Mohawk Blog

Packaging With a Plan: Designing for Print

Words

Mohawk

Photography

Rebecca Gatto

July 13, 2022

An assortment of personal products spread out on a countertop

From your morning coffee to your late-night snack, from Amazon to Zappos and everything in between, the stuff we buy has one thing in common: nearly all of it comes in some kind of packaging.

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And all those boxes, bags, wraps, tags, envelopes and mailers that most people tear away and toss out without thinking? For designers and brand specialists, they’re anything but afterthoughts.

The packaging conversation can conjure up images of wasteful plastic clamshells and cling wrap, but—for a variety of reasons—more and more designers are asking themselves, 'Can paper be used for packaging?' And, in fact, most things can be packaged just as well, or even better, with paper.

Each packaging component is a touchpoint between company and consumer; 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:

Touchable Texture

Tactile appeal helps set products apart from the competition.

Four Treaty packages stacked on top of one another, next to a plant

Bold Colors

Uncoated paper enriches imagery while holding dense color and fine detail.

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.

What is a packaging paper?

Truthfully, any paper can be used for packaging if you get creative enough. Lighter, text-weight sheets can be used as box wrap to add flair to plain, sturdy packages, or you can even use paper as a gift wrap.

But when specifying packaging papers, most experienced packaging designers are talking about folding board or rigid box papers: sheets that are sturdy enough to hold their own with products inside. There’s no official standard, but many designers and printers agree that the lightest weight for this application is about 18 points.

What’s a point? A point is a measure of paper weight or thickness. Here’s a quick overview:

Points describe the thickness of a single sheet of paper as measured by a set of calipers. Each point is 1/1000 of an inch, so more points means a heavier, thicker paper.
In the United States, paper weight is often described in pounds. This is measured by weighing 500 sheets (one ream) of paper in its original, uncut size. Thicker paper is, naturally, heavier. This is also known as the basis weight.
Elsewhere in the world, the most common unit of measure is grams per square meter, or GSM. This can get a little complicated, so just know that 18-point paper is equivalent to 400 gsm.

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How do you choose a weight?

Now that you understand weight, it’s time to consider what’s going inside the package. 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 CBD treat?

Generally, heavier items will necessitate sturdier packaging. Mark Cordes co-founded Cordes Printing with his father, Norman, in their garage in 1974. Today, he’s an expert in high-touch packaging, serving makers of beautiful objects through the company’s specialty studio, Norman’s Printery.

"We do a lot of work for what we call the maker market,” Cordes said. His shop frequently helps makers package candles, health and body products, CBD wellness items, and even high-end chocolates, among other things. “Where we always start is, we want to know what’s going in the package,” he said. His shop rarely works with any paper under 18 points in weight, and often goes much heavier, in the 24-point range.

Searching for inspiration? Check out these top examples of packaging design:

It’s also 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?

A personal product like Bathing Culture needs to stand out on a shelf.
Greetabl is a mailable box with a gift inside—it needs to be sturdy to withstand being mailed.
Folders from Trust & Will and Brooklinen are mailed inside protective boxes.

Make it 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 for even your most demanding packaging projects.

Once you’ve determined how tough your package needs to be, your next considerations will relate to branding: how it looks and feels to the consumer, and whether it matches the values they’ve come to expect from you.

Packaging With a Plan