How to Choose Between Custom Cardboard and Kraft Boxes for Growth

The packaging sector is coming up with newer options for their clients who want green packaging solutions to overcome littering and related problems. There was a time when this sector was dominated by plastic-based packaging options and more traditional choices like Styrofoam etc. But today, more business companies from the versatile sector demand cardboard-based packaging for their tangible products.

The business companies in the packaging industry celebrate this achievement with every order as it marks a reduction in carbon footprint and controls litter and pollution from the planet. Yet, it is not the end. There is much needed to save the world, for which the industry is perpetually investing in the R&D. As a result, they have discovered the Kraft material that offers countless benefits to clients. 

Kraft material includes additional benefits than the traditional cardboard material, discussed in the article below. While some might favor the cardboard material and others might prefer the Kraft, the reality is that this decision is dominated by;

1. Products’ needs and requirements
2. Clients’ preferences

Let us explore the benefits for their clients offered by these materials. 

The Most Well-Regarded Benefits of Cardboard

According to the research companies in the sector, cardboard is the most popular global material for packaging products. Items from the food category to the premium goods are packaged in versatile cardboard types to give them protection and a glamorous look. Cardboard boxes are customized to immediately provide them with a signature branded look associated with the parent brand.

Also Read About: Guide to Measuring Cardboard Boxes

It requires professional printing and packaging services so that no variations in color coding or signature packaging remain. The presence of such blunders or mistakes leads the customers into thinking that the product is a counterfeit, which can cause a severe blow to sales. The good thing is that this material is print-friendly and can be customized conveniently to the clients’ satisfaction. Other salient features of cardboard boxes include;

Customizable Cardboard Box Sizes

The clients interested in adding charm to their packaging retail couture can make the most of the different printing techniques (offset, digital, flexography, etc.) to add dramatic effects to their packaging solutions. No matter how large or small an SKU is, clients can order the right fit in cardboard, as it provides a close fit to keep the products inside safe and minimize their movements. Another way to achieve this is to use inserts and fences designed according to the product’s dimensions.

Each part of the product is measured to provide packaging that wraps it and provides easy access. The products with multiple accessories come in packages that use smaller internal boxes for holding the additional parts.

The custom printed cardboard box sizes are available in versatile shapes that range from standard symmetrical shapes to unique asymmetrical shapes like a Xmas tree, crescent, and other countless custom shapes.  

Cardboard Boxes Offer Cost-Saving Features

The printed cardboard boxes help the clients save money and reap the most in more than one way. The weight of the cardboard is not much, and hence, it is used to compose shipping boxes for a long time.

Also Read About: 3 Most Common Types of Packaging Materials

• But, when combined with theme-based printing, these boxes become advertising billboards on the go. All eyes on these shipping boxes remember the company name and its products. Moreover, the cost reduction due to lightweight material is phenomenal and helps clients save. This feature makes the cardboard shipping boxes easy to carry and tackle during the transit and shipping procedures. The area on these boxes is also sufficient for printing international shipping symbols and other destination and shipping-related details.
• Flexibility is another attribute of a cardboard material that helps compose packaging and retail boxes in impressive, functional, and innovative styles, also known as box layouts. Using this feature, the renowned names in the packaging sector introduce new opening and closing mechanisms in boxes that awe their customers. It helps the packaging professionals device new shapes to help them save cost. For example, the pillow boxes layout in cardboard uses minimal material, making it the most efficient style in cardboard boxes. Less material automatically lowers the cost for the clients against their orders and helps them reap the benefits of impressive packaging in the mainstream online and real retail worlds.
• The different costs related to using void fillers in the packaging are avoidable using cardboard packaging. Most business companies that do not invest in customized cardboard packaging wrap their products in set-up boxes that are either too small or too big for their products. As a result, they have to fill the box with fillers like packaging peanuts, shredded cardboard, paper, etc. When the packaging is too tight, it might get ripped off during shipping and transit. The removal of void fillers from packaging makes it lighter, thus, reducing the costs related to it.
• The collapsibility of most cardboard boxes is another feature that helps the clients save money against their orders. In many cardboard boxes’ layouts, both the customized lid and the tray of the boxes are foldable and shipped flat to their clients. These boxes are easy to assemble within minutes and save the clients from paying extra labor costs. The flat box shipping helps them lower their shipping costs. But this is still not the end. Read further to discover another great benefit of cardboard boxes.
• The boxes composed of cardboard protect the goods packaged inside the boxes. They come in varying colors and dimensions and are perfect as attention-grabbing retail tools. The different layouts in custom-printed cardboard boxes help keep individually packaged SKUs together on shelves and cover them as traditional boxes for protection when not in use. One such example is display boxes, which a packaging company can transform into display boxes. This design is called the pop-up display boxes in the retail and packaging sector.

The Key Benefits of Custom Kraft Boxes

Kraft material comes in varied grammages and is named accordingly. Spinning Kraft paper is considered a heavy-duty material as it contains high levels of fiber that give the material resistance and sturdiness despite its low grammage. On the other hand, regular Kraft can measure from forty to hundred and thirty-five and offers more durability than different cardboard types. The orders that require strong protection with material that is not prone to tearing opt for sack Kraft paper. The ready-to-eat food items are often packaged in Kraft boxes lined with permeable, food-grade, and absorbent Kraft paper.

Surprisingly, many individuals do not know that paper’s original color is brown from wood pulp and natural fibers. Paper is bleached to give it a white shade via chlorine and other chemicals. The color of Kraft paper is the actual color of paper, which also demonstrates its purest form. No processing is required for this natural brown color in a paper, which also indicates that at this point, it is environmentally friendly. Due to the shift in packaging trends, boxes made by Kraft are becoming a symbol of green packaging solutions proudly provided by companies playing their part in saving the planet.  

