From the Desk at Packaging Chic | June 2025
Thoughts, tools, and tips from the production desk of Sharon Eucce
Hello, Summer!
I didn’t make it to Fancy Food this year—and yes, I had major packaging FOMO watching from the sidelines. While I didn’t get to snack my way through the Javits Center, I did spend time with the people who bring packaging to life: converters, printers, suppliers, and spec geeks like me. It was all about what happens after the press: foils, coatings, embossing, and finishing tools that make packaging pop. I caught up with folks from Taktiful, Scodix, Xerox, Paper Specs and spent some time working the PGSF (Printing and Graphics Scholarship) booth.
At Amplify, there were live demos for paper and label embellishment plus presentations on digital finishing, sustainability and designing for print. Lots of practical ideas, and a few reminders of how the little production details can make or break a box.
Carton Crush: Honolulu Cookie Pineapple Box
Pineapple-shaped, die-cut, hook & loop closing . . . this one had me at “hello.”
Let me be clear: I didn’t make this box.
But I saw it at the airport, did a little unboxing right there in the airport store (yes, I shop the store and travel with product boxes in my carry-on), and haven’t stopped admiring how smartly this thing is put together.
Here’s why I’m crushing on it and what you can take away for your own brand’s packaging.
🍍 It’s a rigid box, but not your typical setup
This isn’t a folding carton. It’s a rigid chipboard box wrapped in printed paper, so right away, we’re talking premium feel. It’s the kind of box that doesn’t collapse, keeps its shape, and feels giftable from the moment you touch it.
The outer wrap has a pineapple-shaped die cut that lines up beautifully across the front and sides. That cut isn’t just decorative, it is the brand. If you’ve got a brand symbol or shape that’s recognizable, this is how you put it to work.
Magnet look, hook & loop reality
At first glance, I thought it was a magnetic closure. But nope, it’s “hook & loop” dots, tucked discreetly inside the flap. Smart move.
Magnets feel fancy but are heavier, more expensive, and not great for recycling. This option keeps costs (and weight) down, and it’s almost as satisfying to open. Then again, it makes that ripping sound. Magnets makes recycling life unbearable! Magnets are used to grab material out of the waste stream. When applied to a paperboard box or flexible pouch, they often render the whole item unrecyclable unless manually removed.
Unboxing the Hon Cookie Pineapple Gift Box
So is it curbside-recyclable? No, not really. The wrapped chipboard and paper are fiber-based. The dots will need to be removed if you're recycling, but it’s a lower-impact closure than many alternatives.
Subtle print, smart embellishment
They didn’t go overboard with decoration. Just a clean foil-stamped logo and a high-contrast two-color print—mint green on chocolate brown. It’s bold, not busy. No metallic floods or plastic windows here.
Which proves: you don’t need four finishes and a hologram to feel high-end.
Crisp printing, thick board, consistent branding, and a little shine in the right place go a long way.
Packaging Chic POV
This is one of those cartons that gets it right quietly. It’s premium without screaming. It’s smart with its spend. And it uses brand shape as structure, not just as design. The price at the airport was $31.99! I didn’t go for it. Online, it’s a bit less.
If you're looking to do more with your next custom box, especially for travel retail, gifting, or small-batch seasonal runs, this is one worth bookmarking.
PS: If anyone has the actual supplier info on this beauty, I’d love to know more. I suspect it was produced in Asia, possibly hand-assembled. Either way, kudos to the team behind it.
"Untitled-01" Won’t Cut It. File Names Matter
Here’s a small production moment that’s worth sharing. A client was working on four custom boxes—same structure, different sizes. I had sent over dieline files as usual, in a 2-page PDF (one page for the outside, one for the inside). She did everything right: opened the dieline in Illustrator, dropped in the artwork, and sent it back.
Except. She only opened page 1.
That meant the inside panel didn’t come back with the file. No artwork, no dieline, just one page only. Multiply that by four SKUs, and we had four partial files on our hands, plus a second issue: every single file was named “Untitled-01” or some version of it.
The fix was easy, and the lesson is worth repeating. First, when Illustrator prompts you to select a page from a PDF, don’t skip it. Choose both pages. It’s easy to miss that little dialog box, but if you do, half the dieline won’t load, and you’ll never know it’s missing until someone catches it on the backend.
Second, name your files with actual information. When working on multiple SKUs or box sizes, a good naming convention keeps things organized and saves everyone from unnecessary back-and-forth. For this project something like “Small Final, 6-23-25” or “Medium Final, 6-23-25” goes a long way.
These days, dielines are built for automated workflows. Sometimes with no callouts, no extra notes, no dimensions on the file. If your file name is vague and your artwork is half-loaded, the whole production process slows down.
Little things matter. Especially when it comes to dielines, deadlines, and digital files.
The 5-Minute Artwork Gut-Check
Before you hand off that file, run this quick scan. It’s not fancy, but it catches what your eyes miss on round five of edits.
Structure
Printed and folded a mockup? Know where the glue flap lands and what’s visible when closed?Specs & Setup
Fonts outlined. Artwork extends to bleed. Images are embedded, 300dpi, CMYK. No missing links or RGB surprises.Copy & Claims
Is everything final? Product info, claims, spelling? No placeholders? If it went to press today, would you sleep okay?
Just a quick gut-check. But it can save days of back-and-forth (hey, maybe even a few thousand dollars).
Looking Ahead:
Grandkid chaos (the fun kind) in July. Think SeaWorld, the beach, fun in the sun.
Fall production planning picks up in August. Here it comes!
Europa Village Food & Wine in September 🍷
And yes, lead times might still be longer than you think!
Need a Second Set of Eyes on Your Packaging?
Whether you’re ordering custom packaging for the first time or trying to improve your production process, I help product-based brands design and deliver packaging that’s functional, beautiful, and built for real-world production.
