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Can I get sheets of the stuff used on product packaging/envelope windows? What glue?

CZroe

CZroe

Lifer
I want to make a few hundred custom boxes for a large collection of identically-shaped items (maybe more to share with others). I have a template for the solid box I need but I want to modify it by cutting a hole in the front that goes partially around the top flap like a windowed donut box. I'm looking for a source for the right kind of clear plastic sheets and glue.

Best I can think of is transparency film from an office supply store, which is how I will make my mock-ups but that stuff is kind of expensive and I don't know how well it sticks to paper glue.

I considered getting a lot more made from a real product packaging company but I can't find anything appropriate. Does anyone have any suggestions on that front?
 
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Crono said:
Maybe cellophane sheets?
http://www.uline.com/BL_8991/Cello-Sheets?keywords=plastic sheets
Click to expand...

That's probably it! Thanks. Now I just have to get the right kind of glue. Something that's not sticky after it cures. Hmm...

On product packaging a line of glue is typically traced around the opening and the cello window material is cut with enough excess to cover the hole and the glue. It usually looks like a line of wax holding the window on to the paper. I think it's the same stuff used to glue the flaps closed on cereal boxes and such. It's usually hard and not sticky when you peel it open.
 
super 77 stays sticky.

i think they usually use some sort of hot melt for the more rigid stuff like what you are doing. I would try regular hot glue for your prototype.

gum glues for the flexible stuff, like paper.
 
Crono said:
This should work.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Super-77-16-75-fl-oz-Multi-Purpose-Spray-Adhesive-77-CC/100067550

It would be better if it had a straw to direct aim at a small spot, but you could probably spray into a container and brush on.

Rubber cement might work, too. Or epoxy, if you want something stronger.
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I dunno. Seems kinda hard to put a thin line of spray adhesive around the opening without using a stencil and wasting it. The stuff they use on cereal boxes is probably much cheaper too (I plan to do hundreds of these).

Edit: OIC the edit. Digesting.

Edit 2: Yeah, I was thinking about finding some way to make thin lines of rubber cement with a controlled applicator but I would prefer something that isn't sticky if it gets peeled off. At least rubber cement can be rubbed off of anything it sticks to.
 
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herm0016 said:
super 77 stays sticky.

i think they usually use some sort of hot melt for the more rigid stuff like what you are doing. I would try regular hot glue for your prototype.

gum glues for the flexible stuff, like paper.
Click to expand...

Ah, well it's not going to be very rigid. I'm basically aping the disposable boxes that the originals had but using a window so that each unique item doesn't need to be labeled. I might use thicker/stiffer paper than the original box but there's no real need.
 
CZroe said:
Ah, well it's not going to be very rigid. I'm basically aping the disposable boxes that the originals had but using a window so that each unique item doesn't need to be labeled. I might use thicker/stiffer paper than the original box but there's no real need.
Click to expand...

by rigid, i mean poster board like. how large is the "box" what weight paper are you using? the box structure should make the whole thing fairly rigid.

what are the dimensions of the box and window?
 
herm0016 said:
by rigid, i mean poster board like. how large is the "box" what weight paper are you using? the box structure should make the whole thing fairly rigid.



what are the dimensions of the box and window?
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Yeah. Poster board-like is how I would describe the original boxes. The original boxes are fairly flimsy but I'm hoping these are a dime a dozen so that it doesn't need to be sturdy. The original boxes are about the thickness of three Blu-Ray cases stacked but a bit taller and wider.

Imp said:
A few hundred... what kind of manufactory you running...
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If I say then it will hit Google and at the pace I move it will likely get done by someone else first. 😛 Oh, no... can't have that.

Here's a hint though:
There are about 700 individual items in the collection of which I have more than 200 (closer to 300 counting duplicates), but I don't need nearly that many even. Many of mine have the original box and I can print out replicas for some of the others using the template I already have (no window needed). That still doesn't get me close to having them all boxed in a row, which is why I want to make my own boxes. I want to make extra so anyone I offload my dupes on will likely appreciate them too. I expect to end up with even more dupes in the near future as I look for deals on some of the ones I want and this will help me stand out from the pack... until someone copies me.
 
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He's boxing his stuff he always talks about in another sub forum... Sounds like he wants to recreate the original sleeves.
 
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smackababy said:
He's boxing his [deleted]... Sounds like he wants to recreate the original sleeves.
Click to expand...
Ding! Ding! Ding!

Yup, but could you please edit that out and link to my collecting thread instead? I genuinely want to finish mine first and this absolutely will be found by others on Google, which is a concern I expressed earlier.

I wasn't trying to keep it a secret from you guys, which is why I gave so much detail. I just know that the topic is heavily searched and marketed to so people will find this before I am ready to share. It's why I chose to ask here instead of on a collector's forum (the specifics I needed were irrelevant to collecting anyway).

Edit: Thanks!
 
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Though the moderators may consider this spam, I actually appreciate you proactively reaching out to potential clients this way. Thanks! I'm looking into it. 🙂
 
Cellophane is the material you describe in commercial boxes. It is NOT the same as the polyethylene film used in the tops of facial tissue boxes. Cellophane is very thin, clear and smooth, feels a bit brittle. Rubber Glue will work, I'm sure, but can be hard to apply only a small bead. I expect a hot melt glue is best, but you will need to practice making only small bead lines with a small craft gun, and to work fast so you can apply the cellophane pane quickly before the glue hardens. Be sure to apply a bit of lateral tension to edges and corners so the sheet gets glued in place very flat with no wrinkles.
 
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