Fresh fruits and vegetables require special handling during the shipping process. These delicate items can easily be bruised or damaged. Additionally, vegetables and fruits need the right packaging to protect them against environmental factors that could increase the risk of spoilage en route to their destinations. Because October is National Apple Month, the packaging experts at Custom Boxes Now have put together a list of the five most important elements to consider when packing these fruits for delivery to retail outlets or consumers.
Category Archives: Corrugated / Cardboard
Five Top Cardboard Costume Projects to Try This Halloween
Modern cardboard containers can do more than protect items on the way to consumers. These unique cardboard boxes can also serve as the basis for innovative and attractive Halloween costumes this fall. By recycling these materials, you can reinforce green-friendly values with your children while saving money on store-bought products. From traditional favorites to handmade conceptions that figuratively think outside the box, the team at Custom Boxes Now has compiled a list of five of the best costumes for this harvest season.
TOP COSTUME #1: The Ever-Popular Robot
Square and rectangular boxes of different sizes form the basis for this traditional costume. Depending on your do-it-yourself skill, you can use duct tape or staples to connect the various parts of the costume. Best of all, your young child can decorate the outside with tempura paints to express their own robot vision. For older children, metallic spray paints can be used with supervision to create a more realistic version of these costumes. Dryer vents can provide bendable arms and legs that still look amazingly real for a homemade effort.
TOP COSTUME #2: Dino Power
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Exploring Your Options in the Custom Mailer Marketplace
The ideal packaging for your product will protect it against damage in transit to your customers while allowing you to deliver your marketing message at every step along the way. Designing and creating custom mailers for your products will ensure that your items make it safely from factory floor to your customer’s door. Understanding your options in the custom mailer marketplace can help you decide on the right packaging solutions for your company’s products. How do you know if you should opt for an envelope versus a box? We break it down for you here.
Envelopes
Available in a wide array of configurations, envelopes are typically used for small, lightweight objects. Padded envelopes can offer a little more protection against crushing and impacts, but these packaging solutions are best reserved for durable items that can stand up to the rough handling commonly encountered in the shipping industry. Books, games and other flat items are generally suitable for shipping in a padded envelope; breakable or irregularly shaped products typically are not. Adding graphic designs to your custom mailers can provide even more visibility for your company and your brand name.
Boxes
Cardboard boxes can be constructed to your precise specifications to perfectly fit your products and to ensure their safety while they make their way to their intended destinations. Continue reading
Edge Crush Tests: Durability Ratings for Your Packaging and Display Needs
Advances in cardboard manufacturing technology now allow the creation of even more durable and versatile packaging options for your company. Corrugated cardboard is a cost-effective choice for all types of product packaging and provides added strength to allow your box to stand up to the shipping process, from manufacturer to retail outlet to home. The edge crush test is used industry-wide to determine the strength and durability of corrugated cardboard and offers a good comparison point for your company in choosing the right materials for your corporate packaging needs.
What Is the Edge Crush Test?
Simply put, the edge crush test measures the ability of corrugated cardboard to resist pressure under controlled conditions. The cardboard is generally formed into a box shape and then compressed slowly to determine when structural integrity begins to suffer. The boxes used for the test are empty and must be configured to meet exact specifications to ensure accuracy and comparability among different products. Test boxes must have the same ratio of height to circumference and must meet minimal standards for structural construction to be measured accurately using these tests.
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The Sky Is the Limit for Innovative Cardboard Packaging Design
The right shipping and packaging solutions can add real value to your products and provide a second front for your advertising campaigns. The sky really is the limit for creative cardboard packaging design. If you’re stuck on the creativity aspect, we’ve got you covered. Check out these five key concepts we came up with to help you make the most of your packaging when you’re planning the shipping materials for your products.
