within the packaging, making a better, more impactful type of unboxing experience.

They include materials that are printed, product types of samples, and even tiny gifts that care divided into two types of categories.

They are:

Inserts for the boxes
Promotional types of inserts.

The box ones are used for product protection, to further support these products so that they get to the doorstep of a customer safely.

While the primary focus is to protect, the printing on these is possible for box inserts, to offer more branding to the interior of the box through shapes, patterns, even text sometimes.

Promotional inserts on the flip side are what communicate to the customers for another reason rather than the product itself. Thank-you, inserts of the product samples, or even code discounts are put there. the goal of these is to bring value and also build the connections of the customer.

Types of Inserts

Now that you’ve got an idea of the two main categories, let’s talk about each type of insert.

First, we’ll go over the box inserts. Box inserts do range from a simpler type of product to more complex variants of materials, depending on each of the products themselves.

Some more common material types include:

Corrugated cardboard
Foam
Molded pulp
Plastic or blister packs

Foam is the most common because they’re super lightweight, so they won’t eat your shipping costs. They also are mostly resistant to wear and scratches.

It also is great for glass products, or anything that’s fragile like a camera lens, since they provide extra protection against shocks and jars.

Corrugated ones are another very versatile option and are used for durability and protection of these products during the shipping process. It also maintains sustainability by offering recyclable and renewable materials.

But, despite the fact that they offer less protection, they are also better for high quality printing, finishing, and sustainability, which is something that foam inserts may not be able to accomplish.

Molded pulp or a plastic one is much similar to the other two, but they are a bit different. They cannot have printing on them due to the texture of the surface. They also offer more precise molding, however, which is cool for a lot of people.

There are some differences between molded pulp and plastic though. molded pulp is good for protection and is good for sustainability. Plastic however, unlike molded pulp, is not as eco friendly, but it’s actually more food safe, which is why some people use it.

Plastic, compared to molded, is also more lightweight, but offers greater protection. But, plastic inserts, despite their problems with environmental sustainability, are still very common in the food and medical industries.

Printing on these only works on paper, or the cardboard ones. However, most people don’t print on these a lot. They might if they know that it’ll enhance the unboxing that comes with this.

Overall, look at your options, and see which type of insert will work for the needs you have.

Retention Vs Suspension Packaging

Both suspension along with air cushioning are two forms of packaging that are good if you don’t want to use packing peanuts or other materials.

But which one is better? What’s the ideal option if you’re looking to use this, and why should one or the other be used?

Here, we’ll give you some information, and also give you some cool tips to really get the best out of the packaging that you use.

Suspension Packaging

This is where you put items within inserts, and they’re suspended. Usually, a film is put around this item, so it stays in one place. The combination of both suspension and retention are great for protecting items from this damage, and also offers space between these items and the packaging edges.

This is very popular for ecommerce markets, especially when products are usually more fragile. There are also a lot of benefits that come with this, rather than just safety.

Suspension packaging odes offer the following benefits:

They’re simple, so you can pretty much put anything in there, and it’s the ideal solution for all packaging
They are great because you don’t need to buy a whole bunch of machinery just to make this work. It doesn’t require as much expense, or training either.
They’re affordable, and usually don’t require a whole lot of expensive foam to do this. it’s also very easy to store the items
It’s cleaner too, so you’re not having to worry about getting stuff everywhere. That means less of a mess, and customers will be far less upset when they are able to easily get their items out.
Finally, cardboard is more sustainable, and it does give it the edge. It also uses far less materials, which does amplify this

Air Pillows

Air pillows are becoming a lot more common as a replacement when you compare this to packaging peanuts.

They’re essentially little rolls of plastic that’s flat, with little pockets within. You inflate this, and air is there. it then is sealed, cushioning these items so that it doesn’t jostle about when it’s there.

The very common in ecommerce because it’s good for holding those more delicate items that are out there, giving it a stuck palace to sit while being transported.

It also is much cheaper than other types of packaging options that come with this, and there are a lot of great options for your to enjoy. If you’re someone looking to save money, then you’ll want to look at this.

