The term ‘product packaging’ often conjures up images of boxes, bags, labels, and wrappers. It’s easy to overlook the significance of packaging alignment, relegating it to a practical necessity. However, cannabis packaging isn’t merely a vessel that safeguards a product; it’s a powerful branding tool that creates a comprehensive and cohesive narrative about your brand.
First Impressions Matter
As the first physical touch point between your brand and your customers, cannabis product packaging has the critical role of making a strong first impression. It offers a unique opportunity to convey your brand’s identity and values before a customer interacts with the product. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression. With the right packaging, that impression could be a lasting one.
The Merge Between Brand Identity and Packaging
Incorporating your brand’s personality into your cannabis product packaging strengthens your brand identity and differentiates you in a competitive marketplace. Your packaging alignment should echo your brand’s color scheme, typography, and overall aesthetic. This consistency extends to the product, forming a clear and cohesive brand image that is easily recognizable and memorable to your audience.
Translate Brand Values into Tangible Experiences
Your cannabis product packaging can serve as an extension of your brand’s story and values.
Are you an eco-friendly brand? Use sustainable materials and minimalist designs to underscore your commitment to the environment.
Is your brand luxury-oriented? Use high-quality, tactile materials that evoke a sense of exclusivity.
By aligning your packaging design with your brand’s ethos, you offer customers a tangible experience that resonates with your company’s values.
Communicate Quality and Value
Quality product packaging signals a quality product. Investing in thoughtful, well-designed packaging communicates your brand’s commitment to delivering exceptional value and quality. This implicit promise helps build trust with your audience and encourages customer loyalty. It’s not just about protecting what’s inside, but also about promoting the product’s worth.
The Power of the Unboxing Experiences
The “unboxing” phenomenon has become a significant experience in the consumer journey. A memorable unboxing has the potential to generate customer excitement and deepen their emotional connection with your brand. Custom inserts, handwritten notes, or unique opening mechanisms can all contribute to a satisfying unboxing experience that aligns with your brand image and amplifies your brand’s appeal.
Driving Consumer Decisions
Packaging influences consumer decisions. Eye-catching design, clear messaging, and easy-to-understand instructions can help your product stand out on crowded store shelves or online product listings. By effectively communicating your product’s unique selling proposition through packaging, you can influence buying decisions and drive sales.
In conclusion, aligning your cannabis product packaging with your brand is not just an added extra. It’s a must-have in today’s consumer-centric market. It shapes perceptions, drives purchase decisions, and strengthens brand recognition.
So, next time you evaluate your brand strategy, remember to look beyond the product itself. Consider the role your packaging plays in telling your brand’s story.
Pantone colors are a system of standardized color matching widely used across various industries, including fashion, graphic design, printing, and product manufacturing. Pantone colors are known for their precision and consistency. They’ve become an essential tool for designers and manufacturers to communicate color choices accurately. And we’ve found them extremely important when developing cannabis packaging.
What is the Pantone Matching System?
The Pantone Matching System (PMS) was developed in the 1960s by Lawrence Herbert, who noticed the lack of a standardized color system in the printing industry. The PMS is a color reproduction system that allows designers and manufacturers to match colors accurately regardless of the equipment used to produce them.
The Pantone color system is based on a standardized color numbering system, with each color identified by a unique number or code. This numbering system allows designers and manufacturers to communicate color choices accurately, ensuring consistency in the final product.
Pantone colors matter because they help ensure consistency in color reproduction across different materials and media. For example, let’s say a designer chooses a particular shade of blue for a company’s logo. Through the Pantone color system, that color can be replicated on various materials, such as business cards, brochures, and signage.
In addition, Pantone colors have become an essential tool for brand identity and recognition. Many companies have specific Pantone colors associated with their brand, which helps them stand out. It also creates a consistent brand image across different media and products.
Pantone colors are also widely apparent in the fashion industry. Designers use the Pantone color system to communicate color choices to manufacturers. This helps ensure that the final product matches the designer’s vision and that colors are consistent across different materials, such as fabrics and accessories.
Final Word
Overall, the Pantone color system has become an essential tool for designers and manufacturers across various industries. Its precision and consistency ensure that color choices communicate accurately and that the final product matches the designer’s vision.
If you are a brand looking to ensure consistency and accuracy in your color choices, consider using the Pantone color system. With its standardized numbering system and wide range of colors, the Pantone system is a reliable tool to help you create a consistent and recognizable brand image. Reach out to us about picking Pantone colors or visit the official website.
