How to Select the Best Custom Boxes Company (Complete Guide)

Posted April 15, 2024 Select Best Custom Boxes Company
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Last Updated on September 6, 2024 by Steve Harsh

Custom boxes are an excellent choice for almost any kind of business and are ideal if you want your products to stand out from the crowd. But how should you choose the best custom packaging box company?

This guide will help you learn how choosing the right packaging company can change your game forever. You will also learn what you must remember when choosing a company and the features you need to remember in their boxes when selecting them.

There are many companies to choose from, so let’s examine the main factors closely.

Table of Contents

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Custom Packaging Company

Here are some top considerations to remember when choosing a custom-printed box company.

Company Reputation

If you want to create custom packaging for your products, one of the most important things to do is choose a company with a good reputation. But how do you know this? Online reviews are a great starting point. You can easily read other customers’ experiences and see how they felt.

You can then research companies that look like they may be a good fit and find out who works there and how much experience they have.

Product Quality

You want to choose a company that creates excellent custom packaging that will reflect well on your company. This is your brand, and you want your product packaging to make the best impression, whether for retail packaging, gift packaging boxes, or something else.

They should help you and guide you through choosing the best material for your packaging based on factors like your branding, products, and customers. Some measurements are effective and essential to ensure your packaging is safe against any factors.

Quality measures they should fulfill:

  • There should not be any chance of leakage, and the product should be protected against light and moisture.
  • Your boxes should be strong enough to support your product’s shipping process.
  • Make sure that your packaging material does not interact with the products.
  • Try to make the packaging that quickly identifies the products and brand.
  • Your product should be safe against all environmental factors like oxygen and pathogens.

Production Time

You will be desperate to get your hands on your custom boxes as soon as possible, so find out how long it will take for the custom product packaging company to complete your order.

You don’t want to choose a company for being fast because quality is the main factor. But it certainly helps if you don’t have to wait too long.

Extra Costs

A company may provide a very affordable product but charge extra costs like die and plate charges. They may also have high shipping costs. Watch out for additional fees because they can add up considerably. You should also find out if there are discounts for bulk orders, which can save you a lot of money.

Two famous free services are free graphic design for your boxes and no extra fees for the least packaging production numbers. You should try to get their services if they provide you with good benefits and do not ask for something extra for these services.

Minimum Orders

If you don’t want to make bulk orders, find out about the minimum order. Some companies can offer far smaller minimum orders than others.

This is an excellent option if you only have to order 100. It also allows you to test out the company and determine whether you are happy with the final product before making another larger order.

Type of Printing Used

There are different types of printing for custom-printed packaging, and digital printing and offset printing are the most common. They both have advantages, but offset printing is usually the best choice.

This produces higher-quality results with richer colors and details that stand out more. It is essential for luxury products and gifts and cheaper with larger print runs.

Choose Digital Printing When:

You can use digital printing for a quicker and shorter turnaround time for your packaging.
It would work amazingly well if you want a smaller order. On the other hand, it is lower in cost compared to offset when you want smaller jobs.

When to Choose Offset Printing:

  • You can use them if you need excellent image quality from your printing.
  • Trying this type will be perfect for cost-effectiveness if you want more quantity and reduced cost per unit.
  • It would work best for multiple surfaces and gives you a more comprehensive range of materials. For instance, it would work for cloth, paper, plastic, and even metal.

You can choose offset printing if you need these benefits directly, so try it out then. It depends on the type of printing you want and the benefits you are most interested in. So, use the kind that meets your needs most closely and effectively.

Sustainable Packaging

You may choose a more eco-friendly packaging option for your products if this is important for your company and customers.

Try to find a packaging company that offers environmentally friendly options. Kraft boxes are a great option to communicate your brand’s eco-friendly qualities.

Top Options Available:

  • Plant-based packaging made from starch material and water.
  • Recycled packaging
  • Glassine
  • Mushroom packaging
  • Corn starch based
  • Compostable
  • Corrugated packaging
  • Cellulose-based packaging materials

Ease of Ordering

Do they make it easy to order quality packaging? Ideally, you should be able to start the process online by simply sending in the details of your order and getting any questions answered, and they will take it from there.

If the process is too complicated, it can take too long. So, choose a company that makes it easy to find the ideal packaging solution for your business. At the same time, try to find the company’s social media accounts on different platforms.

You should be able to reach the company on these channels before, during, and after the order:

  • They should have dedicated customer support on their website.
  • You can also opt for a company that provides chat support.
  • The best type of customer support will be toll-free, which uses real people who answer your questions on the call.
  • A customer support representative on email support can also be handy if the person responds actively.

