Custom Boxes and Branded Packaging: The Ultimate Guide with Examples

According to DotCom Distribution’s 2015 packaging report, more than 40 percent of online shoppers say branded packaging makes them more likely to recommend products to friends or share via social media. Custom boxes printed with your brand’s message and paired with coordinating inner packaging definitely delivers an unboxing experience worth sharing. But less costly stock shipping boxes and embellished inner packaging can deliver similar branding bang on a smaller budget.

Throughout this guide, we’ll explore ways to use all types of custom and stock shipping boxes and packaging materials to create a memorable unboxing experience on any budget.

But first, if crafting a custom packaging program yourself seems daunting, consider using a fulfillment company. Fulfillment companies are experts in packing and shipping ecommerce orders and most offer custom box printing services. Plus they can handle all of your inventory storage, order packing, and shipping needs if you’re looking for a turnkey solution. Visit FulfillmentCompanies.net to learn more.

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Custom Box Printing Options

You have two main options for custom shipping boxes, as shown in the table below. The first is a fully customized box designed to meet your specific needs. The second is a regular stock box printed with a simple logo or design. We’ll discuss each option in more detail below.

Type of Packaging	Who it’s Best For:	Cost Range & Where to Find:
Customized Box & Packaging Programs See More	Sellers wanting to present a fully branded unboxing experience using some or all of the following: Custom sized shipping boxes Elaborate print designs Fitted dividers and inserts Custom tissue paper or wrap Custom inner boxes and bags	$3 to over $20 per order or shipment Costs vary with box sizes, printing colors, coverage, inserts, and inner full. A fully customized box and packaging solution starts at around $3 per shipment with Packlane and Salazar Packaging.
Printed Stock Boxes See More	Sellers wanting to present a branded unboxing experience at a lower cost than a customized box. Printed stock boxes can be used alone or paired with various types of branded inner packaging to complete the unboxing experience.	Under $2 to over $10 per order or shipment Costs vary with box sizes, printing colors, and coverage. Budget-friendly printed stock shipping boxes start under $2 each at Tag&Label Custom branded tissue starts under $1 per sheet at noissue

Other Ways to Deliver a Branded Unboxing Experience

Custom printed shipping boxes are great for branding, but can be quite expensive. With a little creativity, you can achieve a memorable unboxing experience for less. Here are the five primary ways to do so. We’ll explore each in more detail below.

Type of Packaging	Who it’s Best For:	Cost Range:
Thank You & Offer Inserts See More	Any seller from small and startup companies to high-volume ecommerce sites.	6¢ to 20¢ per order or shipment Order custom printed postcards from VistaPrint for around 20¢ each.
Tags & Embellishments See More	Sellers of handmade items, tees and branded clothing, and other goods that can be tie-tagged with decorative ribbon or cording.	5¢ to 10¢ per order or shipment Business card or custom tags start at just 5¢ at VistaPrint Ribbons and ties from Uline and Nashville Wraps come in all styles and colors and start at 5¢ or less per order
Bags & Labels See More	Sellers of items that can be grouped or bagged such as food items and other bagged products, plus branded tees, clothing, and other labeled goods.	30¢ to over $1 per order or shipment Sticker-style labels start at around 49¢ each at VistaPrint Paper bags starting at $2.82 each with minimum orders as low as 25 at VistaPrint
Inner Boxes & Wraps See More	Sellers who want to organize or inner box their packed products within shipping boxes to deliver a branded shipment at the lowest possible cost.	50¢ to over $3 per order or shipment Inner boxes from Uline starting at 12¢ each Custom branded tissue from noissue from under $1 per sheet
Semi Custom Solutions: See More	Sellers wanting to present a fully branded unboxing experience at minimal cost, or who ship in a wide variety of boxes and need more flexibility than printed stock or custom boxes offer. This option includes a combination of the other budget friendly packaging options in this table.	50¢ to over $5 per order or shipment Plain, colored, or decorative shipping boxes and mailers from Uline start at less than $1 each Large box labels start at around 50¢ each at VistaPrint Custom branded tissue from noissue from under $1 per sheet Printed packing tape can cost $4 to $10 per roll at Uline

Another way to create a memorable unboxing experience is to wrap your products in custom tissue paper. Not only is it a pleasant surprise for your customers, it also promotes brand recognition. With noissue, you can design your own branded tissue paper. Upload your logo and design the rest on their site, or upload a complete design. The minimum order is 250 sheets, and shipping is free. Click here to design your branded tissue paper.

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Custom Boxes: Printing Options in Detail

Custom designed shipping boxes and lower cost printed stock boxes provide a great starting point for delivering a branded unboxing to your customers. Here’s a look at the many ways you can use printed boxes to brand your shipments, plus the costs involved, where to get started, and some things to consider.