Plan for the Shipping Process
Your cardboard packaging must be strong enough to stand up to the abuse it will likely endure during the shipping process. Corrugated cardboard is a solid choice for delicate items and provides optimal protection against bumps, impacts and crushing damage. Choosing boxes or containers of the right size can also prevent items from sliding inside your packaging materials and becoming damaged while being shipped to their destinations.
A Brave New World for Shipping Boxes and Containers: Cost-Cutting Deliveries Boost Cardboard Industry
The future of cardboard and corrugated packaging may rest with some of the giants of the delivery business. Amazon has already moved toward sending lightweight packages with the help of the U.S. Postal Service; now it may be contemplating hiring local delivery personnel to manage last-mile services in urban and rural areas. By working with these individuals on an as-needed basis, companies like Amazon can significantly reduce their costs for shipping items over extended distances. The packaging required for these new shipping methods, however, will have to meet even more stringent requirements to stand up to the potential inexperience of these new delivery providers.
Five Jaw Dropping Examples of Custom Cardboard Designs You Never Imagined
The things that people can do with custom cardboard designs these days are simply amazing. Unique cardboard creations such as lamps, furniture, pyramids and other products certainly couldn’t have been imaginable to most professionals in the cardboard manufacturing industry 50 years ago. Read on as we describe five of the most jaw-dropping examples of custom cardboard creations from recent endeavors in the worlds of art, design and retailing. For vendors, online business owners and retail storeowners, these customized designs should serve as an example of the creative kinds of things you can do with your packing and shipping boxes. Keep reading to learn more about the possibilities.
The Unique and Versatile Packaging Medium of Die Cut Kraft Boxes
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Die cut kraft boxes are essential to modern packaging for major vendors and retailers, and even for small business owners who operate out of home offices. These boxes are used to package and ship products from coast to coast and across the globe. But what is a die cut box? In basic terms, it is any box that was created using a die that stamps out boxes from a section of printed or plain sheet stock. And what makes one box a “kraft” box as opposed to others? Essentially, kraft paperboard is a type of cardboard made from chemical pulp during the kraft process, which is then used to create these unique and versatile retail packages. There is much more to this medium than meets the eye, though, as the following post will explain.
Take a Cue from Cereal Companies and Get Creative with Unique Cardboard Boxes
Many companies have realized the benefits of using unique cardboard boxes for their packaging, rather than saving time and money on a plain brown box, long ago. Cereal companies are one of the first examples that come to mind. One trip down the cereal aisle provides countless examples of how cereal companies get creative with the design of their cardboard boxes. For many, a trip down the cereal aisle serves as a trip down memory lane, conjuring up some colorful memories from childhood. The thick corrugated boxes used for retail packaging and shipping are manufactured to a much higher standard than the thin fiber folding carton material used for cereal packaging, but we can still learn a great deal from the boxes’ vibrant designs. Here are a few brand-boosting cues to follow.
Fantasy Characters and Fun Cartoons
Many of the most memorable cereal boxes from our childhoods were adorned with cartoon characters that caught kids’ attention and made breakfast a fantastical experience. From Tony the Tiger to Count Chocula to the Lucky Charms Leprechaun, there are countless cartoon characters that have graced cereal boxes for decades. If you feel this sort of fantasy play complements your brand and products, why not integrate a little cartoon fun into your logo and packaging? It could be the biggest boost your brand has ever seen, judging by the success of these cereal brands.
How to Tell if You’re Working with a Quality Corrugated Box Manufacturer
Finding a quality corrugated box manufacturer is essential for retailers and vendors. A corrugated box does more than just hold an item; the box creates a sense of brand identity and protects the product from harm during every step it takes from the manufacturing plant to a customer’s hands.
But how do you know you’re working with a quality manufacturer? Can you ever be sure? Luckily, there are several ways to distinguish reliable, reputable, and skilled manufacturers from the bad apples peddling bargain-basement boxes that will fail to live up to your expectations. If you’re looking to place an order for corrugated boxes, here are a few ways to tell if you’re working with a quality manufacturer.