Graphical Designs Range

Your graphical design range can significantly impact your product’s appearance on the shelf. There are always new trends and designs that make your products look exceptional. So, you can try out these:

  • Using groovy typefaces is an excellent option if you can add a funky style to your product packaging.
  • Using patterns would work perfectly to add a unique feel to your print.
  • Try using contrasting colors to make a supreme impression on your customers.
  • Using simple designs to stand out can make your packaging unique, so try that out.
  • If you want your words to look super special, use the correct text that takes you to the center of the product packaging stage.

Range of Box Styles

Find out about the range of styles the company provides. Some may have a limited set of techniques that they then customize. You want to choose a company that offers custom sizes, different box specifications, and a range of styles like mailer boxes, shipping boxes, gift boxes, and more.

Some companies can provide far more styles as their starting point and will be able to create unique boxes for the specific product you want to send, no matter how large, small, or oddly shaped it is.

Learn About The Company

Before you can start any of your orders, there are some essential questions you need to answer about any company. For instance, you should know about their quality, reliability, experience, and capabilities. Also, you should ensure they have good customer support to help you on time. We will further discuss these and other points in the coming sections.

Understand their Plan For Logistics And Warehousing

Here are some benefits of making sure that your provider is using efficient methods to get the best and most efficient logistics and warehousing:

  • If your logistics are working correctly, you can deliver products on time.
  • This way, you can protect your product during transit and storage.
  • Their order fulfillment speed impacts multiple things, like customer satisfaction and delivery time.
  • Also, this way, you understand gaps in communication with the company to remove and foresee any issues.

Set A Budget

When it comes to setting a budget before packaging, you are up to multiple benefits you can get, like:

  • When you have a budget, you can choose the best company based on your spending. Then, you can prioritize the features you want and need.
  • You will also be able to find the best options based on cost-effectiveness and your requirements.
  • At the same time, you can learn and avoid any impulse purchases.
  • Before selecting a company, you should always look to set a budget to avoid overspending.

Compare Materials

Ensuring you get the best materials from a company can significantly impact the results you get for your products. The same type of materials may work differently for the different features you are looking to get. So, ensure you get the best material features that meet your needs.

Look for these qualities in the materials you choose:

  • Make sure you select the company that offers the best material in terms of the protection it provides.
  • Also, it should be cost-effective and protective.
  • At the same time, you should look for sustainable options for your boxes.
  • You can also ask your technical staff from different companies to check the performance of the material.
  • By comparing them, you get the best aesthetics for your boxes.

Why Is Understanding Quality Control And Structural Engineering Important?

If the company you are looking for does not know about quality control well, it is more likely to mess it up during production regarding protection and other factors. At the same time, quality control allows you to avoid returns, unhappy customers, and wasted products that you would not want.

You also need to ensure that you meet all the compliance requirements from different organizations to avoid fines and delays. This way, you also ensure better sustainability and efficiency of your packaging. When your hired company offers protection and the right design, you can get better customer satisfaction, which greatly matters to you.

The Best Rigid Box Materials

Here are some of the best choices when it comes to getting the best rigid box materials for you:

  • Chipboard
  • Paperboard
  • Corrugated cardboard

Best Folding Carton Materials

Here are some materials you should make sure your packaging company is offering you:

  • Recycled paperboard
  • Sugarcane board
  • Corrugated  cardboard

The Best Insert Materials To Choose From

If you are looking to hire a company for insert materials as well, you should try these materials:

  • Chipboard
  • Foam
  • Molded pulp
  • Plastic
  • Mushroom packaging

Choose A Company With Trained Professionals

Getting only the company with the most impressive packaging experts can be a game changer. It can also go to the other side and spoil the complete production. Here is what you get when you choose professionals for your packaging:

  • If your packaging providers have experience and expertise, they will handle the jobs better.
  • Also, you will be able to achieve better productivity and faster order-feeding.
  • They will know how to solve a problem if they face it during production.
  • You will also get better quality for your product and improve your brand reputation.
  • Such a company would always seek excellence, making them better providers.

Expertise In Box Designing

You may be looking for providers who offer the best box designs, as they can completely change the look of your product. The design of your box will also determine how well your boxes work in front of your customers and on the shelf. It will also impact your customers’ negativity or positivity during and after the sales.

Should Offer Variety

Looking for variety from the company you are trying to hire allows you to understand if they can handle certain types of orders. It can be an issue if they do not have the expertise or capacity to make the type of boxes you need. At the same time, you make sure you get the best functionality and performance with the products they offer.

Wide Range Of Materials Available

Now, you cannot compromise on being sure that you get the exact material you expect from your company. They need to offer all kinds of materials that you should be able to choose from. Also, they should have the ability to know which material will work for your boxes and make sure they know how to make boxes from them.

Without knowing their abilities with the material you need, getting boxes from them or hiring them will be wrong.