Choosing the right custom cannabis packaging design is critical to the success of a product. You can have the best products in the world, but if the package is stale, there’s a good chance it’ll struggle to take off. Finding the right fit for your cannabis brand identity can make all the difference in the long run!
Why is Cannabis Packaging Design Important?
Attractiveness: Packaging design can make a product stand out on store shelves and catch the attention of potential customers. You can make a product more appealing by using vibrant colors, bold typography, and innovative shapes.
Branding: Package design can help to create a strong brand identity. You can reinforce brand recognition and customer loyalty by using colors, logos, and imagery consistent with your identity.
Information: Package design provides important information to consumers, including product details, nutritional information, and usage instructions. This information helps customers make informed purchasing decisions.
Protection: Package design protects the product from damage during transportation and storage. The right packaging materials can help to prevent product spoilage, breakage, and other types of damage.
Sustainability: Package design can also help to promote sustainability and reduce environmental impact. You can reduce waste and carbon footprint by using recyclable and biodegradable materials, and minimal packaging.
Compliance: Packaging design is important to meet cannabis compliance and legal standards. It’s important to design packaging per all local laws with clear warning signs and verbiage.
In summary, determining the right cannabis packaging design is critical to the success of a product. It helps to attract customers, reinforce branding, provide important information, protect the product, and promote sustainability.
We have a full team of custom cannabis packaging designers who can help take your ideas and products to the next level! Find out more about Custom Cannabis Packaging Design here.
Spot UV, also known as spot gloss or spot varnish, is a print finishing method that adds a shiny, raised coating to specific parts of a design. This coating is cured with ultraviolet (UV) light, making the selected areas (such as logos or text) stand out with a glossy finish.
Spot UV works best when used on a matte or uncoated surface, creating a strong contrast. It’s often for:
Jar labels to give them a more polished and professional appearance.
We invite you to follow along as we take a deeper look into this printing technique and whether or not it’s right for your products.
Key Takeaways
What Spot UV Is – A printing technique where a glossy, UV-cured coating is applied to specific areas (like logos or text) for a raised, eye-catching finish.
Why It Matters for Branding – Spot UV adds luxury, tactile contrast, and visual focus, especially effective on custom packaging like mylar bags and cannabis jar labels.
How to Use It Effectively – Use on smooth, thick substrates with a precise mask file; ideal for accentuating logos, titles, and brand elements without overwhelming the design.
How Does Spot UV Work?
The process begins during the design stage. A separate black-and-white file, called a UV mask, is created to show exactly where the glossy coating will go. This file acts as a guide, marking which areas (such as text, logos, or patterns) will receive the UV treatment.
Next, the full-color design is printed on the material using either digital or offset printing. This creates the base layer that includes all the images, colors, and text. Once the base layer is printed, the UV mask is used to apply a clear varnish to the marked spots. This is done through screen printing or with a plate, depending on the method used.
After the varnish, the print goes under ultraviolet (UV) lights. These lights cure the varnish instantly, turning it into a solid, glossy finish. The result is a high-shine effect that contrasts sharply with the matte or uncoated background.
Finally, the printed piece is trimmed, folded, or enhanced with other finishes like embossing. Each item is then checked for accuracy to make sure the UV coating aligns properly with the design.
Why Use Spot UV?
Spot UV printing offers both style and function. It helps designs stand out, feels good to the touch, and protects the surface. Here’s a closer look at the main reasons brands choose this technique:
Visual Impact and Contrast Spot UV highlights specific parts of a design (like logos, text, or graphics) by making them glossy against a matte background. This creates depth and draws attention to key elements, making your print look sharper and more professional.
Tactile Engagement The raised glossy texture gives people something to feel as well as see. This physical detail adds sensory interest and makes the piece more memorable.
Durability This technique isn’t just for looks. The UV coating adds a layer of protection that helps resist:
Moisture
Scratches
Fingerprints
Smudges
Fading
Fast and Eco-Friendly UV coatings cure instantly under ultraviolet light. They contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), so they’re safer for the environment and speed up production.
Stronger Brand Appeal Spot UV sends a clear message of quality. When used on packaging, business cards, or promotional materials, it can help your brand look polished and high-end, without the need for more expensive materials.
Styles and Combinations
Spot UV has multiple uses to achieve unique visual and textural effects.
One popular method is Blind Spot UV, where the gloss is applied without any ink underneath. This creates a subtle, almost hidden pattern that becomes visible only when light hits it at the right angle. It’s a sleek way to add detail without overwhelming the design.
