Category Archives: Packing Supplies

Garage Filled with Boxes?

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This weekend was certainly a lot of work at my house.  We decided to start cleaning out our garage after the COVID-19 pandemic.  It has been a long time since our State got back to any kind of normal but since we are all able to go back to work just about as usual we are finding that going out and doing normal things again is happening too.  That means that housework is getting back to normal and we found that our garage was riddled with Amazon packages.  It was just wrong and it was filling up our garage.  Now we know we needed to organize and move a lot of things from our garage to our shed, and this was the time to do it.

This all started out with us having to clean out a shed that we had never used.  It was filthy because the tenate who lived at out home kept a dog in there and never cleaned anything.  So with a shovel, broom, and preasurized hoze we went to town with bleach.  It took a few hours to clean and to dry but once we were done we were able to start taking all the filled cardboard boxes from the garage and move them into the shed. This took many hours to get it all sorted and filled up but it left us with a good amount of space in our garage.  Then we had to decide what to do with the insane stack of Amazon packages and how to best get rid of them.

We first tried to fill them with things and move them to the shed.  We did this for what we could but we still had a pile several feet long and many feet tall of cardboard boxes in our garage.  It was really hard to figure out what to do because we didn’t want to simply put these in the trash.  The next issue is that we are only able to recycle one trash can at a time and all these packages were simply not going to fit.  We tried just stacking some in the can, but that would literalyl take a year to recycle that way and we knew we were going to have to start breaking them down.

So first we started to break them down with out hands and we ran into trouble.  Those massive staples in some of the packages were simply too tough to overcome.  That left us with a sad feeling and our hands were in pain trying to overcome the stress.  So we then decided that we needed to get scissors to break them down and get them into the can as neatly as possible.  We each got through one box before our hands were red and about to start blistering.  That was a bad idea, but we decided a knife was the answer.  So I went into my fishing kit and got out a nice fixed blade knife.

This fixed blade had a great rubber handle and was made of a good stainless steel to deal with fish and water without rusting.  It was a fallkniven f1 knife and it went through the packages really well. So the next time you run into the same issue as us you now know what to do and how to recycle them all safely and quickly.

What is the Best Candy Design

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Growing up as a child in the midwest gave me my own perspective on what I deemed the best candy.  In many ways, I am certain that my location actually played a roll in what I liked and what I didn’t.  It turns out that the look and design of candy actually play one of the largest roles in the choice of candy according to children and study groups.  So I want to go over some of what I believe helped me create my love of the candy that I love today. It may be a little different for everyone because we all have defining moments in our past and I think mine was a long long time ago.

I am fairly certain my love of candy all started back when I was around 5 years old. I can remember fondly when my family would travel down to visit our family in Alabama.  One of the best parts of this was when my grandfather would take me and my siblings to the candy store.  Now this was a huge deal in that time and especially in that location.  Luckily, the gas station that had what seemed like an endless supply of candy was two miles down the road.  My grandfather would give us between 5 and 25 cents each trip and let us pick whatever we wanted.  Back then and in that location, candy was so inexpensive and somehow it was one of my favorite memories.  My siblings and I would run into the store and start counting out what we could get and for how much.  Now surprisingly the cost made a difference in what we would get.

It was indeed a big time and then candy boxes and their designs called to me.  The first thing I would do would be to pick out the coolest and most bright-looking candy.  This would always seem to happen and in reality, the best looking design ended up usually being the most expensive.  So even though I wanted the best candy boxes designs due to the way they looked I didn’t actually end up purchasing them. Now that is something to think about because even if the candy catches the most attention it may not be the best if it costs too much.  So designing candy that is not only attractive but cost effective is very important. 

Now on the other hand cost is also a big part of why something may seem so cool. If you see a great looking piece of candy and yet see something else that looks similar and costs more it may actually drive more demand.  It truly depends on the location.  In a lower-income area the cost-effective piece may be the best choice but word will spread due to the higher cost and unattainability.  This is a consideration to take when working on your own candy product or if you have a store.  Make sure to test the difference and see what works and sells the most in your location. I find that where you grew up makes a big difference and also the preferences that come from a good experience.  So make sure to test well and make a design that fits the cost well. Enjoy a wonderful candy career!

The Pros and Cons of 4 Top Snack Food Packaging

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There are so many different packages available for snack food, and it is hardly possible to understand each of them in a vast ocean of the options to package snack foods. The following is to discuss the pros and cons of 4 top snack food packaging.

Flexible Pouches

The flexible pouches refer to the collection of various kinds of single-use containers made of plastics or foils. This kind of packaging is used typically for snacks and drinks. Its popularity rises due to the fact that it is resealable and has less impact on the environment. For snack food packaging, without a doubt, the flexible pouches are one of the most popular ones.

The Pros Of Flexible Pouches

  • Easy to source
  • Affordable
  • Full branding & graphic capabilities
  • Very low carbon footprint
  • Use little space in landfills
  • Resealable
  • Easy to open

The Cons Of Flexible Pouches

  • Impossible or hard to recycle
  • 1,000+ year average to fully degrade
  • Could affect the flavor of food or drink
  • Not viable for the luxury packaging applications
  • Low resistance to the extreme temperature during storage

 Paperboard Boxes

The paperboard boxes are also a popular option for snack food packaging. Paperboard boxes generally come with rectangular or square boxes, but less commonly come with others like hexagons or triangles. They could be made of 100% paperboard or mixed with other materials like small clear film windows to let consumers see the inside.

