Exploring Why a U.K. Maker Is the Smart Selection for Hitchin
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 ask about the finish, the material or deadlines, you are dealing directly with someone who uses the press every day. They do not need to send the question on to an overseas factory and wait on a response.
UK to UK delivery is usually rapid and trustworthy in a manner that an foreign order rarely can be.
The majority of orders are made ready within two to three weeks after you sign off on the proof, and once sent, our courier network delivers to Hitchin addresses within 1 to 2 working days.
Set that against that with the typical 8 to 12 week baseline lead time for packaging brought in from the EU or the Far East, before you even allow for a delayed container or a customs hold-up.
If you have an urgent launch date or event deadline, please inform us at the initial enquiry stage.
We will confirm candidly whether the schedule works, rather than offering a changeover that leaves you let down.
Personalised packaging for Hitchin enterprises
The packaging formats we provide are suitable for most products, and each one is produced to your measurements and supplied with your brand details.
The right specification depends on the way in which the product is marketed and shipped, so the most efficient way to get the right answer is to tell our packaging experts what you are packing.
Commercial and product packaging
A printed carton takes care of the selling on the shelf when nobody from your team is present to talk through the product.
Reverse tuck end cartons are generally ideal for lighter retail items such as cosmetics, supplements and beauty products, while a crash lock base design offers heavier products with a floor that will not fail during transit.
Both of the prints span every panel, inside and out, including the inside, so the branding is clearly visible regardless of how the box is positioned on a shelf or in a stockroom.
Packaging boxes for online stores
Hitchin’s e-commerce brands are dispatched without interruption.
A bespoke mailer box is commonly the sole physical touchpoint a customer has with a brand, as there is no shop visit or face to face handover to rely on.
Printed both inside and out, it helps safeguard the product across the courier network while helping make the unboxing itself part of your brand marketing. A correctly fitted box also helps reduce the damage and returns caused by one that is incorrectly sized.
A unmarked brown outer will get the parcel where it needs to go, but it tells the customer almost nothing about who mailed it or why it appears the way it does.
Make a strong initial impact as soon as your order arrives with Custom Pack Studio.
Elegant and Presentation Boxes
Tailored gift boxes can make a noticeable difference.
A sturdy box with a clean closure, foil stamping on the lid, or a velvety coating transforms how a product is perceived before it is even opened.
It is specifically the point 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 is most noticeable on a shelf, reflecting the light in a way standard printing never can, while soft touch coating performs better once the box is in someone’s hands, as it suggests quality the moment it is touched.
Raised print falls between the two, placing a logo you can simultaneously view 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 every branding projects require a total box reconstruction.
A printed sleeve fits over an existing tray or product and brings your branding without the need to revamp the entire packaging, making it perfect for a brief promotional run or a time-limited variant.
A folding box folds around flat products such as cards or cosmetics sets, and printed inserts keep loose contents from sliding inside a larger box during transit.
Heavy-duty Crates and Delivery Cartons
A folding carton cannot survive a long courier journey or shield a fragile item on its own.
Corrugated board is suited to that job.
We make corrugated cardboard boxes to custom pack sizes and brand them in full colour, so a Hitchin brand shipping throughout the UK gets protection and presentation in one format, much more than a basic double walled box with a sticker applied on its surface.
Domains Our Company Support Across Hitchin
Hitchin’s business mix covers beauty and skincare brands, jewellery makers, food producers, corporate offices and e-commerce companies.
Food and beverage businesses face the most demanding standards, as product safety in contact with the product takes priority over any thought of how the box looks.
It is where our BRC Global Packaging certification at High Hygiene level truly counts, whether you’re a small run bakery or a wholesale supplier. This is the standard that supermarket buyers and independent retailers usually want to see before they will list a new product.
Jewelry brands often gain more value from their packaging investment than many other business sectors.
A sturdy box with a custom-fit insert is often used to hold an item worth considerably more than the box itself, so the presentation must convey that value.
Cosmetics and fragrance brands rely on protective fitments and premium finishes for the very same reason. As the product itself is small, the box handles most of the persuading when displayed on a retail shelf.
E commerce and recurring businesses need a mailer that reaches them through the courier network intact.
For many online merchants, the parcel is the only physical point of interaction a customer has with the brand.
No Minimum Order:Whatever Quantity Welcome
Ask many packaging suppliers for fifty boxes with your custom design.
You may sometimes be asked to return once you are able to commit to 500, 1,000, or more. This is a significant request for a Hitchin business trialling a new product or testing a small batch before it expands.
We do not apply any minimum at all.
