Choosing between plain or printed packaging is sometimes an easy decision but usually comes down to preference. Plain packaging can be sleek and modern-looking, while custom box printing with logo can contain all kinds of designs with your logo in the corner. But which is better? That’s where the debate begins! As usual, there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides of this argument when it comes to marketing. Let’s take a look at both, so you know what each entails before deciding on your company.
What Is Plain Packaging?
Plain packaging means creating packages for your products that are simple. They don’t contain any sort of text, images, or other information besides the brand name itself. These days plain packaging has become very popular with companies trying to give off a sense of simplicity and cleanness. This kind of packaging is typically used for items that are not tangible, such as soap, toothpaste, etc.
The Advantages & Disadvantages of Plain Packaging
Advantages:
The main advantage of plain packaging is that it’s more affordable. This makes it a better option for smaller companies or individuals who are looking to get their names out there and don’t have the money to put into something like full-color printing.
If you’re not trying to market your game and just want a cheap and easy way to protect and transport some molds and dice, then this option is for you. You can also choose to use these packs for card storage if you don’t like the idea of putting cards into penny sleeves (which we do not recommend – more on that later).
These can be very cost-effective if bought in bulk (like most of our products), but even small orders can benefit from plain packaging. For example, we usually ship our playmats rolled up in tubes which adds shipping weight and may leave them creased. But with our plain packaging, we simply put each playmat into a bubble mailer and ship them flat rate.
Disadvantages:
The biggest disadvantage of plain packaging is that it can look boring. It can’t be used to advertise when you’re buying things in stores, but at least it doesn’t matter when you buy things that way.
When you are trying to market your business, any negative opinion about your product will make it difficult for people to buy your product. If someone isn’t impressed with how your game looks when they first see it, they probably won’t buy it.
What Is Printed Packaging?
Printed packaging is pretty self-explanatory – it’s when you add designs to your boxes, wrappings, etc. They’re typically made with full-color printing where you can print whatever you want onto them – designs, logos, images, colors, etc. This design can be expensive depending on what you want to get out of the box/packaging itself, which also brings us to the next point.
Why Is Printed Packaging So Expensive?
Printed packaging is expensive simply because of the printing itself. You need to think about the money that you spend on a designer to make sure your design is good. You need to think about the money that you spend on a printer so your design comes out well. And you should also think about how much it costs for shipping when sending your order to the printer.
The Advantages & Disadvantages of Printed Packaging
Advantages:
The most obvious advantage of printed packaging is that it looks good and adds a more professional feel to your brand. It helps you establish a good brand image and makes your customers feel that you care about them.
The next advantage is that it allows the customer to touch the packaging before buying, making them comfortable purchasing products from you. Let’s face it, and we don’t always have a perfect sense of what something will look like online, so touching a printed product helps us get a feel for our future purchases. But, of course, the same goes with smelling it too!
The last advantage of printed packaging is that it can give your products an overall better presentation if done well. Since people are drawn towards things that attract their visual senses, this form of packaging works great in most cases.
Disadvantages:
Printed packaging also has its downside, though. One of the biggest problems with printed packaging is that if you make a mistake on order one time, all your boxes will have bad printing on them for as long as you use those boxes. If you make a mistake in the text or color, then this will appear on every box. This can be embarrassing at trade shows.
Another disadvantage is limited design choices. When you do screen-print or silk screening, if you make too many designs that look the same, they will all start to look the same. This is very bad news because they need to fit an industry-standard size.
Printed boxes are also not great for companies that need flexibility in shipping options. If you offer free or flat rate shipping for some products and charge more on bulk purchases, then printed boxes will be a problem because they are not good for multiple product shipments.
Why Should You Choose Printed Packaging for Your Goods?
If you are an e-commerce seller, Custom Packaging Solutions with personalized prints will make your products look more professional. They may also help protect your merchandise from damage. Cardboard is the product of paper. If it is printed, it will be stronger than regular cardboard. Printed cardboard can protect your box better during shipping. Even if you don’t need that extra strength for shipping purposes, printed cardboard still has good product packaging.
Printed boxes are great because they allow businesses to customize them. This is good for how customers see your business because they may think that it’s better if you have a personal brand. The appearance of your packages will also be consistent, thanks to the uniformity provided by printing equipment. So, order your custom printed boxes today!