Recycled content is of more variable quality than virgin material. The recycled material creates a speckled, grainy texture but does not effect print or packaging quality.
Different packaging materials and formats have unique considerations. The Customisation section shows the dimension allowances for each product and range of film thicknesses in microns (µ); these two specifications determine volume and weight limits.
We have paper stock available starting from 80GSM right up to 400GSM. Key considerations when deciding which thickness to choose are the weight of your product, the rigidity of the mailer and your durability requirements. We've found a good balance of all of these in our range of mailers, made using 180GSM paper.
It's up to you! We have options for both solid block colours and also opaque (see-through) colours. For our stock mailers we sell online, you cannot see the product being packaged inside.
Print plates are used to print your designs onto your packaging material. Your designs are laser cut into the plate, with the negative parts of your image cut out so that the plates don't pick up ink. If your design uses multiple colours, there will be a different print plate for each colour. The printing plates are mounted to giant cylinders on the printing press and the plate runs through the ink and onto your packaging.
See blog post on how to use a dieline.
A dieline is a template that contains the exact dimensions of your product. Dielines also show cut lines, fold lines and glue flaps. When customising your packaging we will supply you with a dieline to apply your designs before providing you with a final digital proof.
A digital proof is an agreement between you and Grounded confirming the design and specifications of your packaging before it enters production. You must ensure all the details are correct and that your proof correctly represents your packaging prior to approval.
The Pantone Color System, or PMS, is a standardized color matching system widely used around the world. It was designed to help printers and designers to specify and control colours for printing projects.
The same ink colour can look different depending on what type of substrate (material) you print it on. Inks printed on an uncoated material such as paper, soak into the material and lose vibrancy as it takes on the character of the surface. If you use the same ink and put it on a coated material, it looks brighter and retains vibrancy and has a gloss look similar to the material surface. When choosing colours, you should consider the surface you’re printing on (e.g. paper or film) and choose the correct Pantone type (coated or uncoated) to ensure you get the right outcome. If you use different materials across your packaging range, you may have to choose different Pantone colours for matte and glossy materials to ensure you keep your brand colours consistent across different materials.
Yes, we will provide you with a digital proof to sign off on. If you would like a physical proof we can also do pre-production samples at an additional cost. Please note this will also extend the lead time of your order.
Depending on the product and material, we print using either Pantone (PMS) or CMYK colours. The print capabilities for each product can be found on each of the product pages.
Yes, if your order for custom packaging meets the MOQ for your product we can customise the size and print. For minimum and maximum dimensions for each product, check the Customisation section on the product page for more information on sizing.