What Is Stationery Packaging? (With Examples)

Stationery packaging simply refers to materials used to contain products like pens, notepads, pencils, paper, and other office supplies. Their main purpose is to protect its contents while in storage or on display. They’re also needed for shipping products to customers.

In this post, you’re going to learn everything there is to know about stationery packaging. This includes the types of packaging you can use and how to ship products efficiently. There’s even a section that’s full of stationery packaging examples.

With all that said, let’s get started.

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Do Stationery Businesses Need Branded Packaging?

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If you own a stationery business, you can get away with using unbranded packaging. But that would be a missed opportunity. 

Stationery packaging isn’t just for storing products. It’s also used for promoting the business. You can differentiate yourself from competitors. Let everyone know what makes your products special compared to what’s already available.

When you order custom packaging, you get control over finer details. For instance, you can specify the box size so that your products fit them perfectly. 

Having your own stationery packaging lets you use designs that you know would attract your target audience. This will help shoppers recognize your products faster on store shelves or online selling platforms as well. 

Finally, custom packaging lets you spread your message. Tell your audience what your stationery business is all about. This helps you form a connection with potential customers.

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Types of Stationery Packaging

There are different materials that you can use to improve your presentation and ship stationery products to customers. Below are some of the more popular ones.

Bubble Mailers

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Bubble mailers are padded envelopes used to ship products. They’re capable of absorbing shock and vibrations, making them ideal for transporting fragile items. They’re lightweight too so they reduce shipping costs. 

These are self-sealing. After packing your products, you just have to remove the backing from the adhesive strip to seal everything in. This makes them ideal for stationery sellers who process a lot of orders in a day.

Labels

Labels have multiple purposes in packaging. You can apply labels to boxes as a means of sealing them. Some business owners use labels to relay instructions or add messages to their packaging. 

These are also good for branding. Use them to add a branding element if you’re using a plain box, for example. Some people use labels to promote special events or mark products that are on sale.

Stationery Cards

Like labels, stationery cards have several uses in packaging. For instance, these make amazing thank you cards. Show customers how much their business means to you. Some will use them to promote special events or as discount cards.

You can sell these as well. Make custom postcards or greeting cards and then sell them online or through your retail shop. It’s another potential source of income on top of all the stationery products you sell.

Hang Tags

Hang tags are used to provide additional information about a product. You can also have these draw customer attention. If you sell items in a retail location, hang tags are a natural place to leave pricing details.

When you order hang tags, they’ll arrive with holes for strings. So all that’s left for you to do is to hang them on your products. They’re either flat or folded. If you want to keep it simple, flat would do just fine. But if you have more things to say, folded hang tags are the way to go.

Mailer Boxes

If you’re selling bulkier items like pens, notebooks, or cutting tools, then you’ll need mailer boxes. 

These boxes are just the right size for bulky products. If you need to send stationery products that are too large for poly mailers but too small for shipping boxes, you’ll want to use mailer boxes instead.

Mailer boxes are available in custom sizes. So you can make them however big or small you need them to be.

Packaging Tape

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Sealing boxes with custom packaging tape discourages people from tampering with your packages. It’ll give you and your customers peace of mind when you ship items to customers.

Custom packaging tape is easy to design. Some companies just use their business name or logo. However, some like to send thoughtful messages to customers through their tapes. For example, some like to show their gratitude by saying thanks.

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Designing Your Stationery Packaging

Most businesses would hire a graphic designer to work on their brand packaging. If you’re considering this option, just make sure you ask applicants if they have experience working with printed products since there are guidelines that they have to keep in mind (die-cut lines, proper resolution, CMYK color profile, etc.).

There are a lot of advantages to hiring a professional graphic designer. However, this is an expensive option, especially for stationery businesses that are just starting.

An alternative would be to do it yourself. While it might seem intimidating, some companies offer online design tools that are super easy to use. 

The PackM Design Tool is a feature that’s completely free for anyone to use. And the best part? You don’t need to have any experience working with graphic design apps to use them. If you need help, you can call or chat with one of PackM’s representatives to sort things out.

We recommend giving it a try to see how simple it is to use.

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Factors to Consider When Choosing Stationery Packaging

These are some of the factors that you must consider when thinking about stationery packaging for your business.

Budget

Your budget will have a significant impact on your stationery packaging. Not only does it affect quantity, but also the materials you can use and the customization options available to you.

This doesn’t mean you need a large budget though. You can allocate a small budget and still get professional results. Being creative with your design will help. 

For instance:

If you’re limited to using plain boxes due to budget limitations, then print custom labels. This will allow you to add your branding while keeping costs down.

Shipping Costs

The type of packaging you use will affect shipping costs as well. In general, the heavier items are, the more expensive they are to ship. Fortunately, most stationery products are on the lighter side. So you can use packaging like standard poly mailers to fulfill orders.

But when processing fragile or bulk orders, you’ll have to use mailer boxes. Not only are these sturdier, but they can fit larger items. The weight of the box will add to your costs though since they weigh more than poly mailers.

It’s something you should keep in mind as you pack your products.

Functionality

You also have to think about your packaging’s functionality. How much protection does it offer? For example, will a standard, full-color poly mailer be enough for your products? Or do you need to ship them in bubble mailers?

A mailer box not only fits more items inside but it also improves the customer unboxing experience. They’re easier for couriers to handle as well. So maybe it’s worth upgrading your packaging to mailer boxes.

These are just a few things you’ll want to consider when looking for stationery packaging.

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Stationery Packaging Ideas

Stationery packaging comes in all shapes and sizes. These examples are from PackM customers. Explore some of the ways they use stationery packaging for their businesses.

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To find more packaging examples, go check out the PackM Design Hub.

And if you’d like to learn more about our stationery packaging services, get in touch by phone or live chat. We’ll be happy to answer all of your questions.

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