Custom Display Boxes

How a counter display stands up

A display box is a tray with a back and header, folded from one flat sheet to stand on a counter or shelf.

The tray holds several units of a product and presents them at the front. A raised header carries the brand and the message. Perforations let a shipping carton tear open and convert into the display.

Everything is die cut from one sheet, so the unit ships flat and goes up in seconds in the shop. The structure has to hold the product count without bowing and stay upright without a separate stand.

• Tray, back panel and header from one sheet
• Perforated tear-away sections convert shipper to display
• Ships flat, folded up at the point of sale

Paperboard or E-flute?

Paperboard is smooth and light. E-flute is stiffer and carries more weight without bending.

Solid paperboard prints crisply and suits light products such as sachets, cosmetics and small confectionery. It can sag if the load is high or the display is tall.

E-flute corrugated is thicker and stiffer, which suits heavier items and larger counts. Its surface carries print a little less cleanly. Kraft board is available in either build for a natural look. Pick by the heaviest filled unit, not the empty one.

• Paperboard: sharper print, lighter loads
• E-flute: stiffer, heavier products
• Kraft: natural look in either build

Count, facing and shelf space

Decide how many units, how they face the shopper, and how much space the retailer has, before drawing the structure.

Start with the product's dimensions and how many must sit in the tray. Then check the space available. A counter has limited width and a shelf has limited depth, and many retailers set their own limits on display size. Send us the product's size, the count and the space you have, and we draw the tray around them.

The angle of the product matters too. A tilted tray shows the front of every unit, while a flat one shows only the first row. Custom compartments hold each item upright and stop sliding, and they set the sightline from the shopper's eye height.

Display box or folding carton?

A folding carton wraps one product. A display box presents several and often doubles as the shipping pack.

A carton protects and sells a single unit. It sits on the shelf as one of many, and the shopper picks it up. A display box groups units in one structure that stands apart and draws attention.

The two often work together, with cartons sitting inside the display. A display saves shelf labour because the retailer sets out one unit rather than many. It does take more space than a row of cartons, which some stores will not give.

Print where the shopper looks

Put the artwork on the panels that face the aisle, and keep the rest simple.

The header and the front of the tray carry the brand and message. The inside of the tray is seen only once the product is gone, so heavy print there rarely earns its place. Print coverage is a real cost driver, so spend it on what is seen.

Counter displays get touched often, and unvarnished print scuffs. A varnish or light coating helps, as does keeping dark solid colour away from the fold lines, where cracks show first. Kraft shifts colours, so on a kraft display we set the artwork up for brown board rather than white.

Counter display or plain shipping case?

A counter display is the pick where a retailer gives it a place to stand. A plain shipping box is the pick when the stock goes onto the retailer's own shelves or out by post.

Many retailers have their own fixtures, shelving or planograms, and will not accept an extra display, so confirm space before designing. Where there is no space, the cartons go straight onto their shelves, delivered in a plain shipping box. A display also adds little for products sold online, where there is no shelf to stand on.

Heavy or very fragile goods can overwhelm a paperboard structure, and a long-term fixture needs stronger materials than a promotional display. For heavier stock we build the tray in E-flute, which carries more weight than paperboard without bowing.