Mohawk Fine Papers is the exclusive sponsor of this 61st annual People To Watch edition and the inspiration for featuring Packaging People in 2024. With a culture of innovation reaching back to its beginning in 1931, Mohawk is committed to providing the finest materials that help make every printed project more beautiful, effective, and memorable for commercial and digital printing, and luxury packaging.
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FROM YOUR MORNING COFFEE TO YOUR LATE-NIGHT SNACK, FROM AMAZON TO ZAPPOS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, THE THINGS WE BUY HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON: NEARLY ALL OF IT COMES IN SOME KIND OF PACKAGING.
Each packaging component is a touchpoint between company and consumer. All those boxes, bags, wraps, tags, envelopes, and mailers are anything but afterthoughts; they are designed to give you pause.
Packaging provides an opportunity to reinforce or realign a buyer’s thoughts on — and impression of — a brand. You must consider every material input used and what it says (or doesn’t) about your business or product.
So why use paper for packaging? And, more importantly, HOW can you use paper for packaging? Knowing how to specify paper for packaging can be intimidating — to demystify the process of designing packaging for print, from concept to production, we must answer these questions first:
WHY USE PAPER FOR PACKAGING?
There are many advantages of paper packaging. Tactile paper adds dramatic visual and tactile appeal that helps set the product inside apart from the competition. Uncoated paper in particular adds richness to imagery and illustrations while holding the dense color and exquisite detail that luxury brands depend on for maximum impact in the retail environment.
Paper is also a sustainable alternative to plastic because it is biodegradable and easily recycled. By choosing paper instead of plastic you reduce carbon dioxide emissions and can increase positive public perception of your brand or product as environmental consciousness is highly valued by consumers.
WHAT IS A PACKAGING PAPER?
Truthfully, any paper can be used for packaging if you get creative enough, but papers engineered for packaging are made to specification and designed with special chemistry to be scored and folded without cracking.
Box Wraps: Lighter, text-weight papers can be used as box wrap to add flair to plain, sturdy, ridged box packages, or you can even use paper as a gift wrap.
Folding Board: Heavier, cover-weight papers that are sturdy enough to hold their own with products inside. There’s no official standard weight and often depends on the size of the item in the box. 18 point folding board is a very common weight specified for folding boxes. That said, Mohawk has engineered 16pt – 24pt Superfine folding board designed to be scored and folded for box applications.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A PACKAGING PAPER?
Are you wrapping a heavy candle that will sit on a boutique shelf? A lightweight personal care item, like cosmetics or soap? A luxury chocolate bar or craft spirit?
Generally, heavier items will necessitate sturdier packaging. 18pt is a relative starting point, but folding board papers are available in weights ranging from 12pt to 24pt depending on your project’s needs. It’s important to think about what the container will have to withstand. Will it be mailed directly? Will it be handled frequently in a high-touch retail environment? Or will it need to have a second life beyond its shelf life?
This should all factor into not only what weight folding board you select, but the texture and color of the paper you choose for your packaging as well.
MAKE YOUR PACKAGING MEMORABLE.
Every print object — especially packaging — creates a physical experience. With a little planning, you can make sure people experience your work in a way that evokes emotion and creates strong, memorable connections. Whether your project calls for sustainable materials, rich color, or beautiful textures, Mohawk has a diverse portfolio of papers available worldwide, including Fedrigoni papers, for your most demanding and discerning packaging projects.
Before you open a package, touch communicates, evokes emotions, and even sometimes challenges expectations. This documented effect is called embodied cognition and it’s something we all experience subconsciously that affects us emotionally and influences our interaction with an object. Colored and textured paper is a simple, but impactful way to embrace the unexpected and enhance your packaging by letting materials play a key role in support of your design intent.
FOR MORE INFORMATION…
For more information on colored, textured, and sustainable packaging paper options and custom colors, weights and sheet sizes from Mohawk visit …
mohawkconnects.com/packaging-papers
