As talked about in a previous blog, the custom packaging industry is constantly growing. Customers are drawn to visual appeal and when you mix that with a higher volume of online shopping, you get custom mailer boxes and packaging products. But what about the printing business side of custom packaging? We put together some tips to follow when it comes to starting a custom box printing business, or adding custom boxes to your already established print business.

Why go with custom packaging?

Consumers are becoming more focused on the aesthetic of brands and custom packaging has become an integral part of the overall experience of online shopping. It’s more than just the product inside, it is the moment surrounding the receiving and unboxing of an order. 

With that in mind, companies want to create a miniature version of their brand onto the boxes being shipped out to their customers. They have control over things like fonts, colors, and logo placements to ensure their brand is displayed in the way they envisioned. 

Custom packaging can be a more costly printing feature to offer but with Web-to-Print, you get the same ease and convenience of any other printing product. A strong feature PrintNow is able to offer is the 3D model that gives a realistic look at how the custom packaging will look from all angles while being able to fold and unfold the box. 

You can save time, money, and materials while fulfilling the needs of the customer to the best abilities.

Where to begin?

The best place to start with custom packaging is the design software – it is the glue that holds this operation together. You want a design software that can support your needs as a company, as well as the needs of your customers. 

The choices made when creating custom packaging are crucial to the success of portraying the brand attached to the product inside. You want to give your customers the best form of creating with the best options to choose from. The right design software will allow that. 

Aspects like logos, colors, and fonts, as well as the dimensions of the box itself, are important when creating a look so your software needs to deliver. No matter how simple the packaging design, your customers will be able to create their vision by working with the right web-to-print design software. 

So, what’s next?

Once the software is up and running, your customers will be able to access all the editing tools they need to create their custom packaging. The next step for you and your business is deciding on the printing method you will use to fulfill these orders. 

Whether you are outsourcing or printing the custom packaging materials in house, digital printing is the best way to provide the quick and accurate results your customers are looking for. 

Digital printing is becoming a more common way of printing as the technology involved becomes more common as well. 

You also want to consider what kind of packaging materials you plan to offer. There is a range of different packaging products and you want to provide your customers with appealing options. Custom packaging is more than different style boxes. The inside of the box is just as important as the outside. Not only can the inside of the box be customized, so can things like packaging inserts (used to protect products during shipping), tissue papers, stickers, and packaging tape. 

There isn’t a detail or corner of packaging that can’t be customized with web-to-print software.  

Another thing to consider is offering eco-friendly packaging, which is taking the market by storm as companies want to align their brand with those ideals. But using materials that are environmentally friendly can also help with saving money on things like resources and storage. 

You are building your brand as a print shop at the same time as you help customers build their own. You want to attract the right customers and you can do so with the products you provide. As online shopping continues to grow, so does the need for custom packaging, making web-to-pack a must have for print businesses. 

Let’s recap

Start with the Web-to-Print software to support the right editing and creating your customers will need. As you already know, w2p software allows for your customer to create within their own space and time – helping them achieve their vision for their products while taking the responsibility and pressure off of your plate. With packaging, customers can view their designed boxes in 3D to ensure that what they order is what they want. 

Determine the products you are looking to offer to your customers. As a print shop, you have the ability to expand your product range with packaging materials. Custom packaging goes beyond just the box. With packaging accessories like printed tissue paper, stickers, and packaging tape, you can offer your customers a full custom packaging experience.