Buy a single sample to assess print quality, 50 boxes for a local stall, or a few thousand once a retail listing shows demand. The process and pricing model remain consistent at every quantity.
Unit price reduces as quantity goes up, which is common throughout the packaging industry.
Reorders employ the same artwork and setup, so you are never charged twice for the design work.
We verify pricing and lead time in writing before production starts, so there is no difference between the estimate and the invoice amount.
Creative support available whatever stage you are at
You don’t need an in-house designer to purchase bespoke packaging here.
If you have a logo and a rough idea of what you need, that is enough to begin. Our team will sort out the box structure, create the print ready artwork and present a proof for your approval before anything goes to press.
For a product that does not suit an off the shelf format, the structural design is included in the price. It is not billed as an extra.
Documents uploaded as a JPEG or screenshot are recreated to comply with proper print specifications.
The majority of artwork arrives lacking the resolution or bleed that a box truly requires.
Our staff checks colour accuracy, resolution and bleed against the press profile before anything goes into production, so the print matches what you approved.
A style meeting is provided if you would rather to go over the alternatives before committing to a brief.
You can use our own online creation tool if you want to design the artwork independently.
Sustainably Obtained, Reusable Materials
Every package we produce is fully recyclable and made from board certified by FSC and PEFC. This means it can be traced through an verified supply chain back to a responsibly managed forest.
We are moving away from single use plastic and EPS foam across the range, replacing them with paper based and biodegradable substitutes wherever the format allows. These materials break down properly at the end of their life in a way plastic and foam materials not.
If a reliable environmental claim matters to you and your audience, we can assist walk you through the range of ways your bespoke packaging can make a difference in reducing waste.
The Reasons Hitchin Businesses Choose Our Custom Pack Studio as Their Leading Packaging Partner
One manufacturing facility, from beginning to end
Every carton we make is cut, decorated and completed all in one place at our Irvine factory.
The identical team manages the quality at every step, rather than the work being handed between subcontractors.
A colour that looks correct on a screen does not always come out identically in print, and the person checking it is the one managing the press.
Faults are noticed and fixed before a box reaches dispatch, by the team that identified the issue at the outset.
Board and ink are likewise sourced from the same suppliers, again and again, so a colour that matched against your first proof will continue to match your fifth reorder two years later.
Supported by close to three continuous decades in the print and packaging industry
Custom Pack Studio launched in 2025, but the factory behind it goes back much earlier.
We are part of KennedySmith (Press) Ltd, a leading print and packaging manufacturer that has run presses since 1997.
That history has built long-standing relationships with board mills and material suppliers. It also shows our team has already dealt with the majority of the challenges a new packaging order can bring.
It is evident in minor points, such as being aware of which board weight can endure a courier trip.
It is equally why we can deal with a delicate perfume box and a heavy duty shipping carton in the very same week, employing presses that have been working with both for years.
Your dedicated contact during the entire order
You will be helped by the identical person from your initial enquiry right through to the final handover
There is no transition between your sales team and a separate production department.
They know your specifications, your timeframe and what you asked for at the proofing stage, so you do not need to say it again at every step.
If a product is on back order or a finish option calls for review, you will be told personally from the member of staff managing your work.
It also means you will not ever have to explain your order from the beginning to another team member partway through the work.
You may contact that person straight away by telephone, message, or direct message, without going through a general enquiries inbox.
The exact same process no matter what the given number
A one sample and a five thousand unit reorder receive the same proof and quality checks before either exits the factory.
No part of it is rushed just because the run is limited, and no part of it is inspected more closely merely because it is big.
A Hitchin business evaluating a new product is given the same treatment as one making a reorder for a national retail listing. The process does not change based on the order size.
That uniformity matters much more than any saving made from a bigger run, as a mismatched batch requires further to put right than it saved in per-unit cost.
Whether it is 50 for test marketing or a few thousand for a shop rollout, the proofing sign off functions in exactly the same way on every occasion.
Request a Complimentary Pricing for Custom Packaging in Hitchin
Call 01294 314 919 or email contact@custompackstudio.co.uk. Let us know what you’re packing, about how many you need, and how the product is sold or shipped. We will respond with a written quote and no obligation to order.
Not prepared to go ahead to a full order? Ask for a physical sample initially, completely without charge. You’ll see exactly how the colour looks in natural light and how a soft touch finish feels in your hand, instead of relying on a screen and hoping for the best._
Design advice is consistently available whenever you require it, there is no minimum order to meet, and each box is made around your product rather than picked from a selection of options.
We produce everything internally and deliver to Hitchin and throughout the UK from our own premises in Irvine. View our full range of packaging products or contact the team to get started.
