Modern Packaging

Packaging Products Innovatively 

[elleessdee-blog1]

Supplies for Moving

It turns out that moving was going to be a big part of my 2020 year.  It is surprising due to all the social distancing and COVID-19 pandemic regulations. The housing market went nuts this year and people started moving left and right. Interest rates went amazingly low and it opened up the housing market to first time buyers or people wanting to move out of major cities.  This meant that I got so many calls from friends and family about moving that it drove me nuts.  Well, it turns out that I was also calling and ended up moving myself.  So we all helped each other out and it has been a crazy year.  With all of this moving our circle of family and friends are now pro movers.  We have learned some things and how to source the best shipping supplies in order to actually move like a pro.

The first thing is to have the right big equipment.  We learned that using trucks for large furniture or beds is not fun and can cause injury.  Heavy items do not need to be hoisted up high and in small spaces.  It causes a lot of pain from the injuries and the truck getting damaged.  This is something that we all decided not to do again after the 2nd injury and truck damage issue.  So on our third move, we used a rental truck.  This was much better, but the ramp was really steep.  The truck sits up really high and it still caused tripping issues and some toes to be crushed.  

The answer to all of these problems was to get a low walled trailer.  This could be pulled by a minivan and a truck was not needed. This allowed us to walk up only a few feet ramp and get lots of couches and other big items secured to the low walls. It saved damage and it also saved all injuries.  Our father ended up buying one and we used it a total of 5 times this year.  It was worth the investment because it was cheaper than renting one 5 times.  It is now available for all big moving trips in the future.  He was a wise man.  

 The next area was boxes.  We learned that old boxes cause injuries and damage.  The flimsy nature ends up making weight shifts and the items to get broken. People drop them and their muscles get pulled.  This was the experience and so we found that really high-end boxes existed.  Shipping Supplies companies have moving packages with amazing packages filled with heavy different sized boxes.  They not only were better to carry but also came with closet boxes.  These were really cool.  They had hanger bars in them and closed up while all your closet clothes hanged just perfectly and safely.  No more crushing dresses or suits and having them slung around.

I know that some of these things sound expensive, but the moving package was only 20 bucks and two of those will do a nice home.  They come with boxes, tape, and markers.  That is totally worth it and the trailer saved lots of time and pain. So the next time one of your friends or family members gives you a call, try and be prepared.  If you can add some of these tips your time may be much more enjoyable.

[elleessdee-blog1]

Interactive Packaging: Everything You Need To Know

There is something new on the market where a package will invite you to interact with it? I know, it can be a scary concept. Keeping that in mind, we have decided to give you a breakdown of what you can expect from interactive packaging.

What Is It? This type of packaging can be included in pretty much any kind of packaging you want. Companies are starting to use this as part of their branding. What the company wants to do is to get their customers to interact not only with the inside contents, but the outside too.

The First Example One example of an interactive package is a wine bottle. Sometimes the company will invite their customers to connect the dots or color inside the lines on the bottle itself. It adds a level of fun that you never had before.

Sometimes opening up a bottle is boring. You see a plain wine bottle looking rather drab and boring.

I mean, you have people looking around going, "is that all there is"? This way you can either color or draw on the label. This kind of interactive packaging provides some added fun(especially for those who like to get drunk early).

Now, keep in mind, that the only people who will appreciate this are the ones who like to do drinking games. You might enjoy this example of you are ones of those people.

The Second Example

The second kind of interactive packaging some companies use involves clothing. Say, for example, you have ordered a t-shirt online. Now, looking at the t-shirt you see what you have ordered. The rest of the placating is kind of drab. You are looking at a plain old box, something that you are going to throw away, recycle, or use later.

This kind of interactive packaging lets you fold the box into a hanger. I find that rather interesting myself. I mean you are turning a plain cardboard box into a hanging accessory. Now, some of you might like how that sounds, and some of you might not. It depends on your type of personality.

The Added Bonus of Interactive Packaging

One added bonus of this interactive packaging is so you can see the quality of the product from the outside. Sometimes when you order something you do not see the quality until you open the package.

Sometimes you end up disappointed with what you get. I know I have (in the past).

This way you get to see the quality upfront. This provides another level of credibility and customer service for the brand. Sometimes you order something where the product is high-quality, but it is ruined by the package it comes in.

Why Use It?

Interactive packaging provides multiple benefits for their customers. It helps the customer to connect to the brand more. That means you can have a deeper relationship with the brand you trust.

It adds another level of trust that customers can come to expect from you. Customers will know what they get from you and more.

It also lets customers acquire their possessions in a more unique way. Sometimes a box is just a box. However, with interactive packaging it transforms your ordinary box into something special. That way you feel special.

This will also set the brand you trust apart from the rest.

[elleessdee-blog1]

All Kidding Aside, Is Flexible Packaging Really Eco Friendly?