The benefits of air pillows are as follows:

They’re lightweight, so if you’re shipping stuff that has a bit of extra weight, you can reduce your expenses this way, making this far more affordable for the business, and for the customers that are getting the items as well.
They’re affordable, and usually are much cheaper than even foam packaging, or packaging peanuts as well.
They’re compact, so along with saving money on this shipping, it also saves a lot of warehouse space. This is something that starts out initially as a plastic roll, so it takes up far less space.
They also are good as well for eco friendliness. Foam peanuts along the like are usually not. Not only that, but this is also pretty clean too, and air pillows are less obtrusive.

Both of these packaging types are great, but when to use them is dependent on the needs.

In general, use suspension packaging when you want to minimize damage risk. Air pillows are good for products that are lightweight, and also don’t take up a ton of packaging space either.

How to Reduce your shrink Wrapping Waste

Reducing waste from packaging is the name of the game, and when you reduce this, you also lower the environmental results and impacts from this.

You want to reduce the waste from stretch film, and there are a lot of different ways where you can increase the efficiency of the loads.

Most of the time, they do require far fewer types of pallets that are wrapped.

Here, we’ll focus on different types of ways to down gauge these waste options into stiffer, stronger types of stretch film.

You also want to reduce the waste from shrink Wrapping, saving a lot of money on different costs for film.

Reducing the width

Both polyolefin and PVC types of shrink film are used with machines that have a high speed. This is something that can be good as well to reduce not just the waste, but the costs too.

If you have more than an inch and a half of film that’s excess after you’ve made the seal, then you can reduce this film by about two inches to help with this. it’ll save you a lot in terms of shrink wrapping waste.

This is very common for those who wrap different products of various sizes. If you’re going to wrap just a few different products of different sizes, you may be buying just one big old load because it saves you a lot.

If you shrink wrapping a lot of products of different sizes, or even just hundreds of different products, you’ll want to also get different films of different widths to help with this.

Making One Two

Shrink bags are great for wrapping products, and tons of companies will use this to wrap different objects.

One problem that shrink bags have been is that they only come in a few different sizes, so you’ll have a lot of waste when you wrap products. Many times, the waste that’s in excess comes via the extra length of these bags. But did you know that you can make a single bag with two different seals?

Depending on the types of products that you’re wrapping, you can make multiple bags out of just one type of shrink bag.

This is also used with shrink tubing and centerfold films as well. shrink tubing is cool because you can also make different tubing based on how small or large a product is.

The same goes for centerfold too, and if you’re able to use this, you can reduce the cost and the waste. Due to the fact that it’s hard for someone to explain exactly how it’s done, it’s important to watch a video or two on how they do it. you can get some ideas in order to get a feel for the types of products that you’re throwing together, and all of the other various benefits that come with this too.

With that said, make sure that you also keep in mind the ultimate benefits of the shrink wrapping, and all that’s there. When you’re able to improve your shrink wrapping, you’re not just saving money, but you’re also saving waste too. Your output is far greater, and the materials are far less.

If you haven’t tried to use these two types of ways to reduce shrink wrapping yet, then get on it and try it! you owe it to yourself to try this, and to get the right shrink wrapping for your needs, so be mindful of just how it’s done, and the impact of the different shrink film that you buy for your company and its production.

Pallet Stretch Wrapping to Secure Shipments Better

Pallet stretch wrapping has been popular since the 1970s, when it came out as a better, more affordable type of shrink wrapping, while the early wraps didn’t have the stretch rate we see today, this has evolved into many different ways over time, with lots to choose in terms of options.

Most people don’t know that there are options, so here’s but a few that we love.

Pallet Wrapping with Holes

This is called vented pallet wrapping. These holes are made with a die cut in order to obtain the best airflow. They usually are limited, and they keep the condensation otherwise. This airflow is vital for wrapping frozen foods, produce, and a whole lot more. Most companies that wrap this do it to trap moisture within this. This moisture that’s trapped does cause your produce to spoil much faster but with holes, it allows the air to escape, and it reduces spoilage.

It also helps with condensation issues, a major problem for frozen foods due to the changes in temperature. With pallet wrapping, this condensation then refreezes, and from there ice crystals begin to form on the outside of this packaging. They don’t look good, but with pallet wrapping with holes, it can prevent the condensation from forming, and prevents these packaging options from being torn up and damp.

