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The Right Packaging Supplies for Products 

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You might have a brand new product, and you want to get this out to other people. You might want to make it the bet that it can be. But there is a problem. You don’t know the ideal packaging for these products. Maybe you’re a company that’s established and dealt with this before, but the product might have other requirements that the other items didn’t.

You also may be a startup, and have no clue what the best types of product packaging are out there, and what to use.

Here, we’ll go over the best type of packaging materials to choose, and how you can choose this.

Why it’s Important. 

When you’re choosing materials for packaging, there’s a lot of things that you should consider. It’s more than just one packaging material and working with it. some materials are not correct for certain products.

If you do choose the wrong one, you’re wasting materials, and there is a chance that machinery and money might be wasted, and sometimes, there are safety concerns that eventually do lead to this.

If you’re starting to think about it, you need to choose items, and then, choose the ideal material for the products that are there. 

Rigid Vs. Flexible 

There are two different product types that a lot of businesses go for: rigid and flexible.

Rigid is the packaging that you can’t bend or force out of the current type of way that it is.  These usually are quite solid, and they offer support for the products that are there. they’re known for the strength that they have, preventing damage and breaking in most cases.  This is usually the glass jars, the boxes that are corrugated, and bottles made of hard plastic.

On the flipside, you’ve got flexible packaging, which is basically any sort of packaging material that can be changed in most cases. While flexible is usually malleable and bendable, especially when you look at the rigid packaging, they also are used to wrap around the products there. clamshells, blister packs, shrink and stretch film, even poly bags and roll bags are examples of this too.

There are also the benefits of them being less costly for shipments and very lightweight too. The flexible packaging that’s there also uses far less material, so it’s much more eco friendly too.  They also come with a lower amount of carbon footprints, especially when compared to paper, glass, cardboard, even metal too.

This is super popular, and it’s grown to new heights over the last decade, and it continues to get even higher and higher, due to the fact that it’s more eco friendly compared to the others.

Different Flexible Packaging Supplies 

There are a ton of great flexible packaging supplies that are there. you might wonder if there are different options based on the materials that are there. you might wonder what type of flexible packaging is there for you.  

There are different types of ones to choose from. 

They are: 

  • Shrink film: used to help wrap products such as games, DVDs, books, and other options 
  • Flexible pouches, usually are a pouch from plastic, and usually has an enclosure or foil that’s there 
  • Blister packs, which are basically packaging which creates what’s called a “blister” in order to house the item 
  • Clamshells: they are two plastic types of shells that come together and open up, while also closing, typically used for takeout 

The best way to choose this, is to look at your packaging needs, and from there, make the decision for yourself. 

Recycling Holiday Packaging 

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Holiday sales are supposed to keep going up, and while you have some great gifts, you also will need to figure out how to get rid of the waste and recycle it too. Recycling is great for reducing the pollution, keeping the resources and energy levels lower, and also prevents the landfills from filling with more trash. Most trash is actually in the form of packaging materials, and we actually get rid of our weight in the form of packaging every month or so. that’s why it’s important to make sure that you do recycle, since that of course, can save you a ton of pounds, especially after the holiday season. How can businesses encourage recycling though? What can they do to make this easier for the person to get excited about? Let’s find out. 

Get Customers to recycle

Most people have a recycling bin, but the thing is, it rarely gets used.  Most of the time, they have to bring this to a different place just to recycle it.  It’s important as well to note that you cannot recycle anything that’s contaminated, so you have to clean this, and it’s important to make sure that the quality is good. 

What can you toss into the recycling bin though? Some of the options include. 

  • Boxes when you break them down 
  • Packing slips, cards, and envelopes
  • Paper inserts and other paper dunnage 
  • Tissue paper 
  • Wrapping paper that isn’t metallic 

If you’re looking to recycle certain things, you may have to bring it to a drop-off location, especially if it’s a packaged delivery. 

Some of these include: 

-poly or bubble mailers 

Air pillows or  bubble wrap when deflated 

Reusing Stuff? 

There are certain things that you can reuse. If you send the orders in a box that’s branded, you may want to make it so that they keep it, instead of throwing this into the trash. Keeping the packaging a and reusing it is also good. 