How Kraft Boxes Help Save Trees

Did you know that opting for Kraft boxes helps save trees? As awareness about the depletion of the planet’s resources is gaining momentum, there is now a greater understanding of smartly utilizing eco-friendly materials like Kraft for packaging. The initial phase of manufacturing boxes was lengthier and more complex than today and would consume the whole tree. But with modern evolution, the system is upgraded and categorized as efficient steps. Three liner types are layered using glue to form sheets that come together to finish a box.

The liners in between that comprise flute sheets can be adjusted according to the weight of the products. The modern processing of Kraft boxes utilizes recycled Kraft sheets wherever possible when composing these boxes. It assists in reducing the number of trees cut down by the packaging industry to use as their resource.

Why Do Custom Printed Kraft Boxes Matter?

Kraft Boxes Contribute to the Global Recycling

Kraft material is recyclable till the last stage of its lifespan. Therefore, the modern manufacturing units use recycled Kraft paper from its various stages of its lifecycle to use as layers when composing custom boxes. Thanks to the recycling units, even the post-consumer Kraft is available for manufacturing the new layouts in Kraft boxes.

Also Read About: Top 3 Best Styles in Custom Kraft Boxes

Moreover, the finishing of most Kraft boxes is rough and, as a result, not very friendly for smooth finishing options like; laminations and coatings. This attribute makes the Kraft boxes easier to recycle. Kraft boxes that include plastic-based features like a die-cut window need complete removal of plastic film and other plastic-based accessories before the box can be recycled. 

Auto Decomposition of Kraft

As mentioned, the Kraft material is used uncoated, and as a result, it starts to disintegrate after some time. Some business entities are careful to order eco-friendly printing (inks) to go with their green packaging box orders.

It makes the boxes eco-friendly, which start to decay without emitting poisonous chemicals or gases, and these boxes pose no risk to the planet or its inhabitants. This option in packaging is great for businesses trying to tap the green consumer market and works well for business entities trying to reduce their packaging costs.

Kraft material offers a packaging perfect option that is futuristic and loved by people calling out plastic-based and other non-recyclable packaging choices.  

Enjoy More Product Protection with Kraft Boxes

There is no doubt about Kraft boxes’ robustness to packaged products. The seasoned packaging companies often weigh the products before crafting boxes to increase the number of liners glued together to make box sheets.

Also Read About: How Custom Mailer Boxes Can Meet Your Branding Demands in 2022

More substantial sheets are developed to strengthen the box in larger, heavier, or delicate items. Kraft’s uncoated and rough outer texture has endurance against scratches and hardly ever gets chaffed. Another prominent attribute of Kraft is its resistance to water and moisture. Together these attributes help construct practical packaging boxes for versatile items from different business sectors.

The Versatile Uses and Styles in Kraft Boxes

Kraft material’s sturdiness is often mentioned, so these boxes are also used for shipping. With minimum damage reports, items of different sizes and versatile dimensions are shipped in these boxes. The intelligent business entities have started customizing the shipping Kraft boxes using;

1. Customized labels
2. Printed Stickers 
3. Custom color printing (selected colors)

to add destination details, corporate and brand logos, and international shipping symbols to these boxes, and it helps in tackling these boxes better during shipping and transit.  

Discreet Deliveries

Thanks to online orders, today’s world is well-connected, and deliveries across the continents are now possible. Yet, not everyone is comfortable about showing the world what they order. There are many scenarios in which the customers demand a low-key delivery package. Individuals who order their monthly medicines from online pharmacies require white, brown, or black unlabeled Kraft boxes to deliver their orders without being noticed. Because of this reason, the demand for ordinary Kraft boxes without labels and printing is high. Some clients demand only inside printing of boxes because of the same reason.

Mailer Boxes

Receiving subscription boxes is so much fun nowadays. The various printing techniques used on Kraft help give these boxes signature looks. Although darker tones appear fantastic on Kraft, there are multiple techniques to uplift the lighter shades. Colored Kraft boxes are another way to make mailer boxes more appealing. These boxes are strong enough to keep the items inside safe and pretty enough to become a trend on social media.   

Retail Kraft Boxes

Kraft boxes are used in more than one way in the retail sector. The heavier items such as lotion bottles, ceramics, and wine bottles are packaged in beautiful styles with auto-shut bottoms to prevent falling and add durability to the boxes. Sometimes handles are added to these boxes that can auto-lock the top, making the package easy to carry around. Tuck-styled boxes make excellent packaging for soaps, candles, and other everyday soap items, whereas two-piece Kraft boxes remain ideal for jewelry, electronic items, medical devices, etc.

The durability of Kraft can be used to construct multi-tiered cosmetic display boxes for organic make-up items like lipsticks, mascaras, etc. Kraft boxes’ most used customization options include hot foil stamping in varying hues other than gold and silver. Colors like copper look beautiful on these boxes and elevate the visual content to the next level. A box-cut-out is another excellent option for adding depth to the design and allowing customers to sniff the product’s fragrance (e.g., soap, bath bomb, etc.) before purchasing.

Also Read About: The Best Custom Packaging For Small Businesses in 2022

When selecting the packaging and retail boxes for products, clients need to set their packaging goals. This approach will help them choose between traditional cardboard-based options and Kraft material. Kraft material is mainly selected by companies that want to be recognized as green business entities and wish to extend their products to green consumers. This shift in packaging trends has a significant impact on curbing packaging, litter, and pollution.