Another common approach is to apply the technique over matte lamination, matte varnish, or soft-touch finishes. The glossy areas stand out boldly against the dull background, creating a rich contrast that both looks and feels high-end. This combination enhances depth and gives printed materials a premium, polished finish.
Tips for Effective Spot UV Design
Less is more – Highlight only the most important elements. Overusing it can make a design feel busy or messy.
Choose the right substrate – Use smooth, thick paper or cardstock. Avoid thin or textured materials, which may not hold the coating well.
Ensure alignment precision – Include crop marks and check that the print and varnish layers are in proper alignment. This avoids shifting or misprints.
Plan for effect – Spot UV works best on logos, titles, and small accents. Avoid using it on large areas or small, detailed text that may lose clarity.
Incorporate a mask in prepress – Always provide a separate, high-contrast mask file using solid black to indicate coated areas.
Spot UV vs. Other Finishes
Finish
Gloss
Texture
Durability
Cost Level
Spot UV
High
Raised
Excellent
Mid-high
Emboss/Deboss
None
Deep
Good
High
Foil Stamping
Metallic
Smooth
Good
Mid-high
Full UV Coating
High (full)
Flat
Very Good
Mid
Matte Coating/Lamination
None
Soft/Flat
Good
Mid
Spot UV brings a glossy tactile layer and durability inexplicably beyond embossing alone, with lower cost than full foil or full UV.
Cost and Limitations
Spot UV printing comes with added costs due to the extra steps required. Namely, this includes a digital mask file. Still, the added cost is minimal and provides you with a premium look, something worth considering when you’re managing your packaging budget.
The process also works best on flat, smooth surfaces. Textured or thick materials can cause the coating to apply unevenly, which may affect the final result.
In terms of production time, Spot UV adds steps like mask preparation and UV curing, which can extend turnaround. It’s important to plan and allow for extra time, especially when working with larger orders or tight deadlines.
Final Word
Spot UV is a powerful finishing technique that adds shine, texture, and a premium feel to printed materials and packaging.
It offers strong visual contrast, a pleasing tactile experience, and durable protection, all while using an eco-friendly curing process. This makes Spot UV a popular choice for brands looking to stand out in crowded markets, such as cannabis or luxury products.
Think you want to incorporate spot UV into your cannabis packaging? Unsure where to begin? Custom 420 Supply is here to help! We invite you to reach out through our contact page to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is spot UV safe to use on cannabis packaging?
Yes. Spot UV is purely a surface treatment applied to the outermost layer of printed packaging. It doesn’t come in direct contact with the cannabis product and is safe when applied correctly by a professional print partner.
Can I use spot UV on flexible materials like mylar bags?
Absolutely. Spot UV works well on flexible packaging like mylar bags, especially when the surface has a matte or soft-touch lamination underneath. It provides contrast and texture that grabs attention on shelves.
Does spot UV increase the cost of cannabis packaging?
It can slightly increase production costs due to the extra print step and UV curing process. However, the perceived value and branding impact often outweigh the added expense, especially for premium or limited-edition products.
Will spot UV hold up in humid or refrigerated environments (i.e. edibles or infused drinks)?
Yes, Spot UV is moisture-resistant and adds an extra layer of protection to the print. For products that require cold storage, it’s a great choice because it won’t smudge or deteriorate like some finishes.
Welcome to the Custom 420 Supply custom cannabis packaging blog! We’ve set out to help change the stigma of this amazing crop and how its packaged! The days of using zip-lock bags are no longer acceptable. If you want your brand to stand out from the rest it takes more than growing or producing the best products. Now people want to see how it looks on a retail shelf or behind a glass case.
When it comes to custom cannabis packaging, it can be overwhelming to determine where to start and what’s the right fit for your brand. However, that’s why we started this business and this blog. We want to help those getting started or fine-tuning a coordinated line for an established brand. Navigating your way through this world can be confusing and costly and we’re here to help! We pride ourselves on customer service and building long-term partnerships for years to come. Our main goal is to help you Brand Your Grow and Grow Your Brand!
We set out to keep all of our brand imagining down to earth and realistic. Helping our clients understand the process and allowing them to be hands-on to bring visions to life. We’ve seen many of the suits at various trade shows offering cosmetic and food packaging as “cannabis packaging.” While packaging can be repurposed, don’t be fooled by said “Cannabis packaging specialists” who have not smoked a joint since the 70s. They’re out of tune with your customer base.
