Question About Custom Printed Boxes for My Small Business

Hi everyone,

I'm considering custom printed boxes for my small business and wanted some advice. I'm primarily shipping products like handmade candles and skincare items. My main questions are:

1. What kind of materials would be best for these products (durable but eco-friendly)?
2. Are there minimum order quantities for custom printing?
3. Any recommendations for suppliers who offer affordable rates for small businesses?

I'm also curious about how custom packaging has impacted your brand image and customer experience.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

As with anything in printing, the more you order, the lower the cost per unit. The minimum quantities will vary from printer to printer. If they have digital printing capabilities, they will do very low quantities (such as 50-100 boxes). If they print with traditional offset methods, they will have higher minimums usually from several hundred to thousands.

Take this box from Vista Print for example: They let you order as little as one box, but it's $15.99. When you order 120 it drops down to $1.48 per box, or when you order 3,000 they drop to $0.80 each. Another vendor to consider is 4imprint. Drag the quantity slider and watch the price per unit decrease.

Custom packaging, if done well, can be very impactful. You may not even realize it, but when you shop, your eyes are naturally drawn to the boxes with fancy foiling or embossing effects - making you feel like the product is high-quality. Children are drawn to colorful cereal boxes with cartoon characters, while health-conscious adults are drawn to organic low-sugar cereals that have more muted, earth-tone colors. Apple is a great example of well-made packaging. People love the unboxing experience of their smooth i-phone boxes, and are even able to re-sell an empty box on ebay for $15+.