How Come the UK Manufacturer Works in service of Durham
Custom Pack Studio is a division of KennedySmith (Press) Ltd, a manufacturer that has been making print and packaging in Scotland since 1997.
When you make an enquiry about the finish, a material or the deadline, you are dealing directly with someone who uses the press every day. They do not need to pass the question on to an overseas factory and wait on a response.
UK to UK delivery is fast and consistent in a way an over-the-border order infrequently is.
The majority of orders are ready within two to three weeks after you sign off on the proof, and once sent out, our courier network ships to Durham addresses in just one to two working days.
Compare that with the typical 8 to 12 week baseline lead time for packaging shipped from the EU or the Far East, before you even factor in a late container or a customs holdup.
If you have an significant launch date or event deadline, tell us at the initial contact stage.
We shall verify candidly whether the timescale fits, rather than promising a changeover that leaves you let down.
Tailored Packaging for Durham Corporations
The box styles we supply fit most products, and each one is made to your sizes and finished with your brand details.
The packaging format that is best suited depends on how the product is offered and shipped, so the most direct way to get to the correct answer is to let know our packaging experts what you are packing.
Shop and merchandise packaging
A branded carton does the selling on display shelves when no one from your crew is there to describe the product.
Reverse tuck end boxes are appropriate for light retail goods such as cosmetics, supplements and beauty products, while a crash lock base provides weightier items with a floor that will not give way in transit.
Both prints across every panel, including the inside, so the branding stays on show whatever way the box ends up sited on a shelf or in a stockroom.
Shipping boxes for online vendors
Durham’s online retail brands are sending orders all the time.
A custom mailer box is frequently the single tangible interaction a customer has with a brand, as there is no shop visit or face to face handover to rely on.
Printed, it safeguards the product across the courier network while turning the unboxing itself part of your promotional strategy. A well-fitted box also cuts down on the damage and returns caused by one that is incorrectly sized.
A unmarked kraft outer will send the parcel there, but it gives the customer almost nothing about who mailed it or why it seems the way it does.
Make a big impression from the instant it comes with Custom Pack Studio.
Special and Presentation Boxes
Custom gift boxes create a difference.
A sturdy box with a seamless closure, foil stamping on the lid, or a soft-feel coating transforms how a product is perceived before it is opened.
It is specifically the issue for jewellery, perfume and boutique food brands, where the packaging constitutes part of what the customer has purchased.
Foil stamping is the surface treatment that catches the eye most on a shelf, reflecting the light in a way standard printing never can, while soft touch coating is more effective once the box is in someone’s hands, as it conveys quality the moment it is touched.
Embossing sits between the two, placing a logo you can simultaneously see and feel, and it works especially well on jewellery and perfume boxes, where the surface itself becomes part of the presentation.
Sleeves and wallets
Not all branding project requires a total box rebuild.
A custom-printed sleeve slides over an existing tray or product, providing your branding without the need to rethink the entire pack, making it ideal for a brief promotional run or a seasonal variant.
A wallet style box folds tidily around flatter products such as cards or cosmetics sets, while custom printed inserts help stop loose items shifting inside a bigger box during transit.
Cardboard boxes and delivery boxes
A fold-away carton will not withstand a prolonged courier journey or a fragile item by itself.
Fluted board is designed for the purpose in question.
We manufacture corrugated cardboard boxes to bespoke pack sizes and print them in full colour, so a Durham brand shipping nationwide receives protection and branding in one format, well beyond a basic double-walled box with a sticker added on top.
Markets We Work With Across Durham
Durham’s portfolio includes beauty and skincare brands, jewellery makers, food producers, corporate offices and e-commerce companies.
Food businesses encounter the toughest pressures, because product safety constantly takes priority over the appearance of the box.
That is where our BRC Global Packaging certification at High Hygiene level becomes significant, whether you’re a small batch bakery or a wholesale supplier. It is the measure that supermarket buyers and independent retailers often want to see before they will take on a new product.
Jewellery brands frequently derive more via their own packaging spend than most other categories.
A rigid box with a fitted insert typically houses an item worth much more than the box itself, so the overall presentation must reflect that value.
Cosmetics and perfume brands rely on protective fitments and premium finishes for the same purpose. The product is small, so the box carries out most of the selling on a shelf.
Online retail and subscription businesses require a mailer that reaches them through the courier network in one piece.
For many online sellers, the parcel is the only physical interaction a customer has with the brand.
Absolutely no Minimum Order: Any Quantity Welcome
Request most packaging suppliers for 50 boxes branded with your own design on them.
You will regularly be asked to come back once you are ready to commit for 500 or 1,000. For a Durham business testing a new product or testing a small batch before growing, that is a considerable demand.
