Your website looks awesome. Your logo is killer. Your Etsy shop is filled with amazing goodies. You’ve rocked DIY Branding month and you’re ready for business, right?
But wait – how are you going to package your products? Do you have business cards yet? Are you still buying your shipping supplies at the local big box store? And, have you given any thought to making every order pretty? Because a little bit of pretty goes a long way, especially in the creative business world!
I’ve looked high and low and gathered a list of great places to shop for branding and packaging supplies. You’ll find (pretty much) everything you need to package your products with a professional look on a DIY budget. Some of these are obvious, some are sweet, and some of them were my little secret… until now!
PUT YOUR NAME ON IT – Printed Items
Basic Label (China) – woven garment labels, printed clothing labels
Custom Clothing Labels (US) – woven garment labels, printed clothing labels, PVC labels
Custom Couture Label Company (US) – woven garment labels, hangtags, ribbon, zipper pulls, etc.
Got Print (US) – business cards, banners, flyers, catalogues, hangtags, etc.
Jakprints (US) – business cards, flyers, postcards, magnets, banners, etc.
Juke Box Print (Canada) – business cards (including wooden cards, kraft cards, cotton cards, die cut cards), flyers, stickers, rubber stamps, hangtags, etc.
Moo (US) / Moo (UK) – business cards, mini cards (great for hangtags), stickers/labels, postcards, greeting cards
Overnight Prints (US) / Overnight Prints (UK) – business cards, mini cards, magnets, postcards, etc
Sticker Mule (US) – custom stickers, die cut stickers, bumper stickers, electronic skins
Sticker Robot (US) – custom stickers
Sticker You (Canada) – custom vinyl stickers and labels
UV Cards (US) – business cards, postcards, stickers, magnets, etc.
Vistaprint – business cards, flyers, signs, magnets and pretty much anything else you’d want to put your business name on
TIP – Why not reach out to local print shops in your town – support a local small biz & make a personal connection!
PACKAGE IT UP – Packaging Basics
Clear Bags (US) / Clear Bags (Canada) – plastic bags, plastic boxes, food safe boxes, eco plastic packaging, etc
Creative Bag (Canada) – plastic bags, paper bags, tissue paper, boxes, metal tins, etc
In The Clear (US) – paper bags, plastic bags, boxes, metal tins, plastic tubes, ribbon, tape, etc
Muslin Bags (US) – drawstring muslin bags – can order single sample to check sizing, etc.
Online Labels (US) – blank labels in a variety of shapes, sizes & colours. Check out their Customer Creations section for label inspiration.
Papermart (US) – paper bags, plastic bags, jewelry boxes, stationery boxes, muslin bags, ribbon, tags, etc.
Potters (UK) – jewelry boxes, displays, tissue paper, gift bags
Robert H Ham (US) – jewelry packaging, ribbon, tissue paper
SKS Bottle (US) – glass bottles, glass jars, plastic tubes, plastic bottles, plastic jars, etc.
Sunburst Bottle (US) – glass bottles, glass jars, plastic bottles, plastic jars, metal containers, etc.
The Wrappery (Canada) – resealable plastic bags, glassine bags, ribbon, twine, tags – great for smaller quantities if you’re not ready to take the 1000 piece leap just yet!
SEND IT OUT – Shipping Supplies
EcoEnclose (US) – eco-friendly boxes, bubble mailers, poly mailers, labels and packing tape
Romantic Pink (South Korea) – poly mailers in fun colours, cute packing tape
Staples Industrial (US) / Staples Industrial (Canada) – bubble mailers, poly mailers, stay flat mailers, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, etc.
Uline (US) / Uline (Canada) – bubble mailers, poly mailers, stay flat mailers, cardboard boxes, paper bags, etc.
TIP – If you’re not quite ready to invest in 100+ units, try your local dollar store. They often carry bubble mailers and are a good way to see what size(s) you use most before ordering a full case.
MAKE IT PRETTY – Finishing Touches
Caramelos (US) – ribbons, trims, colourful twine, cute accents, etc.
Dacgiri’s Ribbon Shop (South Korea) – ribbon
Knot & Bow (US) – metallic twine, colourful shipping tags, stickers, etc.
Olive Manna (US) – paper bags, shipping tags, ribbon, twine, etc.
Omiyage (Canada) – washi tape, cute paper bags, colourful baker’s twine, shipping tags, stickers, etc.
Really Reasonable Ribbon (US) – ribbon, ric rac, colourful twine
Ribbon Shop (US) – custom printed ribbon, ribbon
The Twinery (US) – colourful baker’s twine
We Sell Coffee (US) – large cones of baker’s twine – not quite as nice as the other designer twines, but perfect if you go through a lot of it!
Whisker Graphics (US) – colourful baker’s twine, cute paper bags, stickers, tags – created Divine Twine & Bitty Bags!
FUN EXTRAS – Other Good Stuff
Pure Buttons (US) – custom pinback buttons, stickers, magnets
Rubber Stamps (US) – custom rubber stamps, self-inking stamps
Simon’s Stamps (US) – custom rubber stamps, self-inking stamps
Six Cent Press (Canada) – custom pinback buttons
Unique Expressions (US) – personalized pencils
HELP OUR LIST GROW: Do you have any secret (or not so secret suppliers) you love and we missed? Or perhaps a branding / packaging supply you’re on the hunt for? Tell us all about it in the comments – our hope is that this list grows with your input!
