Why getting boxed samples is important for your packaging design

When customizing your boxes, you must obtain box prototypes from manufacturers for your product packaging design. Because sometimes, while your packaging design may look excellent on paper, it doesn't meet your expectations when you apply it to the box.

So to get your design to match the actual finished product is very important to get a box prototype. Through this article packaging box manufacturer - East Color will share with you what you can expect from to get box samples for your packaging design.

Evaluate the fit

Unless you send your product to your supplier for precise measurements, determining the exact size of the box can be a bit tricky, especially for uniquely shaped products.

Plain samples will be excellent for verifying the structural design and ensuring the package fits your product.

Ensuring that your packaging fits your product is critical as it reduces any risk of damage during your product's shipping and distribution phases. The extra space between your product and the packaging leaves much room for your product to be pushed around and eventually damaged. While this risk may seem insignificant, keeping your product intact within the packaging is critical to building relationships with your customers and improving your brand reputation.

By obtaining a boxed sample, you can test the fit of the product to the box early on and make improvements ahead of time to make the product and box dimensions fit perfectly.

Take the time to determine your product needs, not what you want, and make changes accordingly before mass producing your packaging design.

Check the quality

The quality of the box can be checked by looking at three main points.

       ▪ Materials

       ▪ Print output

       ▪ Finishes

Material: The focus needs to be on checking the quality of the packaging material to ensure that it can support and withstand the bumps in your supply chain (product as well as during transportation).

Print output: Check that the print results, colors, images, etc., are as expected, as this will ultimately showcase your brand and communicate quality to your customers.

It is important to note that the color gamut on screen (RGB) and the color gamut on print (CMYK) will produce different output results. In other words, if you don't convert your artwork from RGB to CMYK on Illustrator, you won't get the same print quality you expect when your design is printed.

Getting a box prototype allows you to spot small product design and typography mistakes. Because many times what appears to be perfect by looking at it on a computer screen can be found through the actual print result with all kinds of minor flaws, such as simple spelling errors. Still, minor spelling or grammatical errors can affect your brand's reputation and credibility.

Establishing the finishing touches

Another advantage of obtaining packaging samples is that you can analyze the physical packaging and identify defects that are not visible in the online proofs. It also allows you to discuss possible upgrades, adjustments, or modifications that you may wish to implement in final production.

Another massive advantage of getting a sample box or a few samples is sending a few sample boxes along with your product to a small but loyal customer base to get feedback. You may be oblivious to small mistakes as a business, but your customers are sure to find them.

Depending on the feedback you receive from your customers, you can make any final adjustments and changes based on real-life customer feedback.

Sample Options

Available Samples

One common way to obtain packaging samples is to request existing samples from the manufacturer. These existing samples are usually made for previous customers.

Existing samples will help determine if the stock, thickness, printing, and coating suit your project. You can also test the durability of the package with a physical product in-house to see if the stock thickness or construction is right for your product.

Existing samples may also provide you with innovative ideas that you may wish to incorporate into your designs, including elements such as coatings or varnishes.

Custom samples

A custom sample is a box the manufacturer makes for you based on your product or your initial idea for a packaging design.

Custom samples give you an accurate idea of what your product will look like at total production and are a great way to analyze production quality to help you decide whether to proceed with consignment.

There are two types of custom samples you can request.

Production-grade samples: Offset samples (longer turnaround time, higher cost). Production-grade samples can be costly due to the set-up costs of producing a small number of prototypes.

However, suppose you wish to offset print your final package design. In that case, requesting a production-level sample is recommended to get the most accurate representation of your final design.

Digital Level Samples: Digital print samples (faster turnaround time, lower cost). Even if you are looking for offset printed packaging, you can still request a digital level sample to get a rough idea of what the final package will look like.

In addition to this, you can also customize prototype samples without printed boxes. This type of sample box is typically only used to allow you to quickly verify that the quality of the material and size specifications meet your product needs.

If your project timeline is a bit tight and you need to ensure your material fully accommodates your product, then a standard sample is the best option. Packing samples is a convenient and easy way to see how your customers will interact with your product.

Custom packaging box samples may require proofing costs, but what it can do for you is sure to be worth it, so please don't skimp on that.