In today’s world of hustle and bustle, when time is at premium and your budget calls for making wise decisions when picking your carton products, you will be faced with some decisions to make. There are questions to deal with when deciding about the source for your corrugated packaging, box accessories, fiber boxes or any kind of cartons.

Cartons have many uses in the general areas of shipping and storage. They are very attractive for their properties and cost and for these reasons very ubiquitous in our world of every day need for shipping of goods or storing files and supplies. For example, fiber box provides the external shell of protection and structural strength of the package while fiber partitions along with other optional accessories protect smaller objects inside from getting damaged while moving or in shipment.

Whether you are an individual or a business, whether you use fiber boxes and corrugated packaging in the course of your work or at home, you will deal with these products. One way or another, if only by just receiving goods by mail or buying products at the store, you are part of the cycle and have the power to decide what will be the source of your supplies and what will happen to them once they have served their purpose.

If you are someone who is an environmentally-conscious person, you will be asking yourself if the corrugated fibreboard box or other carton you are about to order come from a company that treasures the world, its beauty and the natural resources of our planet.

Corrugated packaging or box accessories, such as fiber partitions yield their properties to the concept of being 100% recyclable. That alone makes your eco-friendly corrugated fiberboard box a much more attractive product – one that has more to offer as far as cartons go for the generations to come.

Conversely, the usage of non-recyclable packaging and accessories is decreasing gradually and manufacturers are focusing more on eco-friendly products. Businesses and individuals are becoming aware of their responsibilities towards the environment and thus they are moving towards more of the green solutions.

11/28/2012

Sending out boxes for shipping starts with careful preparation. Follow these simple guidelines to assure the shipment arrives safely.

Choose Your Boxes For Shipping

Choose a corrugated box size that is suitable for the contents you are shipping. For small items, choose small shipping boxes. For larger items, choose large shipping boxes. For items that are very heavy, go for the double-wall or tripple wall corrugated fiber. In other words, for very heavy items, choose heavy duty shipping boxes. Heavy duty shipping boxes super strength can contain and protect the contents while still retain its shape during shipment.

Protect It

Once you choose the correct size and strength, it is important to cushion the contents of your package properly.

Surround each item with at least two inches of cushioning. This will prevent product-against-product damage. This will also protect the item from rough shipping and handling, jolts, and shocks.

For extra assurance, close your package. Gently shake the shipping box to see whether there is enough padding. If your item still moves in the box, then add more packaging materials. The secret is to keep the items from moving inside the box. You will want it to feel solid and protected. Make sure to fill it with packaging materials such as bubble wrap, kraft paper, peanuts, corrugated roll, and more from Instabox.

Seal It

Keep your shipping tools supply at hand by using the correct shipping tape. Sealing each package is just as important as choosing the correct size box and protecting the interior item. Some tape such as cellophane tape, duct tape or masking tape are not meant for shipping. Instead, keep it simple by using brown or clear two inches packing tape. You may also use heavy duty multi-purpose packing tape. They are built to keep the boxes sealed, and stay sealed during shipment. Rest assured that the shipping tape can also widthstand extreme cold and hot temperatures and will continue to keep the boxes sealed.

Keep Supplies At Bay

A great start to careful preparation is to have your supplies at bay. Keep your supply closet well stocked with shipping boxes, shipping tools, packing materials, shipping bags, shipping tags, and packing tape

11/28/2012

Shipping things out from your home or business is simple with the proper tools. Keep your supply closet well stocked and ready for projects. Let’s focus a little bit about one of the many shipping accessory you will definitely need. Let’s look at tape. Different tapes are created uniquely for your needs. Use the right tape for the right job.

A strapping tape is exactly what it sounds. It straps, ties or binds objects together. If you have odd-shaped materials, bundle it into one with a strapping tape. It’s the perfect tape for securing loose parts during shipment. Since this tape is fiberglass reinforced, it is able to work on all types of surfaces, especially corrugated boxes. Secure and unitize your pallets. Seal your heaviest packages with a heavy-duty strapping tape.

For a noncritical, light-duty sealing, use a general purpose masking tape. It works great for light-duty packaging or bundling. Its crepe paper backing and rubber-based adhesive prevents the surface package from adhesive damage. A masking tape provides excellent adhesion. Not to worry if the tape was placed in the wrong position. It removes easily and can be repositioned.

For extremely hard-to-stick surfaces such as metal, paper, or plastic, use a transfer tape. Shipping point-of-purchase displays or graphic designs at times require an out of the ordinary tape. Use a transfer tape for these requirements. It will stay on and can handle temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also moisture resistant.

