Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Folding carton guidelines for efficient development

Contrary to common consumer assumptions, folding cartons can have a nearly infinite number of different creative shapes and features.

This carton for Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers fragrance uses multiple printing techniques.
This carton for Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers fragrance uses multiple printing techniques.

They don’t have to be straight-edged and square. However, the more intricate the design, the higher the cost and the more challenging to automate loading. Here we examine the forces and best practices that result in successful retail carton innovations.

1. Be aware of category-specific conventions. The conventions of some categories are fairly entrenched. You have to either pay homage to those conventions or break from them in a meaningful way. In personal care, material and graphic space are important, but resist the urge for extra flaps. For super-premium categories, consider using multiple printing methods. The base graphics can be water-based, but you can use UV printing, varnishes, and matte coatings to achieve high-quality perceptions. Conversely, simpler is often better, as two-color printing on a white base also achieves premium appeal. And a more sustainable material may be base brown, but a matte finish can still indicate high-end with low printing costs.

2. Learn consumer expectations. It’s important to meet the minimum consumer expectations in a category. If possible, though, exceed those expectations in one aspect of the package. Delighting consumers at home is one way to garner loyalty and induce repeat purchases. Some ideas include making the packaging more functional, enhancing the user experience with add-ons, improving ease of storage, or designing packages that can live on with a secondary use.

3. Play the field. The supplier-competitive field has changed due to the consolidation of paperboard manufacturers and the standardization of some common practices. Bigger suppliers do not necessarily translate into more options, so look deeper for innovation. Big companies will tend to push their strengths and efficiencies, and they might not be as multifaceted or versatile as you think.

4. Design in savings. Get the most performance out of paperboard by investing in structural design. Custom-fitting a carton to a product can reduce the amount of material while maintaining the same stacking strength. The compression performance of cartons and cases can also be important where the carton or case is required to provide some or all of the top-load strength (if the product itself is limited in how much load it can carry). Designers should also be aware of line-speed considerations and possible retail-ready requirements, if applicable.

Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Discover the latest breakthrough packaging technologies shaping the pharmaceutical sector. This report dives into cutting-edge innovations, from smart containers that enhance patient safety to eco-friendly materials poised to transform the industry’s sustainability practices. All from PACK EXPO. Learn how forward-thinking strategies are driving efficiency and redefining what’s possible in pharma packaging.
Learn More
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report