Think Inside The Box: Fully Customized Box & Packaging Programs

• Cost Range: From under $3 to more than $20 per packed order
• Custom Elements: Custom printed boxes or flats, plus customized inner packaging items like dividers, wrap, and tissue
• Where to start:
  • For custom box programs plus fulfillment solutions: FulfillmentCompanies.net
  • For custom boxes and packaging programs: Packlane and Salazar Packaging

Source: TrunkClub

Online sellers like TrunkClub, LootCrate, and BlueJeanBox pack and ship orders using printed custom boxes that instantly brand the unboxing experience. For upscale items and specialty brands, this creates a memorable moment in the purchase experience that’s worth the custom costs.

Source: LootCrate

Custom packaging groups like Packlane and Salazar Packaging specialize in crafting and printing the complete unboxing experience like the one LootCrate delivers above. Notice the unboxing instructions printed inside? This encourages social sharing which becomes free advertising. Clever!

Customized boxes are the primary element in a branded unboxing experience like these. Custom boxes are costlier than printed stock boxes, but are well worth the impression left on customers. Along with delivering a branded message every step of the way, custom box and packaging solutions are designed to fit your exact needs.

If you don’t know where to start, companies like DesignBro will help you design your custom boxes and packaging with the help of professional, experienced designers. Click here to get started with DesignBro today and make your brand stand out from the rest. From box size to specialty fillers such as padding and product wraps, a custom box program is crafted to fit, protect, and present your items perfectly.

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Source: BlueJeanBox

With custom printed boxes, you may not need many extra internal packaging embellishments like tissue, ribbons, and stickers, but do consider every element. BlueJeanBox, shown above, makes the most of every customer touchpoint during the unboxing experience. Their thoughtful organization, grouping, and presentation of items inside an eye-catching outer box creates an unboxing experience worth sharing. And, they hope, worth repeating!

Create the Look for Less: Printed Stock Boxes

• Cost Range: From under $2 to more than $5 per packed order
• Custom Elements: Printed stock-sized boxes, plus custom or plain inner packaging items like inserts, bags, and tissue paper
• Where to start:
  • For printed stock boxes and fulfillment solutions: FulfillmentCompanies.net
  • For printed stock boxes: Tag&Label or try Salazar Packaging for orders over 1000 boxes
  • For packaging and inserts: Uline, Vistaprint, Nashville Wraps, Tag&Label, and StickerYou.

Source: Tag and Label

If you ship in just a few box sizes, stock boxes printed with your logo can be cost effective alternatives to fully customized boxes. Budget friendly stock boxes are printed only on the outside, and usually in just one color. But add a few customized elements to the interior packaging, and you’ve got a fully branded unboxing experience, like this:

Source: Amazon

Adding plain or printed tissue paper box liners, as shown above, to stock shipping boxes delivers a branded look when customers open their order. You can even extend the unboxing experience further with branded inner packaging such as custom inserts, product tags, and logo stickers like these:

Source: On left, StickerYou; center and right, Pinterest

In fact, you can use inner packaging like this to craft an unboxing experience without investing in custom or printed stock shipping boxes. We’ll explore all of these interior packaging options more in detail below.

Did You Know? Fulfillment Companies Can Handle Your Custom Box Needs & More

Looking for a completely turnkey solution that includes custom boxes plus fulfillment services for order packing and shipping? Fulfillment companies, sometimes called third-party logistics companies (3PL), can help you develop a custom unboxing program, plus store your products and pack and ship your orders. This leaves you free to build and market your company since you’re not handling the daily shipping tasks.

Outsourcing fulfillment has its costs. But compared to product storage, hiring employees, and the time spent managing it all, it can be a more cost-effective solution than running your own warehouse. Plus, you’ll benefit from the fulfillment company’s expertise in developing custom box programs and possibly save on printing costs through their vendor relationships. Check out FulfillmentCompanies.net to find the best fulfillment company for your small business.

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Things to Remember when Printing Custom Boxes and Packaging:

Fully customized boxes can be costly. Custom packaging companies tack on additional charges including artwork setup and cutting dies for specialty box sizes. Some of these, like artwork setup, is unavoidable on most any print job. But you should always ask if there is an existing stock box that’s close to your needed size to help save on die charges. And you should always get a printed sample proof before approving the job for production.

Custom printing will have minimums, too. Some can be as high as 1000 pcs, but your price per piece drops with higher quantities. If your budget and sales forecasts can support a larger print run, it can drop your per-box price dramatically. For small companies that use just one or two box sizes, custom boxes are a good branding tool, especially if the box becomes part of the purchase experience as with LootCrate, Trunk Club, and Blue Jean Box.

