Find Product Packaging and More Supplies for Every Circumstance
Navigating through all of the options for packaging supplies can be daunting. Whether you’re looking specifically for product packaging supplies or corrugated, paper, poly, or foam products for other scenarios, this guide can help you decide which stock packaging products will work best for your needs.
Here are the steps to making purchasing decisions on stock packaging and related products.
Packaging Purpose and Setting
The first aspect you’ll need to consider is the context and environment these supplies will be operating in. Are you shipping out products? Are you giving out items at an in-person event? Are you storing products in a warehouse? These questions and more can help you to make key decisions about your packaging supply needs.
If you’re planning on shipping out products, the proper dimensions of your packaging for cost savings and protection of your products throughout the process will be essential. The same goes for warehouse applications — you’ll want sturdy containers that can be moved around easily and are the correct fit for your products in order to reduce the space needed to store them. In-person event supplies, however, are likely to be more design-focused and not necessarily as heavy-duty as the supplies for the previous two environments.
There’s a vast variety of use cases for corrugated, paper, poly, and other traditional packaging materials outside of the obvious. To name a few — organizational office bins, trays, totes, and boxes, decorative shipping supplies like colored poly bags and crinkle paper, and paper bags in various colors and sizes for retail settings. There’s also wardrobe and other specialty-sized boxes for moving, party and event supplies like colored gift boxes, gift tags, and paper wristbands, and so much more. Understanding all of the possible settings for packaging and related supplies will help you immensely in choosing and using them efficiently.
Item Size, Shape, and Weight
The next logical consideration after use and setting is to determine the size, shape, and strength of supplies needed for the items you’ll be shipping, storing, selling, moving, or gifting. One thing people may not know is that there are already a variety of specialty-sized and shaped boxes pre-optimized for the shipping, moving, and storage of particular items (think lamp boxes, laptop boxes, CD or DVD mailers, and even keyboard boxes!). These are automatically the right size, shape, and weight for the item(s) in question, which lets you rest easy knowing that items are packaged properly for their protection, saves warehouse and truck space, and saves you money on shipping costs.
If you can’t find a specialty box made for your particular item, you can get these same benefits by knowing the object’s exact dimensions and weight(s) and sifting through several corrugated box options. Our stock supply website has over 1,600 different box types in stock including heavy-duty, weather-resistant, and multiple shape and use options well-organized so you can easily find the particular box that will perfectly suit your needs.
For longer items like posters, blueprints, or documents, as well as rugs, wallpaper, fabric, metal rods, and more, there are various sizes and thicknesses of mailing tubes available. There are square, triangle, and circular tubes to address the needed shape for the item, multiple thicknesses and strengths from mailers to heavy-duty tubes, options for end closings like crimped ends, carton closings with locking tabs, or plastic end caps, and multiple width, length, and diameter options to choose from.
Fragility of Items
The next decision you’ll need to make is how fragile your items are and what kind and level of protection they’ll need for your use case. Foam, loose-fill, and bubble packing materials are an excellent way to protect sensitive items and there are several options available for implementing them into your packaging strategy.
Foam comes in many different forms like sheets, rolls, pouches, edge protectors, convoluted sets, cushioning, and more. There are also options like anti-static foam for protecting sensitive electrical components, soft foam to easily cushion delicate and irregular-shaped objects and recycled black foam for a more environmentally-friendly foam packing solution. Lastly, foam can also come pre-built into shipping boxes, and if a more customized solution is needed, foam can be specially formulated to fit your exact product or item. Check out our Viva Foam Products page if you’re interested in custom foam packaging solutions.
Additional options for protection include bubble rolls, bags, corner guards, and adhesive bubble wrap, Kraft and tissue paper, newsprint, air pillows, and more. As with item weight, the fragility of items can also help you determine the strength and thickness of the boxes needed for your application.
Necessary Companion Products
Of course, there are additional packaging products outside of the main box or container and filler that you’ll have to pair together to fully cover your packaging needs. This can include tape, film, labels, poly bags, or even industrial equipment.
Tape is an essential element in the proper packaging of items, especially for shipping. Even if you choose the right container and packing materials, if your container isn’t sealed properly, items will still be at high risk for damage. A variety of tapes and adhesives of different widths, colors, and strength levels are available, so be sure to sort through them carefully to find the option that best suits your use case.
Poly bags can offer everything from temporary storage for light giveaway items to maximum strength and heavy-duty tear resistance for products with sharp edges. With twist ties, small poly bags are optimized for storing, gifting, or selling food, snacks, and candy. When formulated into larger sheets or rolls, poly can be used as top sheeting, pallet covers, and bin liners for warehouse settings, and furniture or floor covers for home renovation projects. Additionally, flat or reclosable poly bags are ideal for retail environments and can be used to separate items inside of boxes from one another in storage or shipping.
Shrink or stretch film has many uses like coverings for gift baskets, food trays, and retail items (shrink), or top sheeting and wrapping film to reduce warehouse noise and bundle boxes (stretch). Labels and tags are necessary for identification purposes.
Lastly, certain equipment may be provided by stock packaging suppliers to accompany the other shipping and warehouse products they have available. These can range from cutters, dispensers, and adhesives optimized for each product to wire shelving for organizational purposes and pallets, carts, and trucks for warehouse settings.
Jamestown Delivers on High-Quality Product Packaging Supplies
You can find all of the items mentioned above, product packaging supplies for every type of product, and so much more on our online store. Check out Jamestown’s stock packaging supply website for all of your needs. Our catalog and product categories will make it easy for you to find what you’re looking for amidst our vast range of 18,000 quality products from established, trusted brands. And if you need more information or guidance from one of our packaging professionals, we’re always available to serve you here.
Even with all of the options on our stock packaging supply website, you may still require a more customized solution to address your packaging needs. To work with our team of expert packaging engineers and creative problem-solvers on custom solutions for graphic product packaging, retail displays, product protection strategies, innovative packaging inventory management plans, and more, contact Jamestown today.