Keep in mind, a shipping tape will be going through a journey from point A to point B. It needs to stay sealed despite possible rain, dirt, and dust. There will also be a change of weather, and therefore your packaging tape must be able to withstand a wide temperature range.

Stick with the best and choose a high-performance, super strong Instabox shipping tape. This will assure that the packages are closed tight, despite possible weather moisture, cold weather or hot summers. Instabox packing tape has extreme holding power and the packages stay sealed for long periods of time. The heavy items stay sealed during transit and the packaging tape is built for rough handling.

10/24/2012

Make your mailing project convenient and easy with Instabox. When you need to send mail and packages to multiple destinations, the fast way to send them on their way is by printing their address on address labels. Just click print, and the address of each recipient is on each individual label. Since each label is backed with adhesive, just peel and stick onto the envelope or package and voila, it’s ready for shipment.

Keep it professional and clean. Choose fonts that are simple and easy to read. Keep the font type and size consistent. Choose white bright blank labels for a sharp clear print. With inkjet or laser printer labels, the ink will not run or smear. They are smudge free.

Note that it’s not limited to the addressee. Print the sender’s address for a quick way to create a return address label. Also special mailing instructions can be placed on each parcel. With blank labels, print messages such as Media Mail, International Mail, Fragile and more. Hazardous or dangerous goods labels must stand out for the postmaster to see. For a message that requires more attention, choose bright colors, bold fonts or unique labels such as a triangle or circle shape.

Go one step further by printing a scannable barcode onto each blank label. Keep track of outgoing mail by incorporating barcodes to your maling project. Know your current inventory. Know the contents of each box, or envelope. Know the recipient’s address and date of mailing. With a large mailing list, distribution list, subscriber list etc., incorporate a bar code with your mailing project to save time.

Get creative to advertise. Customize your print with graphics. Highlight what your company specializes in with graphics. Include borders or specialize fonts. Use special templates or create your own template to increase product awareness.

A mailing label is easy to print and easy to apply. Laser printer labels will not jam in the paper tray. The print is clear and sharp. The print is smudge free. Also use it for special mailing instructions or barcodes. For your next mailing project, keep it simple, easy, and save time.

Contact Instabox for more information on packaging labels, box labels, product labels, blank labels or any kind of labels you might need.

10/12/2012

Greek philosopher Aristotle categorized organisms into groups such as genus or species. Effective commercial industries also apply the same method of classification, but apply it towards their stock and inventory. Thousands and thousands of goods and products, usually in its own box, must be classified and identified. This is where custom labels come in.

Start the organization by first having preprinted labels with its unique bar code affixed to each label. Within this package label, each bar code holds the entire information of each content. This is not a guessing game, but a systematic placement of each category and identity. Each custom label holds a wealth of information. It’s information such as the product identity, the manufacturer or distributor. It tells us where the product comes from and where it is going. This information can all be derived from each custom printed label.

Classify each content by using custom printed labels. It is an efficient, time saving and money saving method to move production effectively. When there is order, not chaos, the inventory counts are accurate. The profit margin line is accurate. It quickly allows us to know what stock we have, what we are lacking or missing, or what is in oversupply.

Once the custom labels are affixed, it’s time to compartmentalize. Which items will be going directly to the retailers? Which pallet label will be delivered to the warehouse? Which inventory needs to be stored?

Increase the identity classification by adding images or color to each box label. It’s a quick way to visually associate contents. For instance, when looking at a traffic light, we know red means stop and green means go. Simplify the stock and inventory by using these same principles. Associate the contents with color and images, and productivity will increase. Sorting will be easier and faster.

Take note from Ralph Emerson Waldo who said, “But what is classification but the perceiving that these objects are not chaotic, and are not foreign, but have a law which is also the law of the human mind?” Create order and compartmentalize. Use custom labels as part of the inventory and stock classification. Know your contents. Know where each item is coming and going. It is an efficient, time saving and money saving method to move production effectively.

9/24/2012

There was once a time, where packages were mailed and delivered in a brown package, all wrapped with twine or strings. But the problem, however, was it was wrapped in string. The string’s purpose was to seal the package, but instead it damaged the package. Also, the string or twine also had the tendency to get caught or entangled in the mail processing equipment, causing damage to the equipment, or again, causing damage to the package itself.

Don’t take something so simple for granted. Use the right material for the right job and move on. To send a package, of course you will need packaging materials such as boxes, bubble wraps, box inserts, etc. But, let’s take a closer look at the different variety of tapes to seal that package right.

To send off a package, use strapping tape, packaging tape, shipping tape, brown packaging tape, reinforced packaging tape, or paper tape for closures. These types of packing tapes supply instant adhesion and provide immediate holding power. They’re also strong enough to withstand temperature fluctuations during transit. It is not recommended to use cellophane tape, masking tape, or duct tape to send off a package. These kinds of tapes curl or not stick once the temperature drastically change during transit.