You can use packing peanuts, the bubble wrapping, and other supplies as well for future shipping, especially if you plan to pack your own items, and a whole lot more. 

How else to cut down 

There are a few things that you can do as a retailer too in order to get people to cut down on their waiting. 

The first, is trying to use materials that are sustainable. They offer post-consumer kinds of recycled content, and also eco-friendly packaging options even for boxes that are branded, so that you can actually talk the talk about being sustainable, which is something a lot of companies struggle with achieving. 

The second thing is trying to make it so that buying in bulk is better. Rather than just ordering everything in more than one box, have them order it, and put it inside one box. This not only saves them and you money on shipping, you can actually offer discounts in bulk, and by using the right box, you can also reduce the materials that are used for packaging. 

Finally, you want to try to make sure that you’re not going to extreme places with all of this and using too many resources. For those that deliver their own items, make sure to use different calculators to help with making sure that you optimize the traveling that you do, and also make sure to make deliveries happen, and try to avoid the redeliveries.  You should also try to avoid making the carbon footprint any larger. 

Try to minimize the returns as well, so that you don’t have to go out to get it. 

Is it Time to Move to Recyclable Packaging 

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Should you change over to recycled materials? Here, we’ll discuss whether or not it’s good for you to do. Is this the solution that you’ve been looking for? Before you pull the trigger on packaging, remember there are a few things that you should ask before you decide, to make sure to look at whether or not the packaging is worth it or not. 

Is it Sustainable 

With more and more laws being put into place to push for recycling, it’s something that’s successful for a lot of people, and it improves the rates of recycling while also reducing the amount of landfill waste is left around. 

This is something that’s viable for the long-term, and it ca be a part of the solution to the problem globally. But also, it’s important to understand that while it’s good, it’s not effective for everything, and you need to make sure that you also look at the demand for resources which are natural in order to create this. 

The benefits 

Recycling is something that helps to maximize the use of something that already exists, and it gives something that’s already been used another possible chance, since this is something that can be beneficial. That means that the packaging world can benefit from a lot of this, especially if you want to make sure that it’s from partly or totally recycled items. It also does conserve a lot of the resources that are there. It’s less harmful to our environment to recycle rather than to continuously produce these materials, which means less tress to be cut, and less habits that are there disturbed, and of course, fewer pollution from this as well. 

It also reduces the landfill waste, which is a major problem. Because the trash gets left there it is either burned, buried, or just left there, and it pollutes our world. Recycling reduces the waste and all of that by extending the amount of materials that are used, and the repurpose items that would otherwise be tossed out. 

It’s also quite easy to do. There are more and more ways now than ever before to recycle, and it’s something that a lot of consumers are using, and a bit of them are versed in it already, so it’s much more viable. Customers also like sustainability, so you can use it as a marketing tactic. 

Drawbacks 

While there are some benefits, there are a few drawbacks that come with this, since it can play a part in how much your company and their budget can handle something such as this. First and foremost, not everybody recycles, so it may not be worth it. It’s important to look at the consumer base, see if there is a possibility of it happening, and also to see if this plays a big part in it.  You can encourage them, but not everyone will follow through. 

It also is something that isn’t permanent, and it’s something that can be hard for a few thing’s paper is recycled, but it does degrade. While you can recycle a lot, it does only have so many times before it will decompose.  It is something to consider. 

Finally, it can be difficult.  Recycling plastic is very costly in some places, so it’s important to make sure that you look at whether or not it’s even possible. If it’s mixed plastic, it may not be exportable. There is also the fact that not every type of plastic is recyclable, so it’s vital to know if this is imperative or will impact how you recycle too. 

History of Postal Service

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We have a lot of people to thank for the transport of our mail, but the USPS is the reason why most people are using it. But what is the origin of the postal service within the US? Well, it did help with subsidizing the way that mail was transported, and it actually helped with the delivery of the mail. Even when the people were skeptical of this, especially due to new inventions, this is a way to help with increasing the speed of mail as well. 

Mail delivery went from the horse, and then to stagecoach, to steamboat across certain locations, then by railroad across the land, and finally, by cars and airplanes, and they made sure to eventually span all of this to various continents.  The post office did start this through the purchasing of some stagecoaches to get the mail transported to the correct areas, encouraging this as well to create the proper comfort and safety for those who carried the mail. They also would use steamboats and trails to possibly get the mail in between towns that didn’t have roads. 

