Printed boxes and Henry Ford. Back in the 1920’s Henry Ford once said of the Model T Ford “A customer can have a car painted in any colour he wants as long as it is black”. This was because they were mass producing the cars and black paint dried quicker than any other colour. Fast forward a hundred years and you can now make a statement and pick whatever colour you like for your car!

So, what does this have to do with printed boxes? Simple, by using print on your box, you can stand out, and be different from the pack. We will now run you through the benefits of choosing a printed box over a plain box.

Brand Image

By adding print to your boxes, you can help to build up your company brand image. Everyone recognises a parcel with an Amazon or Apple logo on it. This could be the same for your company if you were to go for custom printed boxes. It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything over the top. Simply adding a company logo, website address and contact details can improve your chances of being recognised.

Instantly Recognisable

Supermarket shelves are literally brimming with products. So, what better way of attracting customers to your brand than having a distinctive custom printed cardboard box on the shelf. If your product is small, you can inform your customers of what is inside the package by printing the relevant information on your outer box. Shelf ready packaging (SRP’s) are a great product for product placement in supermarkets. These boxes hold the products inside them and can be stacked directly onto the shop shelves. This makes it easy for the retailer to use, and therefore giving you preference on the shelf space. A printed SRP is a fantastic marketing tool as it is retailer friendly and eye catching to the consumer.

Manufacturer Identification

If you have multiple box sizes, an easy way to easily identify which box is the correct one for the production run is to add print. This can be as simple as just adding a code number to an inside flap. This will not be seen by the end user once the box is assembled, but makes it simple for the warehouse team to pick the correct box for packing.

Inside box print

A box can be printed on both sides (externally and internally). Inside box print can be great for two reasons. Firstly, it gives the customer a great opening experience as it is a surprise element that can be used in a very creative and fun way. This will engage with the customer and make them more likely to repeat order.

Secondly, some companies have to send their goods out in the post or on couriers. Sometimes the goods are expensive and so the manufacturer may not want to advertise what is inside the box. By printing on the inside of box it is possible to still get your brand image across, without drawing attention to what is inside the shipping box.

Eco-friendly prints

Getting over the eco-friendly message is a very important selling point. There are several standard logos that can be printed onto a box to show that the cardboard box is recyclable and sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) accredited manufacturers. Also, if your product is eco -friendly, what better way of advertising the fact than printing it on your packaging. Getting the message out is a great way to enhance your company image and win new customers in the process.

Dangerous Goods

Transporting dangerous or flammable goods? Make sure they are handled correctly by having warning signs printed on the outer shipping boxes. This will not only help in the way your goods are shipped but will also help to protect the people who are coming into contact with your goods in the transportation chain.

Print finishes

There are various types of print finishes that can be applied to a cardboard box. The most commonly used printing method is flexo print. This is a water-based ink that gives a matt finish to the box. It is however, usually limited to just two or three different colours.

Digital print is another print option. This is made up of 4 process colours Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK). By using different amounts of these colours, a large number of colours can be created to print onto your boxes. This technique is good for short order runs and can also be good for jobs that require a quick turnaround. The print quality from digital printers is also better than a conventional flexo printer.

Finally, Litho print. This process prints onto paper that is then laminated to the corrugated board (sometimes referred to as Litho Lamminated Print). This method of print gives an almost photographic standard of print finish. In addition a varnish can be added to give a gloss finish if required. This is a great way to give your boxes the ‘wow’ effect.

In Conclusion

There are a lot of things to think of when looking at customised printing boxes. Hopefully the above will give you a good indication of how you can use print to optimise your brand. Contact us to help your product stand out from the crowd!