As we are living in 202 one of the most talked about things is keeping the environment in which we live more eco-friendly. We are always telling people to reduce, reuse and recycle and many of us are. This is because both customers and brand names are seeing the positive impact that becoming more eco-friendly can create. You don't have to dig too deep to know that the media and people are saying that plastic is taking over our ocean. This may be true in part and false in part too and here is why, it's not every plastic company or packaging company at fault. Some of the leading companies are making and using what is knows as flexible packaging. These types of shirnk wrap or film and pouches that stand up are very eco-friendly. Having said that, we don't look at them as a solution that is long term and our industry is researching more and more ways to become even more long-term eco-friendly. We will admit right up front that these flexible package options are a super soft plastic and having said that we will also admit that they are the most eco-friendly coice when it comes to packaging and reducing the carbon footprint here on planet earth.

Are There Alternatives Or Is Eco-Friendly Plastic The Best Option Crrently?

Plastic polymers are currently the most eco-friendly choice we have when it comes to packaging materials. This is a fact that often gets overlooked when people say that our waters are turning to plastic. Most often it is not these plastic polymers that are cluttering our oceans, it is things like soda straws, water bottles, fishing supplies and other things often left on the beach and more. What we are saying is that not all plastic is bad. Just like everything else, they way people use it and the choices they make play a huge role in where the plastic or other product winds up.

Many times a company stops using plastic and starts to use a glass bottle or a metal bottle, container or a cardboard box thinking that they are stepping away from damage created by plastic. What is important to understand is taht these other materials are not better for the environment and they are actually harder to recycle in most cases. Often the harmful toxic effects to planet earth are worse than the plastic they are atrying to distance themselves from. The bad press and negative trash talk over plastic has grown so much in the least few yers that people just don't know what to believe and take this negative media hype at full face value. Most of what is ending up in our oceans is fishing supplies made of metal and plastic, not the eco-friendly light plastic films we are talking about using as packaging materials.

The truth is that while this backlash over things that polute our oceans is warrented, the nasty hatred against plastic should not be a focus because it is much better than some of the other alternatives like glass, canvass, cardboard and the countless other things available.

What To Do When It Comes To A Wise Choice With Your Packaging

We understand that plastics are not free from harmful effects on the planet, to date nothing we use is. We also know that so far, plastic is the able to be reused and recycled and it is the most eco-friendly option we have. In the future plastic makers are focusing on making bio-polymers and even things like a plant based plasic and when we find a better option it may change plastic forever. Until that day come, remember to reduce, reuse and recycle and continue to use the eco-friendly choice of plastic to help save the planet.

[elleessdee-blog1]

Using the right tape for the right job

It really is getting crazy about how things are changing.  Not only is the economy changing in 2020 buy my opinions on life and what is important are as well.  I never thought in my entire life I would have a conversation about tape or mowing the lawn, but owning a home certainly changes things.  My family decided to move out of the city and get a home in the suburbs and since then I have learned more about packaging and shipping supplies than I ever imagined I would.  Honestly, no one ever says that you are going to buy 15 different kinds of tape in the course of a year and find a different use for each one.  But here we are in 2020 and my life has been a while right of purchasing and home do it yourself projects.

Each project we do ends up giving us another reason to go ahead and purchase what seems to be another roll of tape.  It really does matter though and by purchasing the correct tape the first time can save you, time, money, and sanity.  The most important part that we have found as we are working on our house is that time matters more.  So if you have to go to the store to get painters tape and it turns out to be the wrong one or a brand that doesn't work then the time wasted means the project doesn't get done.  That is more important than anything and as we have seen makes it all worth it.  So knowing the best brands for each type of tape is important.

When we first moved in we purchased 3m painters stape and that roll was awesome.  It held off paint and was a great way to organize marking on different things.  The tape was so useful and we went through it rather fast.  The next time we got more tape was at the dollar store.  I was pretty sure that it didn't matter at the time. But when we got home we ended up using it for tons of different projects.  It ended up being much harder to peel off and super hard to tear.  The real issue was that it took twice as long to use and then we found out it didn't block paint.  So all the extra time we spent to use the cheaper tape ended up causing lots of paint damage.  What an insane and annoying thing.  So that is when we learned that 3m tape was the only brand would buy.

The next time we needed more shipping supplies aka tons of tape I decided to shop online and buy it in bulk.  We picked up our duct tape and painters tape as well as tons of packing tape for a very long time.  The large purchase allowed us to get discounts and that helps offset the top brand pricing and in the end, it saves us time which keeps us sain.  So don't let the cheap price fool you.  You may end up costing you thousands of dollars of time and damage by not using the good stuff.  

 These are the lessons that we learned about moving to our new home.  It is better to spend a little more upfront than to lose a lot later.