Speaking of the steamboats, the steam engine in 1831 eventually were denounced, so instead of using this, they made railroads, and by 1836, the first contract with the railroads for the postal service was something that people were starting to look at. 

Then of course, there was the automobile, where it was starting to be used, since by 1896, people knew Abou the automobile, and then by 1902, in Buffalo, they had the first contract for mail carrying, with a plan to move to different areas. 

Then of course, between 1901 and 1914, there were those that were upset with the frauds and higher rates for everything, so the post office was then asked and got approval from congress to have vehicles that would carry their mail to and from each location, which is of course, the early mail trucks. 

The pony Express 

Let’s go back to the first portion of the 19th century, where the US was moving to new areas and getting new territories, with wagons going across different areas, and passengers dealing with disease, ambushes, pestilence, and hunger. Then of course, there was the gold rush, which was responsible for a lot of people moving, and it also was when the post office got their first contract to carry mail with the steamships all the way to California.  With ail traveling to New York, ten to Panama, and then later to San Francisco, it was something that was quite long, taking much longer than a month in some cases. 

William H. Russel, created an express mail route to make the journey to California a whole lot faster.  His first action was to create the Central Overland California Company called the Pikes Peak Express Company. With the partners, they created various stations that would relay this, and they would use different horses to help with these weather conditions. 

The riders would move about 75 to 100 miles to the next relay station, and they would move this much faster. It actually ended up taking about 7 days to go from east to west, delivering Lincoln’s inaugural address. By 1861, it became a private company and worked under contract so that they could have a transcontinental means. 

With free city delivery and the confederate post service as well, mail delivery has been a big part of the US, and with all of these new types of ways to do it, getting mail from one locale t the next has never been easier, for many people. 

How to Take Great Product Photos for Your Packaging 

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Product photos are so necessary for getting consumers to actually buy the items that you want them to buy. Some consumers do not forgive if the product photos look bad. But there are great ways for you to take the photos that you want, and you don’t even need to spend hundreds to get the product photos right.  Here, we’ll go over how to get the right photos for your brands even if you don’t have a huge budget. 

Look for good Inspiration 

Look at the competitors that you have to find the right kinds of photos to try. You don’t want to steal this, but if you’re curious about where to begin with this, you can look at what they do, and review this until you’re able to create something that does capture your vibe, but also isn’t directly copying them. 

Get a lightbox 

This is one of the best ways to make your photos look professional and look enough to be put on websites. You want a lightbox since this lets you light the item correctly, get rid of any shadows that might be there, and also you will have much more professional photos as a result. 

To make this, you can just get a box, put it on the side, and have it stand in a way so it’s double the size of the item, and gives you room for the camera.  You want to tape the bottom part of this, cut up the top flaps, and then cut out squares on every single side of this. You want to make sure you leave a couple inches around each part of the square in order to keep the box structure intact, and then put the white paper onto the outside so the openings get covered. 

If you don’t want to build this, then get one of those lightbox tents that are availible on the web, or from a camera store. This is pretty easy to use, and it’s sometimes better especially if you’re not sure  how to make this correctly.You want to make sure that the box has desk or flood lights going into there. Put the product into the box itself, put the lighting on, and take pictures. You can also make platforms by putting a smaller box and some cloth or white paper on it, and then put the product over this, especially within the light box.  Mess around with the positions and angles, and make sure to take a few dozen shots to work with a few types of angles and such. 

Get the correct Camera 

If you’re looking to get good product photos, you’re going to want a camera for this. But how much you’re willing to put into this is something that’s ultimately your call.  Sometimes high-quality photos are better taken with something that’s a bit cheaper.  You can still achieve this, but if you’re going for more action-type shots, you want to get something that can handle the movement blur. 

A good DSLR is actually not that expensive these days, and you will notice that there is a huge quality jump between this and a phone camera. However, if you do have steady hands and a good camera phone, then you might want to consider this, but if you’re looking to really make the photos shine, get something professional. 

Finally, you want to make sure that you edit the images. It doesn’t have to be the fanciest photoshop ever, but it should be something that works well and gives you good lighting.