To close corrugated boxes such as a full overlap box or a full telescope box use a filament tape or strapping tape. They’re also great for closing corrugated fiberboard boxes, reinforcing packages, pallet unitizing or bundling items. Note the extra strength filament tape can offer. Some have as much as 300 pounds of tensile strength per inch of width. This works well with industrial or heavy duty shipping and storing.

For creative crafts, use paper gummed tape. It’s ideal for stretching wet watercolor paper onto drawing boards. Unlike other tapes, water is required to make the paper gummed tape stick.

Don’t forget to use tape dispensers to make your job easier. They hold your tape in place. Hand held tape dispensers are perfect for multiple packaging as it allows you to accurately place your transfer tape directly onto the surface.

Different kind of tapes work well for different kinds of jobs. Knowing which tape to use makes your task efficient and effective. Keep your supply closet well stocked with the different variety of tapes from Instabox.

9/24/2012

There is a simple art to protecting your shipment and storage. With proper inserts, your units are stable, sustained and undamaged. The items atop are used and occupied. The items above are just as stable as the items below. With a little preparation, even the exterior sharp corners of each box are protected.

First off, protect those corners. Just as much as we tend to hit ourselves on the corner of a piece of furniture, corners themselves need protection. The geometric discontinuities of a sharp corner causes an increase in the intensity of a stress field. In other words, corners tend to have a higher traffic; a higher stress concentration. To protect the edge of each box, integrate corner protectors.

An edge protector or corner protector can be used inside or outside containers. It can be used with a stretch wrap to protect products in storage and during shipping. Corner protectors stabilize stretch-wrapped loads or strapped loads. Just by placing corner protectors on the edge of your multiple boxes, you have given additional support to double-stacking pallets. They also prevent the load from shifting, while simultaneously protecting the corner.

Foam corner protectors can be more specific to each product. For instance, a picture frame requires a smaller triangular protection, perfectly fitted on each corner edge. A foam corner protector provides a durable shock barrier between inner and master cartons. Or choose a sheet foam protector as a full surface shield.

Second, keep the fragile items protected. A simple trick to keep them in one piece is to insert a corrugated partition into a larger box. These cross intersection, tic-tac-toe corrugated partitions keep these fragile items cradled, safe and undamaged. Implement these cardboard box partition for items such as wine or glass jars. The cardboard box partitions become perfect individual cells, an awesome solution to restrict movement and shield delicate products.

Third, do not allow the multiple boxes that are stacked on top of each other lean like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Make sure each weight of the interior items are evenly distributed. A unitized, even weight distribution will centralize and stabilize the entire stack as one unit. The weight is consistent, and therefore the pressures are also steady.

Continue this steady weight distribution by inserting chipboard partitions or fiber partitions in between the boxes. The weight of each level of boxes are evenly distributed onto the chipboard partitions, creating a firm foundation. The chipboard dividers alleviate the possible uneven weight, keeping the boxes underneath protected with a less chance of damage.

8/22/2012

Simplify your packaging supplies by designating an area in your home or business as the working station. Designate a primal location that’s a catch-all for all your packaging supplies to maintain efficiency and functionality.

Start with a simple desk, table top or counter about 29 to 32 inches high to land all the outgoing mail. Ergonomically utilize this strong flat surface to temporarily hold all your packages while simultaneously keeping it at waist level. This will save your back from having to stoop too low or too high.

Set up the shipping supplies within reach; all centrally located near or around the table top so that they are easily accessible. Use peg boards, drawer organizers, baskets, trays, etc. to contain all your shipping supplies. When shipping accessories have their own unique designated location, the shipping materials are bound to stay put with less chance of getting misplaced.

A functional work station include packing tape. Use either clear or tan packaging tape, heavy duty packaging tape, PVC tape, paper tape, poly-pro tape, cellulose tape, filament tape, masking tape, strapping tape or Kraft paper gummed tape.

Save time and tape by using tape dispensers. Manual held tape dispensers or tape gun are portable and easy to use. Don’t forget other variation such as the cellulose tape desk dispenser, packaged tape dispenser or a filament tape dispenser as part of your shipping supplies. They are all a very handy way to seal, attach, bundle or fasten your package.

Keep shipping bags handy, also within grasp. Some items for shipment are small and bulky and require more than just an envelope. For instance, fabric or shirts work well with the strength of poly mailers because they are lightweight, thin, reinforced and durable. A bubble shipping bag can protect small and fragile items such as electronics or CD’s. Keep an inventory of shipping bags according to your needs. Instabox offer a wide variety from plain, padded, manilla, plastic, or foam.

