Part one of the glossary (A - L) can be found here.
Outside view: the outside view of packaging is the view of the outside design.
Overprint: this is the process of printing one colour on top of another colour. It can be enabled or disabled in your design software depending what kind of look you are going for.
Offset printing: This is another printing technique but in this process, the design is ‘etched’ on to metal plates that applies ink to paper. This has a high set up cost but is more economical for large numbers of prints in the long run.
Packaging design: packaging design is the process of designing and creating a container for your goods.
Pantone: the pantone matching system (PMS) is a system created by the company Pantone. Each colour has a number assigned to it which allows it to be almost identically reproduced by any printer.
PCRs: PCRs are little bits that come from product packaging (i.e. shampoo bottles) that have been recycled. The use of PCR can really reduce the carbon footprint of packaging, which in turn makes the packaging sustainable.
PDF: this stands for portable document format (bet you didn’t know that!). It’s a file format that is widely used can be either be a vector or raster and supports images and text. PDFs are useful because they can be opened on nearly any computer.
Paperboard: this is a paper-based material that is used in packaging. The general rule is that its thicker than paper.
Point of sale: this is a term widely used in the packaging industry. The point of sale is the place where a customer pays for your products or services. Having an efficient POS can really benefit your business.
Pillow pack: this is a type of packaging which pops into shape. It looks a little like a cardboard pillow and is often used for smaller products.
PPE: this stands for personal protective equipment and protects users against health and safety risks (you might have heard of it recently because of the coronavirus pandemic), as well as being used in hospitals and for medical purposes it is also used a lot in the packaging industry to protect employees.
Press and pull catches: push and pull catches are opened by pushing a button but they are useful because they stay closed under impact.
Royal mail sizes: these are guidelines and sizes set out by the royal mail. They include maximum sizes and weights for different packaging prices and forms.
Raster file type: another file type. This one is made up of loads of tiny pixels (which are like little dots). These are actually quite difficult to resize so not that universal.
RGB: this stands for red, green, and blue. These can be combined to create all other colours on digital screens. RGB codes are used to identify colours in digital spaces. They can be converted into CMYK and Pantone colour codes.
Supply chain: the supply chain involves all the processes involved in the production and distribution of a product.
Single pass printing: this is a printing method that can print very quickly and efficiently (but in less detail).
SKU: A SKU (pronounced /skew/), Stock Keeping Unit, is a unique code that consists of letters and numbers that identify characteristics about each product.
Stack height: stack heights are regulations with regards to safely stacking packaging so that there is no health and safety risk.
Stock control: stock control is the processing of keeping on top of the amount of needed and the amount of stock available. The aim is to be able to meet custom demand without delay (so predicting trends etc.) but whilst keeping up front costs as low as possible.
Sustainability: the use of packaging which has little or no detrimental impact on the environment, this can mean a variety of things.
Tamper resistant seal: a tamper resistant seal can’t be opened without it being obvious – in other words, the product can’t be tampered with without the seal being damaged.
Tear strip: this is a plastic film or card put inside the packaging to aid in opening it easily and quickly.
Unit cost: this is the cost per unit e.g. the total expense including the cost to produce, store, and sell. This includes all overhead costs too.
Unboxing: an unboxing is the process of a customer recording themselves opening up a package, usually posted on social media.
Vector: a vector is a graphic with is made up of lines and defined by start and end points. Because the image is not made up of pixels/dots it can easily be scaled and resized without loosing the quality of the image. This can also be a type of file.
Void fill: void fills are materials used to fill your packaging and protect it from damages, either by stopping it from moving around or by providing a cushion from any potential impact.
Complete Packaging is a packaging and fulfilment company based in Buckinghamshire. We offer a comprehensive range of services including: CAD services, retail packaging design, point of sale design, stock control, warehousing and more.
If you would like to find out more about the services we offer, get in touch with us today. We would be more than happy to talk about your requirements.