However, if you ship in a wide variety of boxes, printing custom or stock boxes in every size you need can quickly become cost-prohibitive. In this case, other shipment branding options are far more flexible and budget friendly. Read on to see all the ways you can create a branded, memorable unboxing experience, even without a printed box.

Other Budget-Friendly Ways to Deliver a Branded Unboxing Experience

From personalized inserts to custom inner packaging, the unboxing experience extends far beyond printing custom boxes. The packaging ideas we explore below can deliver plenty of branding bang with or without a printed shipping box. Use them alone to embellish your brand on a tight budget, or together with printed boxes to deliver the total package.

Thank You Inserts: Personal Touches for Pennies per Order

• Cost Range: Around 6¢ to 20¢ per packed order
• Custom Elements: Handwritten notes on plain cards or on printed postcards
• Where to start:
  • For laser and inkjet printer postcards: Amazon
  • For custom printed postcards: Vistaprint

Source: StickerYou

Adding a handwritten thank you note or signing your name on a preprinted card costs next to nothing and takes just seconds. But this personal touch can be just the thing to make your customer remember you the next time they’re shopping. In this hectic, impersonal day and age, it might even impress them so much that they share their experience via social media.

Thank you note cards can do double-duty as care instructions, coupons, and special offers, too. Try printing a coupon or special offer on one side, then adding your personal thank you on the reverse. You can print postcards from your own printer using laser or inkjet postcard blanks, or try customized postcards like these from Vistaprint:

Source: Vistaprint

I’ve used VistaPrint many times and their prices and turnaround are hard to beat. You can print 50 full-color postcards for as little at 20¢ each, and get them in a few days. Plus they offer more than 800 designs that you can customize with your information, or upload a design of your own.

However you decide to create your thank you, place it on top of your packed order so it’s the first item your customer sees as they unbox their purchase.

Things to remember when ordering printed postcards, business cards, and inserts

Printing costs per piece drop dramatically when you print higher quantities. For example, at Vistaprint, you can typically print 50 postcards for about 20¢ each, but 500 of the same card cost just 12¢ each. Consider this when you design your offer. If you can make it “evergreen,” with no expiration and a year-round design, you can print more and save money. Good evergreen offers include Free Shipping at a certain order value, like “Free Shipping on Orders Over $75,” or even “$5 Off” a certain order value.

Tags & Embellishments: Tie One On for Budget-Friendly Branding

• Cost Range: 5¢ to 50¢ per packed order
• Custom Elements: Business card product tags or printed postcards
• Where to start:
  • For laser and inkjet printer business cards and postcards: Amazon
  • For custom printed business cards and postcards: Vistaprint

Sources: On left, Dribble; center and right, Pinterest

For bagged products like candy, rolled soft goods like tees, or other taggable goods, a finishing flourish of ribbon or cording adds a visual element that, quite literally, ties it all together. Attach a printed logo tag or even a signed thank you or special offer to complete a memorable look. You can print these yourself using your inkjet or laser printer, or have them printed. VistaPrint’s 2-sided business cards and postcards are perfect for this budget-friendly custom look.

Source: Pinterest. Find plain and specialty bags like these at Nashville Wraps or at your local craft and office supply stores.

You also can bundle goods in clear, plain, or specialty bags and finish with ribbon, raffia, or colorful cording to deliver a memorable look, like those pictured above. Want more creative ideas? Pinterest is a gold mine for fun and offbeat packaging looks.

Things to remember when ordering printed business cards for use as tags

Like postcards, business card printing costs drop dramatically when you print higher quantities. For example, at VistaPrint, you can typically print 100 business cards for about 16¢ each, but 500 of the same card cost just 4¢ each. Often, they have great deals on business cards.

Bags & Labels: Finish Grouped Sets or Small Items with Logo Labels

• Cost Range: 30¢ to $1 per packaged item or order
• Custom Elements: Custom logo stickers, embossed seals, and product labels
• Where to start:
  • For custom printed stickers and labels: StickerYou and Vistaprint
  • For plastic and paper bags: Nashville Wraps and Uline

Sources: Left and center, StickerYou; right, Pinterest. Find plain and specialty bags like these at Nashville Wraps.

Any bagged item or set can easily become branded packaging with inexpensive printed logo stickers and labels. And there’s more to bagging than clear plastic. Try kraft paper bags, frosted or colored plastic bags, and specialty gloss or metallic sacks to create a branded packaging experience. Don’t forget to repurpose specialty bags. Coffee bean sacks and fabric drawstring bags can deliver the unexpected in memorable ways.

Things to remember when ordering printed stickers and labels

Like other printed items, sticker and label printing costs-per-piece drop dramatically when you print higher quantities. Other factors that can affect cost are label size, shape, and whether they’re printed on rolls or sheets. Sheet labels offer more shapes and finishes than rolls, so they’re typically more expensive.