To find local printers in a variety of flavors (screen print, letterpress, offset), I’d totally recommend Inker Linker (http://www.inkerlinker.com) . Great site to find the custom print shop you need to get your job done, be it business cards or packaging. 🙂
I highly recommend finding a box supplier locally! They seem to cost quite a bit to ship for some reason, and I’ve found that I can save quite a bit by buying local. For those in the Portland, OR area, I’ve found Columbia Corrugated Box to be very helpful and their prices are great!
love this list of resources. one I would add is http://www.namemaker.com/ for a zillion different kinds of personalized ribbon. I’ve been using them for years and have never been disappointed. If you ‘like’ them on FB you get awesome discount codes.
Mailersusa.com has free shipping and wholesale pricing. They ship boxes, tape, and mailers.
great suggestions! I usually print my stickers with an inkjet, but it may be time to upgrade…
My Tip: http://storesupply.com
I get my boxes, tissue and craft paper there. great prices
This is an amazing post. As a small business owner whose shipping is picking up, I definitely will use these suggestions. You’ve made my day because this is going to help save me money and time and hopefully give me more satisfied customers. Thanks for the information!
Oh this is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve used http://www.printrunner.com for hangtags and stickers, and http://www.papermart.com for mailers and paper bags. If you are looking for banners for a craft fair, http://www.buildasign.com is very reasonable, and their support through the whole process is unparalleled. I’ve also been told that http://www.robertham.com is a good place to shop.
Such a fantastic post, thanks so much for sharing! The design and production of my goods isn’t a problem, but finding the right resources (for packaging etc) at the right price is so tricky sometimes. I’ve used a couple of the companies in the list – Crystal Clear Bags and The Twinery – and both offer great service.
Thank you!!
Thanks for mentioning us in your post. 🙂
Thanks for including Creative Bag in your post!
Lorrie Everitt
I always use State Line Bag Company for the muslin bags. http://www.statelinebag.com.
Quality is great, prices are the lowest around and they ship within 3 days. Can’t beat that!
Discovered Maker’s Row: factory sourcing made easy. America’s best factories in one place (http://makersrow.com) on Rena Tom’s blog (http://blog.renatom.net/2013/02/08/maker-manufacturer-tech). Looks like mostly apparel now, but could be a good place to watch.
These decals [www.printingfairy.com/printing/products/vinyl-decals/] are also the beginning with scratch resistant and have a long life than other common decals printed on simple paper printing stock.
Lovely job here Marisa. Thorough for sure….
Well describe about packaging basics.
Packaging Specialties
Thanks for sharing these fantastic information. I love DIY stuffs. 🙂 -http://www.aurorapackaging.com/
Any other suggestions of places to buy reusable canvas bags in larger sizes? Looking to use them to package up wedding invitations suites for my clients.
Thanks for all the helpful links!
This post ROCKS!!!!! Thank you
Thanks for sharing this information.
HI! I have a blog about branding for crafters! My goal is to help any crafter in the design of her branding! With tutorials (jpw to make an envelope, or your own wrapping paper), diy and articles about colours, design and so on.
I hope you like it!
http://www.abrandmadeofglitter.com/
Look into possible options for movers and start getting quotes for pricing. Over the phone inquiries may not be very accurate, so be sure to get an on-site estimate. Ensure the moving vehicle has a USDOT number.
I’d recommend http://www.standoutstickers.com custom stickers
I’m searching for some custom metal tags that I can use on my handbags. Any suggestions on where to go? Thanks!
I wanted to thank you for this websites! Thanks for sharing.Great websites!
I’m searching for somewhere to get small silver discs stamped with a cherry on it as my jewellers makers mark. I think it will be a nice way to start to get my business image out there and help my business name and my jewellery to start getting recognised. Any ideas? All help gratefully received. Thanks in advance. X
Hi Cat Cherry,
It probably depends upon how many you need. I did something like that for myself and bought sheets of silver laser printer adhesive paper (Zweckform) and had them printed at a neighbourhood copy shop. Drawback was that the paper isn’t as shiny as a true foil, but it still lokked good. Another drawback for you would be the round label. That would mean having to use a paper punch in the right size (can get those at any store that sells scrapbooking supplies or ebay). If I were to do it again (an needed a lot more than my 48 stickers), I would try Saxoprint.co.uk. They have really cool metal foil stickers there. They take about a week, but the print is amazing. And they have round ones! 🙂
Cheers,
Holly
Hey! I’m in need of some ideas for creative cushioning material/ void fill options in high end box packaging? We have like 7 bottled samples that are lined inside the box, but I dont want them sliding all around — that would be bad for “presentation”.
Any ideas where I could find something like this?
Email me: awhollen123@gmail.com
Thanks!!!!!
We use crinkle paper from Uline. Messy, but gorgeous in the box
OMGosh what a helpful article. Thank you. I’ve been in a sea of confusion figuring all this stuff out.
http://www.splashpackaging.com is another great source for paper and plastic bags, boxes, tissue paper, gift wrap, ribbon and more!
http://www.foldedcolor.com/ is a great resource custom packaging. Its a complete DIY web to print site for packaging which specializing in short run oders of 50 piece minimums and offers fully printed samples. I think it would be helpful for DIY Branding.