Traditionally, custom packaging companies have been very expensive at low volumes but very reasonable at high volumes. This is great for companies ordering large volumes of packaging. But what about companies that want smaller amounts of packaging? For instance, a small start-up with limited funds, or even a large company that wants to test the market with a limited release product or a promotional product, would desire a small volume of packaging (commonly referred to as a “short run”).
What is needed is a method to allow a short run of packaging without the tooling costs or set-up charges of traditional, conventional, packaging manufacturing.
- More Affordable Digital Printing Options
- Online Custom Packaging User-Friendly Stores
The advances in digital printing and the advent of online custom packaging stores make it so much easier and affordable to buy small volumes of custom packaging.
Over the last few years online custom packaging companies have begun flourishing by providing this much needed service. Any company of any size can order custom packaging online for a very reasonable price, without the huge investments of tooling, set-up fees, or cost and hassle of storing large quantities of packaging.
These online companies have set up a self-serving interface to guide prospective buyers to select common packaging styles, material, print type and print location. The main advantage with these online companies is that you get to see the price immediately for the packaging style and volume you want, and it updates dynamically to reflect any changes that you make; all without having to talk with any customer service rep.
We’re not just talking about corrugated boxes or paperboard cartons here; labels, mailer envelopes, protective packaging, and the list is growing each year. For example you can order 100 feet of custom printed shipping tape, or custom tissue paper with a minimum of 250 sheets. Unheard of 7 years ago. And with the meteroic rise of online retail purchases, customizing your shipping materials with printed boxes, custom tape, custom labels etc. is paramount to impress customers.
Online packaging suppliers are a great option for companies who know what they want, have the resources to get their own artwork done, and are ok to, essentially, process the order themselves. These online companies may not be quick, but they are extremely reasonable. They won’t be able to cater to rush orders of any kind, but with planning and budgeting, they can be just what you need at a reasonable price.
- inexpensive at low volumes
- user friendly
- clear pricing, updated dynamically with every change you make
- decent variety of options
- easy to make changes to your packaging with each packaging order
- can be slow (no rush jobs)
- expensive at higher volumes
- requires more hands-on approach with potentially less guidance
When to Stop Using Online Custom Packaging
One caveat with utilizing these online packaging stores is in knowing when to switch to a conventional printer. The issue is, the more custom packaging you need in terms of volume, the more you can see how much of a premium you are paying for ink and materials compared to conventional printing.
For example, if you ordered 100 custom printed boxes digitally printed, you may spend about $400.
Now let’s say you are now ready to order 1000 pieces, the cost may be double or triple that of conventional print, not to mention much slower to produce.
A good rule of thumb is this: for quantities of custom packaging of 500 units in volume and above, get a conventional quote – it maybe less costly than digital print.
I’m going to be reviewing many of these online custom packaging stores in the near future, so stay tuned!
This has been a part of my tutorial series called How to Buy Packaging 101. So click the link below to head back if you haven’t finished reading it yet. 🙂