They Should Offer A Packaging Design Library

If you hire a company that offers design libraries for their clients, they give you multiple benefits. For instance, it would help you with great packaging ideas you can use. This way, you do not have to worry about design fees that may apply to other scenarios. At the same time, there will be fast prototyping to allow you faster testing and improvements.

Also, you will be able to get designs that will follow the existing standards of the market and regulatory bodies.

Financial Strength Of The Packager

Here are some points of why you should hire a financially stable company:

  • During production, you would not like to have a disruption in your box manufacturing due to the company stopping work.
  • At the same time, companies with financial strength are more likely to invest in the best practices when it comes to packaging. This would allow you to provide better-quality of the end products.
  • This way, you can also work with them for the long term, removing the need to search for packaging providers frequently.

To ensure you find a company with financial strength, you should look for one with a history of stability and profitability.

Fast Delivery

Fast delivery is one of the most important features you should be looking for in a packaging provider. You should look for:

  • This way, you can meet your production deadlines.
  • At the same time, you can get better responses for the packaging changes you might have.
  • Also, you do not have to worry about problems during storage as you do not have to stock too many items, which would usually happen.
  • You would also ensure you provide the best customer satisfaction with fast delivery.
  • This way, you are also able to respond to any market fluctuations.

Know Your Target Audience

Knowing your target audience changes many aspects of your packaging. For instance, you should know their demographics and financial statuses. With this information, you can get the best results by improving their requirements. This way, you know what your customers look for in your product and its packaging.

Features Your Packaging Company Should Offer

Now, we know what a packaging company should be capable of when you are finding the best one for your packaging jobs. Also, we will talk about the features you should be looking to get for your boxes when choosing a packaging company.

Shelf Impact

The shelf impact is something that can help your brand sell more. Without the right shelf impact, you can not get impulse sales. A good box would allow you to deliver brand value and provide information about your product. Also, it would help you create a positive experience for your customers.

Also Read: Choosing the Right Packaging Colors

Branding And Clear Messaging

You should look for a company that offers branding to get the right branding on your boxes. At the same time, you should have clear messaging on your boxes to comply with regulatory bodies and make things precise for your customers.

Also, you should offer the best unboxing experience for your customers with your boxes to get better customer satisfaction.

Keep Packaging Size And Shape in Mind

Regarding packaging size and shape, some companies specialize in certain sizes and shapes. Hiring companies that do not specialize in them would cause you to spend more on your packaging jobs. At the same time, a company with specialized expertise for your needs would do things more efficiently.

Also, they can avoid sustainability issues by avoiding extra and wasteful packaging materials used on your boxes.

Measure Product, Product Arrangement, and Optimize Material Use

To ensure you understand your requirements and let your hired company know what you want, you should measure the boxes you want to follow for the manufacturing. This way, you also ensure you get better protection for your boxes, improve the customer experience, and achieve the best sustainability.

Measuring your product will also allow you to choose the packaging company with the right expertise. Knowing product arrangement would enable you to understand how the product will be placed inside a box.

When Is In-House Packaging Service Better And Smoother?

In-house packaging can make a great difference by ensuring you get multiple benefits compared to hiring a third-party company for packaging. Here are some points you should keep in mind if you are looking to create an in-house team of packaging:

  • If you must fulfill a consistent and high volume of boxes, you should consider in house packaging.
  • Also, if you are looking for custom packaging that requires unique packaging, you may think about it.
  • Such a process would offer good quality control and brand consistency.

When should you avoid it? You should avoid it when worrying about costs and lacking experts who can handle these jobs. At the same time, if the number of orders you get fluctuates, you should try avoiding it.

Free Shipping

When you get free shipping, you will get better rates than others. So, if a company offers free shipping, it can help you get the best costs you would love to have.

Reviews

Before hiring any company, you must look for its quality assurance reviews. At the same time, you can learn about its customer support. This would help you learn about how reliable the company is. This way, you will also learn about the hidden costs of your consignments.

Customer Support

You need to know it well to ensure you will get the best and most friendly response from the company’s customer support when required. If you do not get the best responses from them, you won’t be able to get to know how friendly they will be when you contact them for some issues you face.

Knowing customer support would also help you build a long-term relationship with the company. Here are some things to look for:

  • You should be looking for the company to be available on multiple channels.
  • Also, you should read their online reviews.
  • Make sure you learn about their turnaround time to make things perfect.

Contact The Support

Here are some points you should be seeking in customer support of a packaging company to evaluate them:

  • They should have good product knowledge; if they do, they are more likely to be experts.
  • Also, this would allow you to learn about the company’s values.
  • You should also ask them how well they know the industry trends.
  • They should always be ready to assist you during, before, and after your packing job is done with them.
  • Also, you should look for good problem-solving skills in them.
  • At the same time, they should have a communication style you can rely on. Look for work ethics and morality in everything they say and do.