Stay tuned for informative and fun videos, articles, demos, and much more from a team that truly lives on both sides of the industry. Also, all videos will be certified 100% ego-free! Sure, we see organic and natural products all over… but ego-free? That can be hard to come by these days in the cannabis industry. So hopefully we can help you find success without rubbing it in others’ faces. But if that is how you get down, ultimately you can still steal ideas from our blog and rub them in people’s faces! (But not recommended by us!)
Customize your vape cart tips or glass with color and branding!
Stuck on black, white, or clear-tip ceramic cell vape carts? Still buying into the hype of the CCELL brand? Boy, have they done an amazing job with branding and confused a wide array of growers and consumers alike?
But when you go shopping for tissues do you ONLY buy the Kleenex brand? Chances are there is surely a comparable tissue with similar quality but cheaper because it’s not based on being a brand name. And you’re well aware that brand names spend so much money on advertising and marketing that they’re naturally more expensive.
Now you’re thinking a tissue is far different than vape hardware. You’re correct on that notion! In fact, there’s a lot more that can go wrong with custom ceramic cell vap carts than with tissues. However, did you quickly realize how strong a brand Kleenex is? Maybe you’ve even referred to tissues as Kleenex until now.
But enough on the tissue brands. We’re here to talk about ceramic cell vaporizer carts. As I sit here, I try to pinpoint how many people we have met over the years who say, “It has to be the CCELL brand!” When we ask why, many scramble for an answer. “They are the best! They are the only ones that work.” etc. etc. etc. I say, “Try our ceramic cell carts, they’re the same quality and have the same defect rate but are less costly because they are – UNBRANDED.” Then I get “Well we have tried knock-offs and they leaked.”
Placing Your Trust in Non-Branded Custom Ceramic Cell Carts
Was your vape cartridge from a reputable company? The answer is most times no. So, in a nutshell, you tried to go from the top of the line to a shot in the dark and decided the two did not compare. This is not an apples-to-apples test. You would be amazed by how many people we have moved away from said name brand.
We put our cartridges to the test time after time. They have kept customers happy with great performance, without burning a hole in their pockets to carry another brand name. We have been doing years and years of R&D testing all sorts of different cartridges and styles. If you’re familiar with our FourXX brand, you will know we have been in the cart game for a while!
Is it possible to have a bad experience with non-branded custom ceramic cell carts? It sure is. But not ours! Again back to the tissues analogy, it’s easy to create something that looks the same as the top brand. However, I am here to agree with you that there are lots of non-brand name carts that are absolute junk. But does that mean they all are? NO!
It’s easy to create a similar look using cheaper metals, internal components, and glass. Surely, most knockoff carts will not pass heavy metals and there will be a huge difference from the name brands. However, that does not mean there aren’t manufacturers capable of making high-quality and safe cartridges.
Why Does Custom 420 Supplies Stand Out From the Competition?
Our manufacturer was part of the original CCELL and branched out after various changes. Same quality, same concept, same look, but NO PAYING FOR A NAME BRAND. Don’t believe me? We have sold many ceramic cell cartridges that pass all testing for the legal market. Maybe even brands you know!
You might be asking, why am I so adamant about this?
Because uninformed people have helped to affirm this mistaken impression. They’ll tell other producers and caregivers false info because they think they know best. But have they even done R&D or are they just reaffirming something they heard?
One area I will agree with is that there is more risk involved with moving to an unbranded cart IF you’re unfamiliar with the supplier. We’re happy to provide samples, test orders, you name it, to help put people’s minds at ease. Time and time again, customers say “So glad we listened to you guys, they work just as well, saved us money and now fit our brand better. They have been a big hit!”
In 2015, we started this business after a successful run selling our brand of vaporizer batteries and unbranded cartridges. This was before custom ceramic cell cartridges had hit the market and the only option in the USA was O.Pen vape and plastic wick carts. We saw the opportunity and lack of options and jumped into the market. After plenty of success on Amazon with our FourXX Brand vape supplies, we got many requests for custom branding. Since then, we’ve expanded to other areas of the industry, such as custom vape tips.
With our combined print, branding, and growing backgrounds, the writing was on the wall! Here we are today and I stand by what I say! I will send you samples to test and you can try to prove us wrong! Stop believing everything you hear. Some people like to talk just to talk. They’re the ones telling you this stuff, or they have a vested interest in said brand… Do your own research and due diligence. We are here to help!
Lastly, ask yourself this?
“Why would you want to carry someone else’s brand as you try to build your own?”