We do not set a minimum amount at all.
Buy one sample to assess the print quality, 50 boxes for a market stall, or several thousand once a retail listing shows market demand. The process and pricing structure stay the same at all quantities.
Unit cost decreases as order quantity rises, as is typical throughout the industry.
Reorders share the same artwork and setup, so you are never charged twice for the design work.
We set out the cost and timescale in writing before production commences, so there is no discrepancy between the estimate and the invoice.
Help with design offered, regardless of stage you are at
You needn’t have an in-house designer to arrange custom packaging here.
If you have a logo and a rough idea of what you want, that should be enough to begin. We will work out the box structure, prepare the print ready artwork and show you a proof for approval before anything goes to print.
For a item that does not fit an off the shelf format, structural planning is included in the price. It is not charged as an added extra.
Documents provided as a JPEG or screenshot are rebuilt to comply with proper print specifications.
Most designs is submitted without the image resolution or bleed that a package genuinely requires.
Our crew checks colour accuracy, resolution and bleed against the press profile before any files goes into production, so the print matches what you signed off.
A planning appointment is provided if you would like to go over the alternatives before agreeing to a plan.
You can equally use our in-house online design tool if you want to design the artwork yourself.
Reusable, responsibly sourced components
Every item we make is fully recyclable and crafted from board bearing FSC and PEFC approval. So it can be traced through an audited supply chain directly back to a sustainably managed forest.
We’re moving away from single use plastic and EPS foam throughout the range, replacing them with paper based and biodegradable alternatives wherever the format allows. These materials break down properly at the end of their life in a way that plastic and foam do not.
If a trustworthy sustainability claim matters to you and your customers, we can help guide you through the different ways your custom packaging makes an difference by reducing waste.
Reasons Durham Brands Choose Custom Pack Studio to be Packaging Solutions Provider
One plant, through every stage
Every package we make is sliced, marked and completed entirely in-house at our Irvine factory.
The identical team oversees standards at every stage, rather than the work being handed from one subcontractor to another.
A colour that appears correct on screen will not always print the same way, and the person proofing it is the one managing the press.
Faults are identified and resolved before a box reaches dispatch, by the very same team that spotted the issue initially.
Board and ink are also supplied from the same suppliers, time after time, so a colour that matched your first proof will still match your fifth reorder after two years.
Supported by close to three decades in printing and packing
Custom Pack Studio was launched in 2025, but the factory behind it can be traced much further.
We are part of the team at KennedySmith (Press) Ltd, a trusted print and packaging manufacturer that has used presses since 1997.
That background has given us well-established relationships with board mills and material suppliers. It also means we have a team that has already handled many of the challenges a new packaging order can pose.
That is reflected in small nuances, including understanding which board weight can withstand a courier journey.
It also explains why we can deal with a delicate perfume box and a heavy duty shipping carton during the same week, with presses that have managed both for years.
One dedicated contact during the complete order
You will deal with the same person from your initial contact right through to the completed delivery.
There is never transfer between your sales staff and a distinct production team.
They understand your requirements, your timescale and what you requested at the proofing stage, so you do not need to keep repeating yourself at every step.
If a material is on back order or a finish needs re-assessing, you will hear straight away from the person handling your job.
It also means you will never have to explain your order from the start to a new person partway through the work.
You may reach that person straight away by telephone, electronic mail, or direct message, without first having to use a main enquiries inbox.
A identical method, irrespective of the volume
A single sample and a five thousand unit reorder go through the very same proofing and quality checks before either leaves the factory.
No part of it is done in haste just because the run is short, and nothing is examined in greater detail merely because it is big.
A Durham firm testing a new product is treated to the same standard as one submitting a repeat order for a national retail listing. The procedure remains the same, whatever the order size.
That consistency matters far more than does any cost saving on a larger run, because a mismatched batch costs extra to put right than it saved in unit price.
Whether it is fifty units for a trial run or thousands for a retail launch, the proofing sign-off functions in precisely the same way each time.
Get a free quotation for custom packaging in Durham
Call 01294 314 919 or email contact@custompackstudio.co.uk. Let us know what you are packing, roughly how many you require, and how the product is sold or shipped. We will reply with a written quote and no obligation to order.
If you are not ready to commit to a full purchase? Request for a physical sample first, without charge. You will find exactly how the colour appears in natural light and how the soft touch finish feels in your hand, instead of relying on a screen.
Design assistance is available at all times when required, there is no minimum order to meet, and every box is made around your product, not taken from a shelf of pre-made templates.
We produce every item in-house and supply Durham and areas across the UK from our own factory in Irvine. Explore our complete range of packaging products or contact the team directly to begin.
