7 Cool Packaging Ideas That Are Surprisingly Inexpensive

1. Go digital!

Digital printing was previously generally cheaper than offset printing, but the quality of images was lower. Nevertheless, although offset printing currently provides superior quality, technological progress in digital printing is rapidly closing the gap to the extent that lithographic printing may become unnecessary in the future.

If you want to save money on your corrugated/e-commerce packaging, it's time to go digital! You will also save money on creative packaging designs and enjoy a quicker turnaround time, since digital printing is much faster than offset lithography.

2. Alternatively, go vintage!

Old-fashioned designs are trendy and inexpensive! You can decorate your packaging with vintage designs using ribbons made from offcuts of old materials or reprinted newspapers, or with custom-designed vintage labels or stickers. More on this later.

You can also use vintage fabrics to wrap your package, which your customers will appreciate as a free gift. These materials can be reused to wrap another present or to make a quilt, handkerchief or scarf.

Although the vintage style is most appropriate for retro and vintage products, you can still incorporate vintage touches into any product to create a unique design that will definitely draw customers' attention.

3. Try Interior Prints

You can also add a custom-printed box design to the inside of your package for an additional 5-10% of your production cost. As online shopping becomes more popular, customised interiors are an inexpensive way to create a memorable impression.

With that in mind, we recommend an interior print design to create a sleek, minimalist brand image. Although it makes your package look luxurious and expensive, a printed design using full-colour CMYK offset or digital printing costs nothing extra!

PMS colour, special paper or ink are not required to achieve this effect. The only thing you have to do is ensure that your artwork reflects your brand well to make the patterns appear impressive.

4. Custom sleeves

A unique and innovative way to package your product for customers is to introduce a custom-printed sleeve. This low-cost design is compatible with any product and can be customised further to support the brand experience.

For example, branding can be emphasised with a distinctive drawer or slider sleeve design to enhance the unboxing experience at a fraction of the cost of a fully custom box. It is cheaper but allows you to be as creative as possible.

If your company is interested in being both cost-effective and environmentally friendly, you could consider using box sleeves to achieve both goals.

Since they do not affect the structural integrity of a box, customers can reuse this type of packaging instead of disposing of it.

5. Foil stamping

In the past, foil stamping was more expensive due to the labour-intensive process involved. However, this packaging design is now affordable for companies with limited budgets because many packaging and printing companies offer a wide range of foil stamping at various prices.

Usually, when the quantity of orders is high and you add features such as foil stamping, spot UV and embossing, the additional cost is only 10-15 percent of your total production price.

Thus, you can add additional decorations to your brand packaging to make it more valuable without charging an extremely high price.

Foil stamping options include contemporary, modern, luxurious, striking and patterned foils – choose whatever you think is best for your product and brand. Foil stamping is one of the coolest packaging options and won't break the bank!

6. Tissue Paper and Box Inserts

Regardless of whether you have decided on a fully customised box or a more generic one with a printed logo, an inexpensive way to create a complete brand experience for your customers is to add some customised interior features.

Tissue paper is produced using thinner material, so you can benefit from low material costs and good customer branding.

One of the many things you can add to your box is tissue paper. Another creative way to enhance the unboxing experience is to include inserts such as personalised notes or cards to create a lasting impression and influence future purchasing behaviour towards your brand.

Moreover, they are also an effective way of encouraging customers to engage with your social media and share your products and innovative packaging designs, which increases your brand's potential reach.

7. Stickers and labels

Another flexible way to add personalised finishing touches to packaged products is through stickers. We mentioned vintage designs briefly, but stickers and labels are not restricted to that! If you have added tissue paper to your package, include it in your custom logo stickers to make your logo the first thing your customers see when they open your box.

As with most other packaging materials, sticker prices decrease with increased print quantities. Therefore, the price is determined by sheet or roll printing, as well as size and shape. Stickers are a low-cost way to customise your packaging design.

They can be added to the inside or outside of the package to create a custom look without breaking the bank, providing customers with a unique brand experience.

8. The Wrap Up

With the advent of e-commerce, packaging has now become a crucial element of the product and your brand, and as such, it is always worth remembering the power of creative packaging design.

In today's competitive world, custom packaging influences the way customers think about, view and discuss your product. However, this does not imply that you have to break the bank to achieve this! We offer affordable and creative packaging design ideas to help you package your products uniquely and create memorable brand experiences.