Writing for people specifying packaging

Practical decisions about custom packaging: choosing a format, comparing materials, printing methods, how costs are calculated, artwork preparation, inserts and retail shelf requirements. The blog avoids trend pieces and sticks to questions buyers actually face.

Start with How to Choose Retail Packaging for a New Product, then work through the Custom Retail Packaging Design Checklist. Together they help you settle format, size and print before you request a quote.

Yes. How Custom Packaging Costs Are Calculated walks through board area, plate setup, finishing steps, tooling and freight, which is quoted per consignment. It also explains why setup costs weigh more heavily on short runs.

Read How to Prepare Artwork for Custom Packaging before you send files. It covers the usual reasons files get sent back, and we also provide a free dieline and a digital proof before any production starts.

The article Digital Printing vs Offset Printing for Packaging compares the two by quantity, color control and setup, so you can see which suits your run length. Ask us if your order sits between the two.

Retail Packaging Materials Compared for Growing Brands sets the common options side by side. For the protective side of a pack, How Packaging Inserts Protect and Present Products explains how inserts hold items in place.

Yes. Sustainable Retail Packaging Options for US Businesses looks at material and format choices that cut waste, written for brands weighing recyclability against cost and protection. The Sustainable Packaging Guide in the resources section adds reference detail.

Retail Ready Packaging Requirements for Store Shelves covers what retailers tend to ask for, from shelf presence to handling. Read it before committing to a format for a wholesale or retail launch.

The blog holds longer articles on specific decisions, while the resources section holds reference guides such as the size guide, glossary and dieline guide. Use the blog to decide and the guides to specify.

Subscribe to the RSS feed at theretailpackaging.com/rss.xml, which lists every post as it is published, or check the blog page, where articles are sorted newest first. How to Order Custom Packaging in Bulk is a good next read.