Why This Is The First Decision Not The Last

Most factories treat packing as something to sort out after the product is approved. By then the blister has to be tooled around a moulding that was designed without it, the artwork has to be redrawn, and the carton quantity gets picked as a round number. We keep 28 packing formats in the catalogue as products in their own right for exactly this reason, and our own homepage lists blister packaging machines among the in-house equipment.

Blister Packing

  • Hangs on a peg and shows the actual product through the film.
  • Best where the product is the selling argument, such as an Easy Stick rack whose mounting has to be seen.
  • Print area is limited to the backing card.
  • The seal is the risk. A weak seal opens in transit and fails a retailer's goods in inspection.

Colour Box

  • Stacks on a shelf and in a carton, so it uses space better.
  • Far more print area for language sets, instructions and brand story.
  • Better protection for kits with several loose components.
  • The product cannot be seen, so the print has to do all the work.

Our Published Packing Description

For the catalogue the published description is an inner package of bubble bag, blister bag or colour box, and an outer package of paper box and export carton. That gives four practical combinations, and which one you choose changes the carton quantity more than anything else in the specification.

Work The Carton Back From The Pallet

Carton quantity should be derived from your pallet footprint and container plan, not chosen because it is a tidy number. A carton that leaves 90 mm of dead space on a pallet layer is paid for on every shipment for the life of the programme. Send us the pallet you use and we will work the carton back from it.

Proof The Artwork Against The Moulding

Artwork drawn from a dimension almost always needs adjustment once it meets the real part. Because the pack and the product are made in the same building here, we proof the artwork against the actual moulding before the blister tool is cut. That is where most private label programmes lose two weeks.

A Short Decision Rule

If the shopper needs to see the product, use a blister. If the shopper needs to read about it, use a colour box. If the product is a kit with loose parts, use a colour box. If the retailer polices peg space, the peg dimension decides for you.