Packaging Solutions

Providing Packaging Solutions For New York City Businesses For Over 100 Years

Packaging Design & Engineering: New York City

Your Brand means everything! Making sure that your products are protected in an attention grabbing packaging is paramount, but it doesn’t end there. Your packaging needs to highlight your identity, differentiate you and if done right, increase your profitability.

Folded & Folding Cartons: Printing and Packaging

Earth Enterprise is an NYC based company that specializes in custom folding carton design and folded carton manufacturing – serving a variety of markets for over 100 years. We are a full service company, handling all aspects of folding carton creation for our clients; From engineering and prototyping to graphic design, manufacturing and delivery of the final product. When your packaging needs to grab attention, inspire customers and protect the product, call us – we’ve got you covered.

Product Displays: Point of Sale (POS)

At Earth Enterprise we design, print and build Custom Point of Purchase Displays uniquely engineered to inspire purchase of your products. We keep your costs down and provide you with one stop shopping, and have not only display engineer’s but graphic designers right here in NYC to support you.

Point of Purchase Displays can provide a 28% boost in sales.

We are one of the most comprehensive sources of affordable custom displays in NYC and serve the world. You can count on us to supply you with the most effective and affordable solution possible.

Product Labels

From apparel and furniture to sporting goods and electronics, Americans rely heavily on the retail industry. In 2013, annual retail industry sales in the U.S. were higher than ever before, at $3.12 trillion. That’s a huge market with so much potential for sales – if your retail products can stand out.

What’s one way to make this happen? By having exceptional custom retail labels, of course.

Whether your retail items need hang tags, product labels, barcode labels, or price tags, digital label printing offers a cost-effective, high quality solution. Digital printing has allowed small and medium sized retailers to create labels in smaller quantities without sacrificing quality.

Beverage Carriers

A Custom Beverage Carrier is any Folding Carton built to accommodate the specific needs of your beverage products. Earth Enterprise provides highly customized packaging for small and large brewers and vineyards including printing, premium coatings, stamping and several carrier and handle configurations.

Custom Beverage Baskets can be created in any size, design, or capacity, like the 6-pack beer carriers; 2, 4 or 6 -pack wine carriers; 750 mL bottles carriers; Bomber, Growler, odd shape and size beverage carriers.

Meet Dan Radlauer: Packaging Designer In New York City

1. How did you get started designing and engineering packaging?

Started printing in 1986. In 1991 I was asked to do a corrugated box job. Said I could do it. Fought my way through and learned how complex and interesting printing 3 dimensional items could be. I found I had a knack for it and then saw that the designers wanted to do these things but really had no clue how to do them.

2. What skills are needed to be a good packaging designer?

A natural ability to understand 3 dimensions in your mind is either there or it isn’t.

If it isn’t there you will never understand packaging design. My job is to flatten out those 3 dimensions into 2 dimensions (flat template) so designers can do what they are good at.

I think about and almost fully design boxes in my mind before I make any drawings or comps.

I have worked with tools and building things my entire life. Packaging in just another thing to figure out, design and build. A knowledge of the equipment used to manufacture is critical. You can design anything but it has to be done in a way that it can be mass manufactured cost effectively with the equipment that exists.

It is important to know which material is right for a particular application. Solid Board, Corrugated (different types) and non-paper based substrates all have their role in packaging.

3. How long have you been in the packaging design/engineering and printing business?

I am a 4^th generation printer. Started working summers in the family business at 14. Went to RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) from 1982 – 1986 and received a BA in Printing Technology. Working in printing in NYC full time since 1986.

4. How long does it usually take you to design packaging? Not a simple question. Jobs are so different based on the client and their knowledge of the product or process.

Designs evolve. I like to start with a meeting so I can listen and understand the client’s needs. Once I have an understanding I can share ideas or show materials and samples that I think are appropriate. Once we develop a mutual understanding I can proceed with designs and provide a comp. That helps bring us in the right direction. Once a physical comp exists it is much easier for the client to understand and to provide input for adjustments. Upon completion and approval of a comp an Illustrator file is created. We can apply graphics to that or give it to the client and their designers can do it.

5. What do you need from a client to create a good design?

I need the product, to understand the message the client is trying to send and end. Photos, samples or a description of what they are looking for. Product samples if it is packaging. How and where will the final package product or display will be used.

6. What kinds of packaging design do you do?

Hmmm… Paperboard, corrugated, plastics

7. Why do you like packaging design?

It is technical art. Requires problem solving, creativity and technical knowledge. Challenging and rewarding. I love to design something then see hundreds or thousands get produced. I often wonder how much my designs may have contributed to a products sales. I want the end user to sense something unique about my designs and have it stand out.

8. What industry types do you design packaging for?

Open ended – anything. There seems to be a big demand for start up companies looking to cost effectively get packaging designed and manufactured in smaller quantities. They want a box and assume there are “standard” designs and they do not have to pay for the structural design to be created. I keep that cost low.

9. Do you provide prototyping/comps for new clients?

Drawings and a quick comp I do for free of I think client is real. Making CAD designs requires a commitment to the project as costs are involved.

10. What motivated you to start designing and engineering packaging?

I like it and I believe that packaging is an area of print that will continue to be stable and grow.

11. What makes your packaging design skills unique?

When you meet with me as a salesman you are also meeting directly with the structural designer. Ideas are developed at the table in the first meeting. Turn around time from initial meeting to finished structural design is much much quicker than meeting with a salesman who then goes back to the designers and describes what was discussed then waits for them to design something.

How am I different: I like to go to a meeting and if I think it’s real deal then I go home and make a quick comp that evening. I can be at their office the next day with a physical comp. My competition takes a minimum of several days for a first comp. By the time their first comp arrives at the client we are at round 2 or 3 and about to sign off on the design. I don’t want to promise this to everyone on the website but it’s how I do it. You figure out how to say it I guess.

12. What tools/software do you use when engineering your designs?

Let’s discuss. I am a dinosaur using a cutting mat and a knife. I bring the drawings to Warren or a diemaker to create Illustrator files. These files make CAD samples. Upon approval of the CAD sample an Illustrator file is provided to the client to place graphics.

13. What is the most challenging aspect of creating a new design?

I try to make every project new, unique and different.

Reality there are some basic proven designs that work well and make for efficient manufacturing.

Selecting the correct proven design is just as important as creating something new.

14. Do you design point of sale displays in addition to product packaging?

Yes – Doing an AMAZING one right now. Very technical.

15. Can you provide a few examples of your most rewarding packaging designs?

Yes