Pallet Wrapping for a Machine

This is one with decades of use. This is one that’s evolved a lot due to the different wrappers that are there. this resin formula also does change too. In order to make this possible, various extruders will melt the resin pellets that are formed, creating a thin, unique line.

As they melt, a lot of additives get thrown in there, and for the most part, it provides different types of characteristics, including stretch rate, and also has a capability of stretching to many levels. It can reduce the usage and the costs of the film. But there is no amount that doesn’t prevent the tearing, especially if it has an extreme amount of stretch.

When you’re looking for this type of wrapping, check out the many different options that are there. Normal gauged types of pallet wrapping is the status quo for many, but it’s not as prevalent as it was previously.

The equivalent stretch wrapping makes a lot of the pallet wrapping that’s sold today. There are different varieties, with the main characteristics of this being thinner, and much more compatible and even equivalent in order to keep the retention. You should always ask for a sample when you’re talking to suppliers, since they can give you many options.

Handled Pallet Wrapping

This is one that comes with a core that’s the standard 3 inches. The insides of this can be uncomfortable for some people, and you need to roll this pretty tight in order to apply this.

But that’s where the pallet stretch wrapping with handles comes from. The core is just one inch, so it’s very easy for you to use, and a lot of companies that wrap different stuff in many areas will use this. The rolls become much easier to put together, and it causes much less stress on your hands during the application process. The best part is that it’s easy for someone to recycle it, as you can discard this pretty quickly.

Stretch wrapping has a variety of uses, and here, we’ve given you a few of them, so that, when you’re able to use this, you can create the ideal stretch wrapping experience for your goods and needs too.

Affordable Packaging Ideas for Small Businesses

Whether you’re running a small business with one idea, or a lot, the first thing that you must do is make sure that the packaging offers the prime first impression you want for the product.

The correct packaging is functional, appealing, and friendly to the budget. Packaging is more than just transporting, and also protecting these products. Rather, it plays a focal role in the decisions of consumers that must be considered in a lot of cases. Packaging allows you to market the small business aptly, and also impress the customers, in order to set the quality tone that you want to.

For small businesses on a budget, it’s imperative to get creative. you don’t need a huge budget in order to create an affordable option. Kraft paper is one thing that’s super impressive.

Here are some ideas for packaging on budgets.

Evaluate your Needs

First, you need to make sure you get the right packaging items for your needs.

Do you tend to have lightweight, heavy, or large or small objects? You need to know these needs.

You may want to also look at the products that are for display, and only display. This is something that a lot of people need to consider when they choose the correct packaging.

Next, you want to look at the customer base, because some industrial clients may ask for different things rather than retail. Retail needs less packaging than industrial, which might require some heavy duty materials in order to protect this.

Finally, you need the expectations, because products that are fragile will need more care. Remember, customers want these products to be intact. Make sure you know your needs before you continue on.

Understand your Budget

Small businesses especially must know their budgets, because the packaging needs to be a part of this. don’t choose different products just because of the price.

While packaging that’s affordable is vital for the operations of the business, and the budget, you must never skimp out on the options and quality.

For instance, an envelope that is white might be the best business parcel type of packaging, as this is classic, and affordable. Basically, have the budget, and choose the correct items that fit into it.

Understand Packaging

If you don’t know the right types of packaging for your needs, you want to make sure that you get a good feel for this.

Learn about your options, what’s available, and also the applications and videos that go with this. This is great because it’ll help you better understand this process.

Get Creative

You want to get creative with your packaging. It also doesn’t have to break the bank either.

Don’t be scared of color. For instance, tissue paper that’s packed within a box can be fun for customers. Patterned boxes for shipping with a printing inside is a great way to create a design trick.

This doesn’t have to be super expensive either. Don’t go too crazy with this.

Layer your Stuff

Finally, consider the layering, especially for those luxury products, or anything you want to ship out to customers that you want them to look at, and feel a little special when they receive it.

One simple means is the box within a box. Silky bags for jewelry, or even some fabric pouches can be good. Even little envelopes that are unique and customized are good.

Giving them layers also adds more fun to the unboxing experience, and also is great for you to discover the products that you have. You’ll be amazed at the different means that you give to the customer.