For example, at StickerYou, both the type of label and the quantity affects pricing:

Rolls labels offer some creative shape options, like the image on left. But fancier cuts like the label on the right usually require sheet labels:

Source: StickerYou

Inner Boxes & Wraps: Stock Packaging Creates an Impression that Sticks

• Cost Range: 5¢ to more than $3 per packed order
• Custom Elements: Custom logo stickers, embossed seals, and product labels
• Where to start:
  • For custom printed stickers and labels: StickerYou and Vistaprint
  • For basic and specialty inner boxes and tissue paper: Nashville Wraps and Uline

Sources: On left, Quiet Logistics; center and right, StickerYou. Find basic and specialty boxes and tissue paper like these at Nashville Wraps.

Stickers make great finishing touches on your packed goods. Use a logo sticker to secure a tissue paper box liner over packed goods. Or use one to secure packing slips or coupon inserts to the top layer of box fill. Either way, your logo will be the first thing your customer sees when they begin unboxing their order.

You also can add branded appeal to plain inner packaging using labels and stickers. Use them to transform both basic boxes and specialty containers such as Chinese take-out boxes, coffee bean sacks, and cardboard tubes into attention-getting customized packaging.

Things to remember when selecting stock packaging

Remember that size and weight matters when it comes to shipping rates. Be sure to select inner specialty packaging that protects your items with minimal added weight and size.

A Semi-Custom Solution: Tie Everything Together in a Custom Look for Less

• Cost Range: 50¢ to more than $10 per packed order
• Custom Elements: Any mix of printed items such as tissue paper, logo and box labels, paper sleeves, inner boxes, and packing tape
• Where to start:
  • For colorful or decorative stock shipping boxes and mailers: Uline
  • For custom printed box labels and packing stickers: StickerYou and Vistaprint
  • For custom printed tissue paper and packing tape: Uline and Nashville Wraps

If you find printed boxes too costly, don’t get frustrated. You still can deliver an impressive and fully customized unboxing experience to your customers. Simply incorporate elements of branded inner packaging like those discussed above, then create your own “custom” shipping box using box labels like these:

Source: StickerYou

Box labels are a versatile and economical way to brand any shipping box you use with your logo and message. If you ship products in a wide variety of boxes, this is a far cheaper option than printing shipping boxes in various sizes.

Create your “custom” shipping box using stock kraft brown or white boxes or colored mailers from Uline, and labels from StickerYou. Then pack your custom bagged, tagged, or boxed goods inside. And last, finish your packed goods in custom flair using plain or printed tissue paper box liners with a logo sticker or colorful paper sleeve, like these:

Sources: On left, Lime & Mortar; right, Yuzen

The final step is sealing your shipping box, and here’s another opportunity for branding. Use colorful logo-printed packing tape to finish off your shipments. It can even be used in place of box labels if you’re on a tight budget. Order this double-duty branding solution from Uline for about $4 per roll.

Source: StickerYou

Things to remember when tying branded elements together

Save money by printing logo labels that work for several applications, such as on both outer boxes and inner packaging. If you need different sizes, explore the many shape and size options that roll stickers offer since they tend to be cheaper than custom-shaped sheet stickers. StickerYou is a great source for stickers and labels, especially the less expensive roll labels in many styles.

And finally, remember that too many custom items can be overkill and a waste of money. For example, if you use printed packing tape you may not need outer box labels, and vice-versa.

The Bottom Line

As an ecommerce seller, you have precious few physical interactions with your customers, so you need to make those moments count. In today’s competitive environment, delivering orders that are correct, on time, and undamaged, just isn’t enough to make a lasting impression. That’s where custom boxes and packaging can deliver an unboxing experience that gives you the edge over your competition. And with a little luck, might give you some free advertising through social shares, too.

The total unboxing experience uses an eye-catching custom printed shipping box with coordinating inner fill and product packaging. The branding value of this approach is a worthwhile expense for many sellers, but it’s not right for every company. However, you can deliver a branded, memorable unboxing on any budget by pairing a little creativity with a mix of stock and customized items, including:

• Handwritten thank you notes
• Inexpensive business card product tags and postcards with coupons and special offers
• Creative flourishes like raffia ties, ribbons, and colorful cording
• Clever repurposing of stock packaging embellished with custom logo labels and stickers
• Inexpensive custom printed inner and outer packing materials like tissue paper and packing tape
• Stock boxes finished with outer box labels or printed with logos
• Completely customized packaging for an immersive unboxing experience

Need hands-on help? Let a full-service FulfillmentCompanies.net craft a custom-branded unboxing experience that makes every order stand out from the crowd.

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