Box Blank — A flat corrugated piece cut and scored, ready to be joined with other pieces to make a box.

Box Style — A category that can be used as a helpful descriptor regardless of box size or construction.

Carton — Any box style that can fold and ship flat, used mostly to house retail goods.

Color Mockup — A full-color rendering of a given product’s packaging, created for promotional purposes. Color mockups enable the customer or seller to inspect and perfect every inch of the package design before it’s sent out.

Co-Packer — A company specifically hired to manufacture and package products for a business partner.

Corrugated — An industry term for cardboard boxes.

Corrugated Box Dimension

• Dimensions refer to the interior of a box - length x width x height

• Length being the longest side, width being second longest

CMYK – cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), four color process

Custom Packaging — Non-stock packaging designed for specific needs or to feature business branding.

Die/Cutting Die — A type of tooling that allows for customized branding of packaging products.

Digital Printer — An industrial scale press with the ability to print in multiple colors simultaneously. Ideal for custom packaging.

Direct Print — A type of printing that penetrates the surface of packaging, rather than a label or laminate that goes on top of packaging.

DST - design style tray. Simple Tray used as a Top Cap when shipping pallets

Four Color Process – print process using CMYK to create an image

Flute Corrugation — The wave-like shapes that comprise part of corrugated board’s overall construction.

Fulfillment Center — A facility where products are picked, packed, and shipped after customer purchase.

Lead Time — The amount of time necessary for certain stages within a supply chain to be fulfilled, such as packaging production or product delivery.

Master Packs — A type of packaging designed to ship retail products to stores in shelf-ready packaging, typically made of corrugated fiberboard.

Pantone – also known as PMS. The exact color match of a specific color.

Paperboard – paper stock for printing

Paperboard Carton Dimensions - Dimensions refer to the interior of a carton - length x width x height -  Length (L) is the longer side of the opening and width (W) is the shorter. Height (H) is the length between the openings on either end.

PDQ Display — “Pretty Darn Quick” displays designed for store employees to unpack and shelf merchandise quickly and efficiently.

POP Display — “Point of Purchase” displays designed to promote products with stylish signage near the checkout line.

Point (pt) - thickness of paperboard; 0.001”=1 point

Shroud (wrap) - 2-piece “L shaped” sheet of corrugated used to wrap the perimeter of each pallet when shipping

SKU — “Stock Keeping Unit,” generally refers to different packaging versions of related products.

Substrate – a type of material

Small Run — A limited order of packaging, the minimum amount of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Tooling — Physical material that helps to make custom packaging, such as a die or mold.

Thermoformed plastic – formed plastic to a specific shape or size

Trim - sheet size of litho

Unit box – a carton to hold a selling unit.

Virgin Board — Brown board that has not been bleached white or dyed another color.

Web — An unbroken sheet of paper or paperboard.