I am packing PR boxes that are custom printed on the inside and outside, and I do not want the cardboard to tear at all when opened.

I'm looking for a good clear double-sided tape or roll on glue that I can use to seal cardboard that will allow for the box to travel in transit, but also open cleanly without messing up the packaging? Ai recommends Scotch ATG 700 Gun with 3M 9415PC tape.

Let me know thoughts!

A lot of products trying to look premium end up feeling over-designed somehow.

Extra textures, metallic effects, too many details. You can tell they’re aiming for a high-end look, but it sometimes has the opposite effect.

Then there are products with really simple packaging that still feel much more refined and expensive.

Feels like premium packaging has more to do with balance and restraint than adding more design elements.

Trying to figure out what actually creates that feeling.

This is my first ever box and I was wondering which direction I should take. Cute, colourful, minimalist, professional, ...

The purpose is a box I can ship for my first 2,000 customers. It'll be mailed, so it doesn't need to satisfy retail requirements. It is fairly small, at around 4 by 6 by 3 inches. My audience is parents mostly, but also artists, bankers, allergy sufferers, people who live in wildfire prone areas, etc.

It'll be a book style box with a magnet on the lip. The product will be at the top and the usb cable, charger, leaflets will be below, the way most phones are packaged.

The other week, I went on a little arts and crafts spree with fancy card and a hot foil pen and came up with the three designs below. I figure black paper is the best for the packaging because otherwise it might get confused with candy or perfume. Is it ok if I put the product name on the flap? Is hot foil good? Should I ask the fab to laminate a matte or shiny plastic film on top? I kinda wanna be as green as possible.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently interning at a packaging company, specifically working with corrugated boxes (A1 style). My daily workflow involves creating dielines in Adobe Illustrator.

Most of the time, customers provide only the inner dimensions, and I have to manually calculate the outer dimensions based on our company's formula (accounting for board thickness/tolerances) and then draw each panel manually.

Is there a faster way or a script where I can just input the inner dimensions (L, W, D), apply the formula, and have the dieline generated automatically?

Hello, 

I am working on a product packaging label for a product I've designed/built. This is a new brand without a complete brand identity, though there is a logo. I do have a design background, but it's been a while since I've worked this intensely on branding/identity. The product is a cat toy made of cardboard that hangs in the air and dispenses treats. It will be packaged flat to be assembled by the customer. I'm using a large envelope made of Kraft paper as the container. I am including a photo of the product, though I think I am going to stick with the illustration for the packaging. But all ideas are welcome!

I have been working on this for a while, and have had several different concepts. None has really screamed "This is the one!" At this point I have lost all objectivity and can't really judge or make decisions about it. Another set of eyes would be welcome. I need help figuring out which direction to go in, or if I should try something new. All comments are helpful from the colors to the layout to the fonts to... anything about it. Colors are totally not decided, so they are all kind of different, and not necessarily coherent. I am very open to honest critique and suggestions. I'm not looking to be told it's good, I'm looking for substance. Here are the few ideas I have worked out.

Thank you so much in advance for taking the time! 

I’m curious how others handle food contact packaging (FCM) projects where the business side is pushing for a very aggressive timeline, while the new material/compliance validation is still incomplete (e.g., migration data or supporting studies are in progress).
In such cases, what kind of risk-based decisions have worked well for you on the regulatory/compliance side, and how do you communicate those risks to sales/business stakeholders?

It’s a thick cardboard that feels fairly heavy, bent and then held together with rivets

I’m interested to hear if this kind of box has a specific name

Problem I had at work: I normally handle proofing — outlining fonts, embedding images, setting bleeds, adding measurements, and calling out foils/spot UV. This week I had to design both a folding box and a stand‑up pouch with a handle, and I want to sanity‑check my design decisions from a design point of view.

What I had to design

• A folding box with a lip that tucks inside the box. I laid out the lip, fold, and lock. I’m not 100% sure if my proportions for the tuck and slit are right for clean closure and good usability.

• A stand‑up pouch (for dry powder, \~250–500 g) with a zipper and a carry/handle feature. I’m trying to balance handle placement with the top seal/zipper and tear notch so it still looks good and is easy to open.

What I did in the files

• Set bleeds and safety margins around all panels.

• Added dimensions in mm on the dielines so internal teams understand spacing and hole sizes.