If your customer support has everything, you can get a better company to do your job.

Get Samples

When you get packaging samples for your job from a packaging company, you get to know about these points about them:

  • This way, you can understand how good their material will be and how expert they are in offering the services you want to get from them.
  • You will also learn about the design and functionality of your packaging before you get the job done.
  • Also, you need to get compatibility with your needs by getting a sample from them.
  • This way, you can also understand if their values align with your quality levels and others.
  • You also need to find a company that has attention to detail.
  • They should also be willing to communicate with you and offer customization.

The Packaging Company Should Care About The Environment

When it comes to hiring a packaging company that cares about the environment, it allows you to get multiple benefits, like:

  • With such a company, you can boost your brand image.
  • At the same time, you will be able to comply with the regulations applied by regulatory bodies.
  • If you follow the proper sustainability methods, you will save money in manufacturing.
  • At the same time, it would make your brand future-proof.

Minimal Material

One of the best practices you should be looking to find in such an organization is to offer minimal material use during manufacturing. This way, you also make sure that you do not have to face too much waste during this process. At the same time, you save the energy wastage that occurs when you do not have to produce new materials for your needs.

Also, using lighter boxes would cost less during transit and logistics.

Look For Functionality And Aesthetics

Certain functionalities can help you achieve the best results for your products. For instance, they provide better product protection, making your product’s usability even broader and better.

Reuse And Recycling

When you get a company that believes in reuse and recycling, you make sure you do not have to worry about making new resources. At the same time, it allows you to avoid high carbon production during manufacturing.

Conclusion

These factors are the most important considerations when choosing a custom box company.

Things To Know When Choosing a Custom Printing Company

Company Reputation The Reputation Of The Company You Choose Is The Essential Thing You Should Remember, So Make Sure That The Company Has Good Online Reviews On Its Social Media Channels.
Product Quality Your Product Should Have All The Protection Your Packaging Should Provide From All Environmental Factors.
Production Time The Production Time Of Your Products Should Not Be Too Long, So Make Sure You Get Them As Quickly As Possible.
Extra Costs The Services You Get Should Not Have Any Extra Costs Like Design Costs Or Least Production Costs.
Minimum Orders There Should Not Be Any Restrictions For Least Production Order Quantity You Must Follow.
Type Of Printing Used Your Company Should Always Offer All Types Of Printing You Want Your Packaging To Carry.
Sustainable Packaging Make Sure Your Company Uses The Most Sustainable Ways To Produce Your Packaging.
Graphical Designs Range Try To Look For A Provider That Is Fully Equipped With Design Information And Is Up To Date To Provide Perfectly Trendy Designs.
Ease Of Ordering Your Company Should Be Responsive When Providing The Services And Should Respond To Your Queries During And Before The Process.
Range Of Box Styles Box Styles Are Something You Need Creativity In, So Only The Best Companies Would Be Able To Provide That, So Go For That One.

Packaging Hub Can Solve Your Problems

These factors are the most important considerations when choosing a custom box company. You want your custom box to be the best it can be and to wow your customers. So, choose a company that will create packaging that stands out and provides an excellent experience for your customers.

The company you choose to design and print your boxes will play a massive role in the overall experience for you and your customers, so make sure you choose one that provides high-quality custom packaging solutions.

The final point is to avoid rushing your decision. You want to get this right and make the right decision initially. So take your time; you could build an excellent ongoing relationship with an innovative packaging company and enjoy a great experience over the years.

FAQs

How to choose a custom packaging company in the USA?

Look for a company on the Internet or ask a friend who knows the market. Also, you should consider the company’s experience and customer reviews alongside the availability of packaging variety and design services. Make sure they also fulfill the number of orders you have.

Which packaging should the company use to minimize cost?

  • Look for packaging that has optimal use of packaging material.
  • Also, you should optimize the box selection.
  • Make sure that you explore alternative materials.
  •  Try using automated packaging lines to reduce costs.

Why is attractive packaging important to a company?

Such packaging would give your customers a better impression by reinforcing brand identity. At the same time, you communicate information with these. Your packaging also has a better influence on purchase decisions.

What does a packaging company do?

Here are some functions it performs:

  • They create the design and develop the boxes.
  • Also, they manufacture the boxes.
  • Some companies also offer handling the assembly and packaging of a product.

What is a typical minimum order quantity for custom boxes?

A normal manufacturing setup would offer a minimum box production of 1000 to 5000 for a certain job. If the boxes are less customized, the minimum order quantity may be lower, around 250 boxes. At the same time, the type of boxes’ printing would also influence this number.

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Steve Harsh
Steve Harsh, a packaging and printing expert who has been working in the field for over a decade. It has been my privilege to write on this topic, which I have been doing for years to help people learn about this essential field that helps millions achieve their business goals.

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