Start Thinking Inside the Box

August 19, 2021

Customized gift boxes provide an added personal touch to your holiday gifts. With custom design and message, combined with a unique gift, the gift box can be a meaningful and thoughtful message that expresses your deep appreciation for your customers.

Planning ahead is always ideal, but when it comes to holiday gifting and what’s likely to be your one big communication for the entire year, it’s even more crucial. So what does planning ahead mean? Well, we would suggest if you have not already started, that now is a good time to get the ball rolling.

You may have a basic idea in mind and just need help seeing the possibilities. Or, if you’re stuck on where to begin, we can provide idea starters and a range of box options. Either way, throughout the process, we always offer helpful suggestions to design the perfect gift box, pack it to perfection, and send it straight to their doorstep (or office). your customer will love it — and most importantly, receive the message of your appreciation.

As you begin discussing the idea of a custom holiday gift box with your team, IES can help you determine a budget and establish timeline. We can provide project management at every step of the process, from concept development to printing, packing, and shipping. Below are some other considerations to keep in mind as you begin this process.

NO MINIMUM QUANTITIES

IES has no minimum quantities, If you just need one or 50, or 500, or even more, we can help. Creating your custom gift box shouldn’t mean you need to order hundreds or thousands. At IES, we welcome orders of any quantity – put simply, we have no minimum order size. Of course, if you want to print, pack, and ship hundreds (or thousands) of gift boxes, we will be happy to help make that a reality as well.

VISUALIZE THE IDEA

We start by carefully listening to your ideas and thoughts, always striving to completely understand what it is that you might have in mind. After we have an understanding of what you want to achieve, we begin by crafting a 3D model that accurately represents how the final product will appear. Typically, the concept stage usually requires many decisions. And with conventional design and prototyping the concept stage can be an extended process. But by utilizing our 3D model capabilities, many of those decisions can be made virtually, which reduces the timeline dramatically. At this stage, we can quickly adjust size, style, and message.

CUSTOM SIZES AND STYLES

A beautifully customized box speaks volumes about what’s inside. Your customers are unique and important, so don’t settle for off-the shelf stock sizes when you don’t have to. We offer three primary styles of boxes to start from — mailer box, product box, and shipping box — each can be sized to give your product the perfect fit. The gift boxes we produce are designed and engineered to be the best. We use the most precise CAD layout process – so designing a die-line for your box is a smooth and easy task that can be done very quickly.

CUSTOM TRAY INSERTS

If the goal is to stand out, custom boxes are perfect since they can be produced in a variety of ways. Not only can you customize the box dimensions, material, coating, and the design, you can also add other features such as window cut-outs, hang holes, perforation, and more. However, the most important aspect is that your gift product is safe and secure within the box. Our tray inserts range from corrugate to vacuform that both protects and displays your product. We pride ourselves in providing custom boxes that ensure a safe transit for its product.

STATE OF THE ART DIRECT PRINTING

See your holiday theme and message printed beautifully with our state of the art printing equipment. Because no print plates are required, digital delivers many benefits including speed, quantity control, and print quality. With direct color printing, your message will standout with vibrant color. Your customers will be pleased with gift inside and also excited with quality of the container. Our newest VUTEk® Q3r printer can go beyond direct printing to provide a complete print to finished graphic workflow.

CUSTOM FINISHES AND LAMINATION

Lamination is the process of applying a very thin, plastic film to your custom box to protect the ink and enhance its appearance. Lamination provides the ultimate protection for your print, and greatly minimizes the appearance of small cracks or creases, especially when it comes to materials that are thicker. Lamination is water resistant and also helps keep your boxes moisture-free. The most common lamination styles include matte lamination (smooth) and glossy lamination (shiny).

PACKING AND FULFILLMENT

Packing (Fulfillment) the gift contents tends to be the most difficult area for many of our clients. But this is the foundation of our company and something we do well. Rather than figuring out how to get your job where it needs to be on time, let us handle that for you. Please keep in mind, another reason to begin this process is the earlier you schedule shipping, the more flexibility we’ll have to negotiate shipping costs on your behalf.

THE BEST TIME IS NOW

There’s plenty to consider when it comes to deciding how to design and print boxes. Cost, speed and quality all bring their own requirements or limitations to the table. As the saying goes, “there’s no time like the present.” The farther ahead you begin, the more time your team has to help design meaningful, affordable, and custom details that not only surprise and delight your recipients, but work as an extension of your brand to bolster your brand affinity!

Give us a call today and let’s get started.