Custom packaging is no longer just for big brands: with digital printing, variable artwork, limited editions and branded unboxing can be produced in-house even in short runs, with no minimum orders.
Custom packaging is no longer a luxury reserved for big brands. Thanks to digital printing, even a small company can now produce boxes with different artwork, limited editions and branded unboxing with no minimum orders. In this guide we look at what custom packaging means, why it pays off and how to make it in-house even in short runs.
What custom packaging means
Custom packaging means packaging tailored to a brand or even to a single customer or campaign: dedicated artwork, company colours, variable messages, seasonal or limited editions. It's not just aesthetics: a well-designed box protects the product better, reduces filler material and improves the experience of whoever receives it.
Why it used to be difficult (and what changed)
Until recently, customising packaging only made sense at high volumes. The reason is the setup costs of traditional printing: preparing plates and machines for a run has a fixed cost that, spread over a few boxes, makes the single piece too expensive.
Digital printing has overturned this rule: no setup costs, so even 50 custom boxes become cost-effective. You can change the artwork on every batch — or even on every piece, with variable data — with no penalty.
Concrete scenarios
Custom packaging in short runs opens up possibilities that were previously out of reach:
- Branded unboxing for e-commerce, turning delivery into a brand moment;
- Limited editions and seasonal packaging (Christmas, promotions, launches) produced only in the quantity you need;
- Runs dedicated to a single customer or to a specific channel;
- Market tests on new artwork without committing large budgets.
In all these cases, packaging stops being just a container and becomes a real marketing channel.
How to produce it in-house
Bringing custom packaging production in-house means combining two elements: a system to make the box in the right size — a box maker like the Anypack AB2500, which produces made-to-measure boxes and reduces oversizing — and digital printing on cardboard, such as the single-pass EDM-650X, to apply custom artwork directly onto the box, even with variable data.
The benefit isn't only customisation: by producing on demand you cut inventory, waste and reorder times, with a return that grows with volumes and with the number of formats you handle.
Conclusion
Custom packaging is now within reach of SMEs too: with a box maker and digital printing you can produce made-to-measure, branded boxes in short runs, with no minimum orders, turning packaging into a marketing channel.
If you want to understand which solution fits your needs, contact us for a free consultation or come and see a demo at our Demo Center in Sesto San Giovanni (Milan) — 📞 02 4943 9417. Our packaging printing solutions.
