Your Guide to Custom Carton Design

A lot goes into picking a custom box design, like what the box will look like, its durability, environmental impact, and budget. It can feel like it would take a designer to know all of this. However, it does need to be. In this article, we’ll cover how to go about creating a custom box for your products with step-by-step instructions.

What is a Custom Carton Box?

A custom carton box is a packaging container made out of paperboard or liquid packaging board (and sometimes a corrugated board) that’s made to your preferred design and other specifications.

There are several types of carton box designs that you can choose from when making your custom carton packaging boxes. You also have a choice of different printing options to select from.

That said, custom box making depends on your needs and budget, and you can choose from a variety of paperboard types including coated news back, Kraft, and more. With that, let’s dive into the options.

Custom Carton Box Options

Custom carton boxes are a perfect way to market your product. Whether you are looking for a custom box that will fit into a specific space or need a specific color, size, paper type, or strength, there’s always a custom box solution to meet your expectations.

Carton Box Paper Type

Carton box paper is an essential material in carton packaging design. It is the main component of the carton box and has a significant influence on the quality of the carton package.

You need to understand the types of carton box paper before choosing the correct custom box for business, considering various factors.

Carton boxes are made from three main types of paper: Kraft, white and full-colored. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, so it is essential to know what they are before choosing.

Kraft Paper Carton

Kraft paper is a type of paperboard made from wood pulp and by using the Kraft process. Kraft paper is usually a brown color, although it can also be bleached into a white paper. Besides being strong, Kraft paper produces an eco-friendly carton. This makes it a good choice if looking for green carton boxes.

White Carton Paper

This is carton board that has been coated on one or both sides, usually used in custom design packaging for retail purposes. White paper carton is suitable for products that have to be packaged in clean-looking boxes. Also, it can be printed which your preferred ink color.

Full-Color Carton Box

A full-color carton box is perfect for immediate visual impact. They may also be printed with custom box art or graphics on all sides, making them great for packaging products that need to be on display on store shelves. The full-color carton box can be customized using different colors, sizes, and shapes, depending on what you need.

Type of Carton Box

There are many different types of carton boxes. Each carton type will have its best application, customization features, and so on. Ultimately, your decision will depend on your needs. The options for custom carton box design when it comes to the box type include:

Folding Carton

Custom folding cartons are mainly made from a single sheet paperboard or corrugated board that has been scored and folded into shape. They are generally flat-packed for ease of shipping and assembled by the end-user after they arrive.

Rigid Cartons

Rigid carton boxes are made from sturdy chipboard for strength and rigidity. Also called set up boxes, they come in many different styles, making it possible to find one that fits your specific needs. Because of their strength, custom cartons are a good choice for fragile or expensive items.

Other Types

Other custom carton design options include hinged cartons, cartons with a hanger, and aseptic, gable top cartons for milk or juice. In other words, custom carton boxes provide you with a means to choose what will work for your product.

Carton Box Printing

Customized carton packaging design is a great way to enhance your business. Buyers are attracted to well-designed packaging, especially if it stands out from the competition. Here are some of the types of printing that you can use for your custom box for business:

Flexographic Printing

Flexographic printing uses plates made from a polymer material. The plates have raised areas that transfer ink onto paper as it passes through the press, resulting in a printed image on one side of the sheet. Although it doesn’t produce quality prints, flexography is a fast printing method that suits high-volume custom box runs.

Lithographic Printing

Lithographic printing is another method of producing your custom carton box design. This type of printing uses inked rollers that contain your preferred image such as your company’s logo. Litho printing is suitable if you want a high-quality print on your custom carton box and a fast turnaround.

Plain Carton Box

A plain carton box is an unprinted paperboard, just plain. It can be manufactured in your desired sizes and shapes. A plain carton box is suitable for packaging hardware or any other manufactured products which do not require an attractive printed box or situations.

Carton Box Strength

Sturdiness is an important factor in your custom carton box design. The carton box strength of your custom packaging box will depend on its material, thickness, and geometry. The location where it’s going to be used also influences its structure.

Corrugated Carton Box

A corrugated carton box consists of a layer of fluted board glued between two sheets of linerboard. The most significant advantage of this type of carton box is that it is strong and lightweight. Also, a corrugated carton box can be designed in different constructions according to your requirements.

Single Sheet Carton Box

A single sheet carton box only features a single paperboard for the entire body. You may want to choose this carton if packaging items that do not require special protection. This type of custom carton design also costs less and can be made into almost any design.

Carton Box Size

The size of your product is one of the most important things to consider when designing your custom carton for packaging. The size of the custom box should be large enough to accommodate all components of your product but not too big so that shipping costs are unnecessarily high. Your options include.

Small Carton Box

This type of custom-size carton box is suitable for small products, especially retail items that will be displayed on store shelves. A small carton box would also come in handy when you want to ship many small items and looking for primary packaging box.

Medium-sized Carton Box

Your medium-sized carton box will best suit the packing items of medium such as clothes, shoes, and other daily necessities. This box finds use in many packaging applications in businesses, including containing items to be shipped.

Large Carton Box

If you’re shipping large items, you may want to consider using bigger boxes. A custom box for shipping is mostly made in a fluted design and usually used with packing material to cushion fragile items. When considering sizes, take into account the required custom box dimensions and box strength. You want your items adequately protected.

Conclusion

Custom carton design provides businesses with many benefits, from packaging to promotional advantages. This is why many businesses today consider offering custom packaging as one of their marketing strategies. With the help of custom cartons, a business can easily promote its brand and products, increase its revenue, and better reach out to customers.