So, let’s say that you have narrowed in on the type of packaging that you want to use for your product line. If you want to use a pouch, a label, whatever it is, now you have to find the printer that can produce it. Often your design agency will help you with this process, but it can be advantageous to research ahead of time.
Talk to a printer before you start the design process
Before you even start the design process, we recommend talking to a printer and getting samples from them to get an understanding of the cost of producing your packaging and the types of finishes you can use (gold foil, UV coatings, satin finishes, etc.). This will save you time on the back end before you even get to the design because you can assess the type of packaging within your budget and the types of finishes you’d like to use. If you decide you’d like to add special finishes to your project, that needs to be set up in your design file before it goes to print.
Let’s say you skip this step and create the file before finalizing your printer or selecting the printing techniques you’d like to use. Your design team creates a beautiful design you fall in love with; then, you take it to a printer. They review the file and give you a quote that is out of your budget, or they don’t have the right material to create the type of packaging your design team created. Then you’ll have to go back to the beginning and maybe potentially start from scratch on the design; never a pleasant experience!
To avoid this headache, we recommend getting a sample pack from the printers you’re considering for your project. We find our printers through industry connections (tradeshows, connections in the CPG community, or other printers). We’ve used the StartupCPG community as well! You can also just Google printers by looking up words like: “food pouch packaging” or “food label” and see what you can find.
How to reach out to packaging printers
It’s pretty easy to get sample packs from printers. All you have to do is either call or email their sales team and ask them to send you a variety of products (be it pouches, labels, neck wraps, whatever) with the various types of finishes they can create.
When you reach out to printers, pay attention to how easy (or hard) it is to get this sample pack. So how quickly do the samples come in? How many varieties of samples do they include? How easy is it to communicate with the sales rep? These are all things that will help indicate what it will be like when you start working with the printer.
Asking for sample packs is an excellent way of evaluating the printer’s level of customer service. This is why we love to ask for samples of their printing capabilities, to see the variety of options we can create and what it’s like to interact with their company.
The same goes for pouch printers as well. For example, we just got a bunch of samples from IPS Packaging. They included a bunch of pouch samples in a wide variety of printing finishes and sizes. They offer a wide range of options, from metallic to matte to eco-friendly options, and it’s great to get them in the mail so you can hold them and see how they might feel in your customer’s hand.
Now that you know which samples you like, it’s time to gather pricing.
Once you’ve looked at your options and figured out a few samples that would fit your product, it’s time to gather pricing from the printer. We recommend reaching out to the company, mentioning the types of samples you love, and asking what the costs might be. We always ask printers to break up the quote by minimums to recommended price breaks up to whatever max you would imagine you might order.
If you are going to need a label printed, it’s important that you first measure the jar so you know the size of the label you’ll need. You could also ask the printer if they have a dieline close to what you’re requesting so you don’t have to pay for a custom dieline charge. All these little expenses can add up!
You may want to pick a few different types of treatments to see what the costs might be. Our client was shocked that adding a metallic foil didn’t add that much cost to their project! You never know what something might cost, so it’s always best to ask for a few different options to see what you might expect to pay. Asking these questions in the beginning will help ensure that your design process is smooth sailing!
Make sure your printer and designer communicate!
Before any packaging goes into production, it’s very important that the design team knows the techniques used and how the printer will want the file setup, so there isn’t any miscommunication. Depending on the finishes you choose, it’s crucial that the file is set up right to ensure that you won’t have to pay any extra file setup charges.
