How to Save Money When Buying Custom Packaging and Printing Manufacturer

14, Jul. 2025

 

The Buyer's Guide to Purchasing Custom Boxes (+Tips To Save ...

There are so many beautiful options out there when it comes to custom boxes.  

uprintingplus contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

By going custom, you can get exactly what you want.  

In addition to getting the perfect size box, you get to choose your colors, logo sizes, and anything else you want to adorn the box.  

Custom boxes are tailor-made to fit your products seamlessly, as well as pumping up that all important brand recognition.

But custom boxes can be a major investment, so you need to do your homework first.

Let’s take a look at a few things you should understand before placing your custom box order.

Get the Right Size

Creativity is an important element of custom boxes, but don’t forget the practical side.

Ultimately, your boxes need to fit your products.

Ever try to squeeze a bulky item into a too-small box? Yeah, good luck with that.  

When ordering custom boxes you need to think about your products and know your box sizes. Are they a uniform size? Do you sell different size products? Are your goods fragile?

Take a long hard look at your products.

If you only sell watches, you probably only need one size box.  But what if you sell handmade pottery and need to ship out everything from mugs to large serving platters?  You’ll obviously need a variety of box sizes.

Get to know the dimensions of your products, and measure carefully.

Don’t just eyeball everything.

Shipping costs are based on both the weight and size of your box. Sometimes big savings can come down to trimming the size of your boxes by just fractions of an inch.

Another thing to keep in mind is that customers often order more than one item at a time, so you should have a plan for bundling products. When you order your custom boxes or branded packaging, you’ll want to design a larger box for multiples.

You’ll also want to ensure a snug fit for your breakables. You don’t want any of your products rattling around in empty space. Any extra space in your box will need to be filled with some sort of void fill–whether it’s bubble wrap, crinkle cut paper, or air pillows–all of which can jack up your custom box costs.

To get a feel of what size boxes to order, test your products in various size boxes you have laying around. You can even cut up a box, piece it together to fit your items, and then measure the dimensions.

Choose the Right Style

Alright, you know the box size. Now you need to decide on what style of box will fit your needs.

Your custom box should fit your brand identity, product and budget.

There’s box inspiration everywhere. Print out pictures of styles you like, or even take pictures of packages you receive that catch your attention.  This will give you an idea of the kind of packaging that appeals to you.

The mailer style box – also called the roll-end locking front with dust flaps – is the most common subscription box style, so you may want to start by researching these. There are plenty of ways to put your own style imprint on these boxes.

Don’t forget to always keep your customers in mind when settling on a box style. For instance, if sustainability is a priority for your ideal customer, consider spending a little more to get boxes made from post-consumer waste. Or if you’re selling luxury items, make sure your boxes reflect a high-end feel.

Sometimes a custom box isn’t even a “box” at all.

It’s important to consider the shipping and fulfillment aspect of your packaging. If you’re shipping items, such as t-shirts or other small unbreakable products, you may want to consider mailers. You can still have your logo and other types of branding printed on a mailer, but they cost a fraction of cardboard boxes.

Know Your Budget

Sure, it would be great if the sky was the limit and you could invest in all of your packaging whims.  

But with a business, you need to stay within your means. Otherwise, your bottom line is shot. So come up with a packaging budget that makes sense to you. You can always reevaluate this figure later and as your business grows you can tweak this number accordingly.

There’s no one size fits all packaging budget. Some people suggest spending about 1-3% of the product price on packaging, as a loose rule of thumb, but it will all depend on what you need.

One way to save money is to buy your custom boxes in bulk.  

Typically the price per unit goes down the more you order. Even if your budget is tight, predict how many boxes you’re going to need down the road and order accordingly. Stretch yourself if you can. You’ll appreciate the savings later.

Even if custom boxes aren’t in your budget, don’t give up on your branding aspirations.

With a little ingenuity, you can come up with a box design that doesn’t cost a lot of money.  

Think of the outside of your box as your storefront.  

For more Custom Packaging and Printing Manufacturerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

This is where you want to show off your unique brand flair and draw customers in. If you can’t afford to have custom printing done on your boxes, there are other options that can give you the desired effect. Elements like logo stickers, stamps, and branded tape can make your box style pop.

And don’t forget about the inside of the box. Use it to further woo your customers and make them feel special. Inexpensive elements like colored tissue paper, ribbons or personal notes can really pump up the style factor on the cheap.

Understand What Packaging Can Do For You

Yes, custom boxes and packaging will cost you a little more upfront, but don’t let this discourage you. I’d even say that custom boxes can save you money. The benefits can be amazing. Just check out some of these stats on custom packaging:

  • About 40% of consumers said they’d show pictures of custom packaging on social media if the packaging was interesting or gift-like.
  • Around 52% of online customers would make another purchase if their items came in premium packaging.
  • About 90% of consumers reuse product packaging boxes and bags after purchase. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving.