Advance the shipping bags to custom printed bags, especially for large outgoing shipment. Portray professionalism by incorporating your unique color, business logo and graphics. As an extra tip, cut unnecessary wasted hours and also include a return address as part of your custom printed bags.

For an easy ship out, centralize the work station. Keep the shipping accessories well-stocked and available within grasp. When it’s time to restock, Instabox carries these packaging materials and more.

8/17/2012

What a Big Mac food box, mobile phone, Milk carton and toothpaste have in common? If you thought that they are items that you already have in your house, that could be a good answer. But less obvious is that they are items that at one point came from a store, packaged in its custom packing box.

We have come a long way, from selling Milk in a bottle to using a folding carton specifically built to preserve its freshness and taste. In the early 18th century folding cartons were hand made. Later on, in the 19th century, we withnessed the birth of folding cartons manufacturers as we know them today.

Would you purchase a brand new mobile phone with scratches and dents, dirty and dusty, sitting loose on a store shelf? Of course not. Would you instead purchase a brand new mobile phone that is still in its packing box, sealed, protected, and in mint conditions? Most likely the answer is “yes”.

As buyers, we would rather buy our goods in their original packing boxes. A sealed product box tells us that the item is brand new. A strong fiber box tells us it was delivered safely. A folding carton is printed with images and text so we don’t have to guess what the content of the box is. It’s pretty basic and straight forward, correct?

If your company is selling goods, using packing boxes is an inevitable tool for retail and profit. They are custom built specifically for your products. A folding carton represents your company just as what clothes we wear portray our personality. A packing box is the last step to present your product and it is the first step to capture potential customers’ attention.

Let us analyze the folding cartons inner flaps. The packing box inner flaps are a wonderful invention. They are ideally designed for sealing the packaging box shut. A folding carton seals itself without requiring additional packaging tape or glue. It provides extra security, keeping the inside item protected during transportation.

A folding carton made of paperboard is economical and flexible. Use this versatility to make a strong, heavy paperboard folding carton to protect delicate items. You can also use a thinner smaller corrugate to package items that requires a little less care, such as toothpaste or cereals.

Brand your packing boxes. Typical Asian take-out food is delivered in a distinctive folding carton box we all seem to recognize and love. The folding carton holds the food in. The flaps on the top seal it. The logo outside lets everyone know the name of your company. A custom made folding carton is strong, practical and can be branded.

In conclusion, consumers tend to buy a product that is presented in an attcratice folding carton. It’s clear that a custom made folding packaging system is vital to generate a higher profit.

Contact Instabox, boxes and packaging manufacturer. We will build the ideal product packaging to match your requirements and budget.

7/2/2012

Box dividers are efficiently used for multiple products. Small individually boxed items going to the same destination are expensive. Every product comes in a different size. A box divider comes in an assortment of sizes and shapes. Instabox, based in Edmonton Alberta, can custom build your box divider exactly to fit your product requirements.

Just as a house skeleton interior frame consist of beams, walls, and a foundations, box dividers placed inside a box strengthen the box unit as a whole. Incorporating box dividers assures your items are undamaged keeping your products intact by preventing each item from touching each other. Box dividers cushion your items from exterior pressure. Instabox can help you create quickly, efficiently and precisely the correct size custom box divider.

Ensure a safe and damage free delivery by inserting fitted box dividers also knows as custom box partitions. Preventing unnecessary movement amongst your boxed items assures a safe damage-free delivery here in Canada, Western Canada or anywhere else.

Other fragile items, such as a heavy glass beverage bottle, can also be shipped by using a corrugated box divider. A corrugated box divider usually built with a B flute material is a different kind of box divider. Incorporating a corrugated divider means you are using a heavier and stronger material. This works just right for the extra strength needed from possible outside pressures atop the box and underneath below. The corrugated box divider creates a strong frame, alleviating any outside pressure.

There are times using a very strong corrugated box divider insert is not required. At times, a lighter thinner box insert variation is all that is required to get your product from point A to point B. Consider fiber partitions as an alternative light-weight box insert. A fiber partition is another box divider variation and just as effective to keeping your items safe from damage. Fiber partition eliminates damage during product transportation and handling. Cost-effective fiber partition offers greater compatibility to automatic packaging equipment. Because of its lighter weight, the shipping cost is less. Fiber partition reduces cost and reduces damage.

Products come in a multitude of sizes and shapes. InstaBox can help you decide which one is the most cost-effective box divider you need. Get the best quality custom box divider with InstaBox. With two factories in Edmonton and Alberta, InstaBox is available to deliver fast, efficient, outstanding products and service.

6/1/2012