The Pros Of Paperboard Boxes

  • Full branding & graphic capabilities
  • Easy to source
  • Recyclable
  • Resealable
  • Easy to open

The Cons Of Paperboard Boxes

  • Higher carbon footprint
  • Costly
  • While recyclable, may end up in landfills because of contamination
  • Producing methane when in landfill

 Hard Plastic Container

The hard plastic containers are also another popular snack food packaging. This kind of packaging could come with various shapes as well as sizes, and it usually features the easy to open and pop-off lid. Most of them are made of easy to recycle plastics. The common snack foods packaged in the hard plastic containers are nuts, seeds, dried fruit, candy, chocolates, pretzels, snack mix, crisps, and many others.

The Pros For Hard Plastic Containers

  • Sturdy
  • Easy to source
  • Recyclable
  • Resealable
  • Easy to open

The Cons For Hard Plastic Containers

  • Costly
  • Expensive to ship
  • Higher carbon footprint
  • While recyclable, may end up in landfills because of contamination

 Glass Snack Containers

The glass containers are another top form for snack food packaging, but they are not as popular as the other kinds. Although this packaging has many shortcomings, glass is straightforward and easy to recycle. Also, glass presents an air of sophistication and luxury, which makes it very popular for gourmet as well as luxury snack food brands.

The Pros for Hard Glass Containers

  • Sturdy
  • Easy to source
  • Luxurious
  • Easy to open
  • Recyclable
  • Resealable

The Cons For Glass Containers

  • Expensive
  • Prone to cracking & breaking
  • Very high carbon footprint
  • Very expensive to ship
  • While recyclable, may end up in landfills because of contamination
  • Use excessive space in warehouse

Packaging vs Blister Packaging

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Do you struggle with determining the difference between skin packaging and blister packaging as well as which one to use when? This is a common concern. No matter if you’re the packaging buyer, supply manager, or business owner your product packaging questions will be answered here.

The two packaging types have been in use for many years and they are very similar to each other when it comes to appearance and makeup. However, they are used for very different products. One example would be skin packaging is more commonly used for seafood while a blister pack would house the filet knife used to cut the fish.

BLISTER PACK

The basic structure of a blister pack consists of:

Blister board – A backing material made of paperboard that can be pre-printed with the product info, company name, brand, pricing, description, or whatever you’d like to showcase. There are occasions when the blister board is made of an alternate material like aluminum (typically seen with medications), however, paperboard is most commonly used.

· Blister – Typically a plastic container that comes pre-formed to house the product between itself and the blister board. It was given the name “blister” as it resembles a raised blister one might get on a hand or foot.

Examples of everyday items that come in blister packs are flash drives, toys, over the counter medications, and many others.

SKIN PACK

Frequently confused with the blister pack, a skin pack also has a board and plastic cover. Unlike the blister pack, skin packaging is sealed with a vacuum sealer, forming a tight bond around the product.

Once sealed, the products are ready to ship, or they can undergo an additional step to remove excess packaging material with a machine called a die-cutter.

Once these steps are completed, the finished product is completely contained in the skin pack, surrounded by a special film.

WHICH PACKAGING SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

In order to determine the appropriate packaging for your product, you’ll need to answer a few questions.

Q. Do you need to get the products in stores quickly?

A. Blister packs are a quicker option as they require fewer steps in the sealing process.

Q. Is the product a perishable food item?

A. Skin packs are by far the best packaging option in this instance.

Q. Are there pointed or sharp edges on your product?

A. Choose a sturdy blister pack here.

Q. What can you afford to spend on the packaging?

A. Blister packaging requires less equipment and is therefore a more cost-effective option for those on a stricter budget.

THE DIFFERENCE

Skin packaging uses a thin layer of surlyn film and a vacuum sealer to tightly attach the product to the backing board and it is often used for easily spoiled food items. Blister packs have a hard plastic cover called a “blister” to house the product and do not need vacuum sealing to attach it to the board which makes this a cheaper and quicker option.

Armed with this information and your answers from above, you should be able to determine the best packaging option for your products and your company.

Cardboard Box Forts for home

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One of the most fun and cool things I have seen was a castle built out of the good old fashion moving boxes.  I was instantly brought back to the feeling of being a child and wanted to instantly go play. 

Luckily, I am also able to live those feelings through my family.  But what amazed me the most was the absolute size of this piece and then realizing that many people live in cardboard boxes every day made it very emotionally complicated to realize that what I was thinking of a child’s play toy was actually someones home. So I wanted to make a way for people who had to live in these items to actually have a great template to survive and thrive on the budget they have. 

So first and foremost if you need to live in a your own box fort then you have to have material in order to do it.  I want to make sure people know that they can ask companies for boxes but know that they crush and recycle every day and night so you have to get them at the right time.  Go to your nearest big box store and ask for cardboard boxes and then ask what time of day is best to get them.  Then ask for the shipping boxes specifically.  These shipping boxes are going to be made for corrugated paper and that means it is more insulated and thought than a regular box.

Now where you are going to end up spending some money is the tape or sealant to seal up the boxes in order to make them wind and more waterproof.  I also suggest using plastic bags to create  kind of roof.  But you can also go to hardware stores and find used and broken shingles to help make an actual roof. This is another ask for broken and unsellable shingles in the building supplies department and many of the times you will find they are more than happy to help. Most manager will even make sure you get what you need.

But don’t be afraid to ask and don’t be afraid to be told no.  Not everyone has a heart and many young people simply do not know enough hardship to have mercy.  So you may need to ask at a few different stores. But know that Lowes and HOme depot like to be right next to each other for sales purposes so if you are at one the other is usually close by!