So, don’t leave your packaging as a mere afterthought. You don’t want to miss this valuable marketing boost custom boxes can give your company.  

Conclusion

When you peruse YouTube unboxing videos or check out the packaging eye candy on Pinterest, you may assume that everyone is ensconcing their products in expensive, gorgeous custom packaging, but this is not the case.

Take a look at the most recent packages that have landed on your doorstep.  

Chances are many of them are the boring, brown cardboard variety. Most companies are still going this route, so you have plenty of opportunities to have your packaging stand out and get noticed – even with just a little customization.  

So, what are you waiting for?

Go ahead and add some flair to your packaging.

5 Easy Ways To Save Money On Product Packaging - Online Labels

There's a lot that goes into starting and running a business. It takes dedication, tenacity, passion and, of course, money.

From advertising and bookkeeping services, to product testing and the product itself, the obvious expenses are big and add up quickly. There are many places to look when it comes time to reduce costs. In this article, we're going to focus in on one of the most important areas where cutting back can make all the difference.

Here are five easy ways you can save on your product packaging.

Consider Why You're Packaging Your Product

It's easy to get caught up in the details of designing a product package – from the logo and artwork to the placement of the barcode. But what may be easily overlooked is one of the main reasons you may be using packaging in the first place. Protection.

Consider everything your product will go through before it lands in the hands of the consumer. Shipment. Harsh weather. Think about the type of place your product will sit until someone purchases it – an air-conditioned shop? A humid warehouse? In direct sunlight?

It may also be a good idea to notice how similar items in the market are packaged. What have you noticed about their packaging? Did it protect its contents and was it easy to open? The last thing you want is a frustrated buyer who had a difficult time opening the product, only to find it was also damaged.

All these things should play a role when deciding how you'll package and protect your product. You'd be surprised how much money you'll save in the long run when you do the research and testing ahead of time instead of waiting for issues to arise.

Avoid Over-Packaging Your Product

Other than the obvious fact that more packaging costs more money, over-packaging your product can be a big turnoff for many consumers. According to a Pew Research Center survey, a whopping 75% of adult Americans are concerned about helping the environment throughout their daily lives.

So here's a scenario if they were acting on protecting our planet: if it came down to purchasing a bar of soap with elaborate packaging — complete with a box, shrink wrap and informational paper insert — or a bar of soap with a simple wrap-around label, chances are that (environmentally conscious) people will most likely purchase the latter.

Of course, that's not to say an environmentally conscious consumer won't purchase a beautifully packaged product. But if you're looking to save money and potentially make more sales, studying your market and knowing your consumer is key.

The lesson here: don't worry too much about unnecessarily over-packaging a product. Less is more.

Research Government Standards Ahead of Time

This may be one that'll save you TONS of money and time.

Picture this scenario.

You've found the perfect packaging. You've ordered a whole bunch of boxes for your product. You love it, it's perfect. That is until you find out there are regulations that you need to follow for packaging that product.

At this point, not only have you spent countless time and effort in meticulously packing your product, but you've spent all this money on materials and resources that have now gone down the drain.

Avoiding this is simple.

Before even considering packaging options, research if there are any packaging regulations you need to follow for your product. So whether you're packaging food items or creating labels and packaging for candles, make sure you know what the rules are. The government and your wallet will thank you.

Don't Buy in Bulk if You Don't Have To

OK, so it's true. You do end up saving tons of cash when you buy anything in bulk. You know, "The more you buy, the more you save." This is pretty standard in B2B and can be a big money saver.

But if you have a small business or are just starting out, don't feel that you need to buy 1,000 boxes just because it's cheaper to do so – especially if you don't need that many to get started. This is just like extreme couponing. Sure, you may end of saving a large percentage when you buy 35 jars of mayonnaise. But do you really need that many?

To start off, consider spending a little more per unit and buy just 100 boxes. Do some testing and see how it goes. You may find what you thought would work for your product ends up being a total fail for whatever reason. Or you notice the quality of artwork printing is just not as great as you imagined.

So don't be afraid to start small until you know what works. At OnlineLabels.com, most standard products can be purchased with no minimums – meaning you can start with as little as one sheet and scale with your business.

Buy the Exact Size Box You Need

There are so many areas in which you can save if you make sure you use the right size box for your product. A box size too big can:

  • Cost more per unit
  • Cost more to ship
  • Cost more to custom print on
  • Result in having to buy extra cushioning materials


Measure your product to determine the size box you need. You can even consider ordering custom size packaging, if necessary. See what your options are, shop around with different companies to compare pricing, quality, etc. You will be glad you did. And when it comes time to purchase labels for your packaging, smaller boxes means smaller labels – and that means more labels per sheet and more savings!

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