| With retail chain stores on every high street, there's | | | | 6. Quantity of sheets or rolls? |
| never been a more important time for independent | | | | 7. Colours in design? Standard 1-4 colours, Pantones. |
| retailers to find ways to promote their own brand. | | | | 8. Type of printing? Flexo, Gravure, Litho. |
| However, whether you have one store or five | | | | 9. Any special effects? Metal foil, spot varnish. |
| hundred stores your brand is central to everything you | | | | The quantity and paper finish required will very quickly |
| do to promote your business. | | | | dictate what is possible and what is not for your |
| A growing trend among retailers is to offer a gift | | | | budget. The budget will be dependent on the value of |
| wrapping service. This is true both in the physical world | | | | the gift, assuming you won't be charging for a branded |
| and also with retailing on the internet. It is possible to | | | | gift wrap service. There are three types of printing |
| buy a huge range of stock gift wrap papers. But, this | | | | used to print wrapping paper. These are Flexography, |
| has its disadvantages. Not only is it almost impossible | | | | Gravure and Litho printing. |
| to match your company's corporate colours, but with | | | | Printing wrapping paper rolls using Flexography. For |
| changing trends, a paper chosen today could be out of | | | | simple designs in 1 or 2 colours the minimum quantity is |
| stock tomorrow. | | | | approximately 6 to 12 rolls per design. Roll widths are |
| A better solution for gift wrapping is to have your own | | | | typically from 30cm to 100cm and have a roll length of |
| gift wrap paper custom printed. A simple idea would | | | | 250m. Rolls can be cut and supplied as gift wrap |
| be to have your logo repeated to make an overall | | | | sheets. |
| pattern using your corporate colours. This will work | | | | Printing wrapping paper rolls using Gravure printing. |
| well with a particularly good design. A much better idea | | | | Minimum quantities are often referred to by weights |
| would be to commission some bespoke illustrations | | | | from 100kg for a single colour and up to 1000kg |
| that either reflect your store's product range or | | | | minimum for 4 colour printing per design. Roll widths are |
| possibly a seasonal theme. The company logo can be | | | | from 30cm to 100cm and in roll lengths of 250m. |
| included, but with more subtlety. This way you can | | | | A weight of 100Kg is equivalent to approximately 15 to |
| maintain your corporate brand whilst offering the | | | | 25 rolls, depending on the paper weight and roll width. |
| recipient of the gift something much more appealing. | | | | These 250m counter rolls can also be cut and supplied |
| Remember to give some thought to whether you are | | | | as gift wrap sheets or converted into consumer rolls. |
| going to include ribbons and bows when choosing your | | | | Consumer roll lengths are specified by the customer |
| design theme and colours. Gift wrap ribbons and bows | | | | and typically vary from 1m to 5m in length. |
| will add the finishing touch to any gift. Do think about | | | | Printing wrapping paper using Litho printing. Gift |
| how the fully gift wrapped present is to be packaged | | | | wrapping paper is relatively thin, 60-90g, and not many |
| for posting if you are planning to gift wrap mail order | | | | printers like to put such thin paper through their litho |
| items. You would most likely include the gift wrap | | | | printing presses. Some will print on thicker paper. This |
| materials along with the product for wrapping by the | | | | isn't normally recommended as it makes wrapping gifts |
| gift giver, unless you are sending the gift directly to the | | | | more difficult. A 90g matt white paper provides an |
| recipient. | | | | ideal base for printing gift wrap designs and is thick |
| Custom Gift Wrap Design and Print | | | | enough for litho printing if you can find a supplier that |
| There are printers who specialise in wrapping paper | | | | will do it. The most popular sheet size is 500m x |
| printing. The same is true of designers. Initially you will | | | | 700mm or very close, depending on the printing press |
| need to talk to someone who understands the | | | | and country of supply. Typical minimum quantity is 1000 |
| different processes involved and being armed with | | | | sheets per design. |
| sufficient information at the beginning will help. | | | | There are definite advantages to printing litho. With low |
| 1. Do you require rolls or sheets? | | | | print runs possible and high quality multi-colour printing, |
| 2. What is your preferred paper weight? eg. 60g., 70g., | | | | the starting price for being able to print multiple designs |
| 80g., 90g. | | | | is kept low. With some creativity a wonderful selection |
| 3. Paper quality? Kraft, Varnished, Metallic. | | | | of designs is possible while including a central branded |
| 4. Paper size? Length and width of rolls or sheets. | | | | look. |
| 5. Paper finish? Matt or Varnished. | | | | |