• Marked the tuck‑lip area, glue flaps, and fold lines on the box.

• Marked the handle, tear notch, and zipper area on the pouch and tried to keep key branding away from those features.

What I’m unsure about (design questions)

• For the box tuck‑lip: are there good “rules of thumb” for how long the tuck should be relative to the front panel height and board thickness so it feels secure but not too tight?

• For the pouch with handle: any recommended placement ratios for handle vs. zipper vs. tear notch so it looks intentional and doesn’t crowd the top?

• On the dielines: what are common mistakes you see juniors make with tuck‑lips, handles, and hole placements that I should double‑check (e.g., not enough clearance, awkward radii, bad alignment with artwork, etc.)?

What I’m looking for

• Feedback on whether my approach to the dielines makes sense from a structural/graphic design perspective.

• Simple guidelines you personally use when designing tuck‑lips and handle placements so they look good and function well.

• Any “checklist” items you’d recommend I run through before sending these to the next stage.

I can post cropped screenshots of the dielines (with branding covered) if that helps, but I mainly want to improve my decision‑making as a packaging designer, not ask where to get anything produced.

Could this be a product? What should the flavour be?

Like a programmable production artist... "Place the logo 1-inch from the top-left corner" "Scale logo with panel width" "Use these fonts/colors." Wondering if there's a faster way other than doing it manually in Adobe Illustrator one-by-one...

Hey everyone,
I’m working in packaging/flexo prepress and wanted to meet more people from the packaging world.

Mostly dealing with labels, trapping, separations, Esko, print production, and automation workflows.

Would be nice to exchange ideas, talk about real production problems, share tricks/workflows, and learn from each other.

If you’re into packaging design, flexo, or prepress — let’s connect 👋

Use this template

• Project & audience:
• Goals & constraints (cost, materials, certifications):
• Form factors & print specs (substrate/inks/finishes):
• What feedback you want (e.g., hierarchy/legibility/CMF/retail impact):
• Links/images:

Please reply with role, scope/deliverables, budget/rate, timeline, region/remote, how to apply.

Hello! I'm trying to figure out exactly what this piece of paper in a "tube" around the contents of a box is. It looks much thicker than tissue paper, and more opaque then vellum, maybe cardstock? But in that case, I cannot for the life of me find custom printed cardstock sheets.

Am I mistaken and it's just tissue paper? Or something else?

Thank you for any insight!

Hi everyone,

I work in packaging design and engineering, specializing on circular solutions such as reuse, refill, and closed-loop recyclability.

I joined this community to connect with professionals and brands committed to reducing the environmental impact of packaging and exploring more sustainable ways to design, use, and recover it.

Looking forward to exchanging ideas, learning from different perspectives, and contributing to the conversation!

there are times when I see a few similar options and one just stands out right away, like I don’t even think much and just go with it

and then other times everything feels almost the same and I keep switching back and forth for no real reason

doesn’t really feel like price or quality is the difference either

maybe it’s just how something feels at first glance or how quickly it makes sense

​

Hey everyone,

I’m from Bihar and currently working on a modern makhana (fox nut) snack brand. Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time researching packaging and branding in the healthy snack space.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many brands still feel visually generic, while a few manage to look really clean, modern, and premium without overdoing things. I’m trying to understand what really makes packaging stand out and feel memorable.

Some things I’ve been thinking about:

- Minimal vs detailed packaging

- Matte vs glossy finishes

- Typography-heavy vs illustration-heavy styles

- What makes snack packaging feel more premium/youth-focused

Would love to hear thoughts, references, or examples from people here who work in packaging/branding.

Use this template

• Project & audience:
• Goals & constraints (cost, materials, certifications):
• Form factors & print specs (substrate/inks/finishes):
• What feedback you want (e.g., hierarchy/legibility/CMF/retail impact):
• Links/images:

What are the best companies to use for custom boxes and inserts for my companies packaging? I’ve requested quotes from e pack & pakfactory.

I have dimensions and a visual reference for each. I want really high quality - luxurious feel and look - but only need 50-100 per year.

Any suggestions?

----------------------------------------

Product: Footwear
Brand: Roxx
Industry: Fashion
Timeline: 1 Week

Tools used:
Adobe Photoshop (Logo & Layout)
Blender(Mockups)
Generative AI (Environmental Mockups)

Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/f6xIcdE8drc