Customise and design packaging

This guide is based on our mailer box. For other products, most of the steps will be the same but some may vary slightly. You can read a written version of the video below.

To start customising your packaging, click Customise on a product’s page.

After clicking Customise, your product will load as a 3D interactive prototype. You can rotate, zoom, and open and close this prototype, allowing you to see any changes you make in real time.

You will also see a toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Here’s a breakdown from left to right:

1. Delivery (live delivery data): this includes estimated lead time, estimated delivery size and your postcode. You will need to change the default postcode to your delivery location’s postcode.
2. Carbon footprint (live carbon footprint data): this allows you to manage your footprint as you customise your packaging. Learn more (KH section)
3. Price (live pricing): this removes the need to request a quote, saving you time. It also gives you complete visibility into how the cost of your packaging adds up.

1. Choose a quantity

Choose a quantity from the list provided. Higher quantities will have lower unit costs. This means that ordering larger quantities can be an effective way to reduce your long-term packaging costs. You can then use tools like Auto-Stock to manage your inventory.

2. Choose or create a size

You can either choose a preset size or create a custom size:

1. Preset sizes are an easy and fast way to customise your packaging, and they meet a variety of popular shipping formats such as Royal Mail’s large letter format.
2. Custom sizes allow you to choose the exact length, width and height you want. In turn, you can minimise the empty space around your product, reducing your costs and your carbon footprint.

3. Choose materials

You can choose the outside material for all Sourceful products. For some products, like our mailer boxes and shipping boxes, you can also choose the inside material.

Note: If you’re unsure about which material to choose, you can learn more about all the materials by clicking Which material is right for you?

4. Choose features

Features are any structural additions to your packaging. They’re not essential, but they can have a positive impact on your packaging.

A double peel & seal, for example, consists of two self-adhesive strips. You can use the first strip to quickly seal your packaging without tape. And your customers can use the second strip to easily reseal the packaging in case they need to return it.

5. Choose print colours

Print colours are the total number of colours in your packaging’s artwork or design.

• If you have an existing artwork or design, you should select the same number of colours in the list provided.
• If you don’t have a design yet, you can easily create one online in Studio, which you can access after customising your packaging.

Note: For some products, like our mailer boxes, double-sided printing is available, giving you maximum creative freedom.

6. Add UV varnish

UV varnish is a glossy, liquid coating used to highlight features or create a high gloss, professional finish. To add a UV varnish:

1. Select Add UV varnish.

8. Add a label

All of our paper-based packaging is FSC-certified, which means the paper is sourced from responsibly managed forests. To add the FSC label to certified products:

1. Select Add FSC label.

We always recommend including an FSC label so your customers know your packaging is certified.

Note: If you don’t add an FSC label, your product will still be made with FSC-certified materials but there won’t be a label on your packaging to tell customers.

8. Choose a transport option

You can choose between three transport options:

1. Express: Your order will be shipped by road freight or air freight.
2. Economy: Your order will be shipped by sea freight.
3. Split delivery: Your order will be shipped via both air freight and sea freight. With split delivery, you can choose how many units you want to send by air freight versus sea freight. By choosing split delivery, you can benefit from air freight’s shorter lead times whilst balancing your costs and your carbon footprint.

9. Create your artwork

There are two options to create your artwork:

1. Design online: create artwork and design your packaging online using our easy-to-use online tool, Studio. Studio is the easiest and fastest way to design your packaging.
2. Design offline: download a dieline, create offline using tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator and upload your finished artwork.

Design online

10. Add a fill colour

A fill colour is a colour that covers the entire area of a surface. Fill colours are a great way to create bold branded packaging designs. To add a fill colour in Studio:

1. Click the colour palette icon in the top toolbar.
2. Choose a colour using either:
   1. the colour picker
   2. a HEX colour code
   3. an RGB colour code
   4. a CMYK colour code
3. Click Apply.

Note: If you have a Pantone reference, you can add it in the field underneath the colour picker. Our artwork team will then apply it later during proofing. Whilst in Studio, however, you can only choose colours from other palettes.

11. Add an image

With Studio, an image is any asset in one of the following formats: JPEG, PNG, SVG. This means you can add pictures as well as other assets like wordmarks and text vectors. To add an image:

1. Click the picture icon in the top toolbar.
2. Select your image.
3. Click Open.

Once your image has loaded, you can move, scale and rotate it using the Select tool (cursor icon). You can add multiple images to your design.

12. Switch between 2D and 3D view

In 2D view, you can add assets, scale and rotate them, add colours and more. In 3D view, you can preview your packaging as an interactive prototype. This allows you to visualise how your design will appear in real life. Here’s how to select a view:

1. For 2D view, select the unfolded box icon in the bottom toolbar.
2. For 3D view, select the folded box icon in the bottom toolbar.

Note: When one view is selected, you can interact with the other view in the bottom right corner of the screen.

13. Save & continue

Clicking Save and continue will open a window asking you to confirm if you want to save your design and continue to your order summary. You’ll also have the chance to add any additional information for our artwork team who will proof and prepare your design for production.

Note: You can return to Studio at any time to edit your design.

Still have questions? Chat with an expert