Window Box Packaging

Also called duo-cartons or hybrid boxes, window box packaging is made with SBS paperboard and a clear window to allow shoppers to see the product inside the package. The added visibility increases sales by allowing consumers to take a closer look at the contents inside the box. The window also makes your product stand out on the shelf, inviting potential buyers to examine the product before making a purchasing decision.

Window box packaging comes in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and decoration options. By using decorative processes such as offset printing, hot foil stamping, cold foil, and silk screen printing, you can add attractive accents, eye-catching graphics, and other visually appealing features to further increase consumer interest and sales.

At Printex Transparent Packaging, we have pick-and-place equipment to create window boxes where the entire top half is clear PET, while the bottom half is made of SBS. You’ll see one, two, three, and even four-sided windows on products for many industries, including food, consumer goods as well as cosmetics, toys, stationery, and more. It’s a versatile, effective packaging and marketing solution for many kinds of products.

Window Box Packaging

What Is Plastic Window Box Packaging?

Window Pick-and-Place: How we insert your window into your window box.
Window Pick-and-Place: How we insert your window into your window box.

As companies strive to make more eco-conscious choices, they often work to use more recyclable materials in their packaging. Window box packaging is a great way to do that. These hybrid boxes are typically made of paperboard with a clear plastic window, which enhances product visibility and increases sales while using far less plastic. This makes them a popular choice for food and candy, cosmetics, toys, and more.

Our window boxes are made with Clear PET which is 100% recyclable and that is something many consumers are looking for. Now you can go one step further with another sustainable choice which is our NEW Clear 100% PCR PET! This Post Consumer Recycled Content (PCR PET) is crystal clear and made from 100% recycled materials. Until recently, clear PET used to require a mix of 25% or 50% PCR combined with Virgin PET. Now, 100% PCR PET is available, and it is clear!

As a leading packaging manufacturer and specialist in plastic folding cartons, our expanded product lineup includes rigid and flexible window box packaging, which has the option of a 1,2, 3, or even 4-sided window thanks to our window patching applicators and pick and place windowing machines. We know how important eye-catching yet sustainable packaging solutions are to our customers, and we’re proud to provide these packaging solutions!

Plastic Window Box Examples & Types:

Clear window packaging is available in a broad range of materials and designs. All of our boxes are custom-designed and manufactured to suit your product. The following are some of the most popular clear window packaging methods and materials that we offer at Printex Transparent Packaging.

rigid window cake box with logoPrinted Two-sided Rigid Window Bakery Box

Thanks to our rigid window box packaging, you can upscale your custom cake box to show the front and top of your bakery product! Here we show a two-sided rigid window to showcase your delicious product. Rigid windows can be one, two or three-sided with custom cut shapes. Use a printed window box to get plenty of branding impact while letting your product show through the clear rigid PET window.

Big Machine Vodka Spiked Cooler Pouches Window Box

Rigid Window Box for Spirits Industry

The paperboard box has a panoramic window to display the pouches inside. Auto bottom is perfect for assembly and the dart lock on the tuck top fastens and locks well for retail. The 3-sided panoramic window is made from clear PET. The 3-sided rigid window shows consumers what’s inside and the rest of the paperboard box is branded with high-quality full-color offset print with a gloss finish.

Sephora Window Box with Gable Top

Window Box With Gable Top

This paperboard packaging has a PET window for accessible product viewing, with a Gable Top closure and is printed in CMYK printed graphics for the cosmetics industry.

Panoramic Windowed Paperboard Package With Dynamic Graphics

Panoramic Windowed Paperboard Package With Dynamic Graphics

A hybrid paper/plastic combination carton with embossing and metallic printing. The 3-sided window gives great visibility to the iconic foil-wrapped Hershey Kisses. These special eye-catching effects tempt the consumer to pick up and buy this package. A clear standout on the shelf!

This new packaging has helped drive sales at duty-free shops and airport retailers.

Panoramic Windowed Paperboard Package With Dynamic Graphics For Nonni’s Salted Caramel Biscotti

Panoramic Windowed Paperboard Package With Dynamic Graphics

This hybrid paper window box has been printed with four color graphics and metallic printing. The clear area of the 3-sided window extends 180° front to back to provide the consumer with more visibility of the brand itself. These special eye-catching effects tempt the consumer to pick up and buy this package. A clear standout on the shelf!

Printed Paperboard and Semi-Rigid Plastic Combined Duo-Carton

Printed Paperboard and Rigid Plastic Window Carton 

Don’t hide what’s inside! Get the same visibility of a PVC or acetate window box with a window box made from recyclable clear PET or 100% Post-Consumer Recycled PET.

3-sided Rigid Window Box Beauty Gift Set

3-sided Rigid Window Box Beauty Gift Set

This hybrid paper/plastic combination carton has been printed with four-color (CMYK) printing. The 3-sided clear PET window extends 180° from the front to the side panels to provide the consumer with more visibility of the brand itself. The graphics are printed across the hybrid paper/plastic box.

Panoramic Window and Paperboard Carton Duo-Gift Set

Panoramic Window and Paperboard Carton Duo-Gift Set

This duo gift set features a 3-sided rigid PET window on a Laminated Litho E-Flute that can be easily separated from the paperboard window box carton. Duo-gift packaging sells better when you can see the beauty product featured through the window box packaging.

Rigid vs. Flexible Cellophane Window Patching

There are two types of window boxes, a rigid window box and a flexible window box. Cellophane window patching is also known as windowing, and it is a thin, flexible window. The flexible window, or “glued cello window” can be a more cost-effective solution for windowing your product packaging. A clear cellophane window is usually made of a polyester film, and it can be recyclable. While a flexible cello window may be a more cost-effective option, a rigid window box, commonly made of PET (the same plastic as a water bottle), will provide a more upscale appearance to your packaging. PET rigid windows offer more protection and are used on more luxurious packaging such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or cartons with large or panoramic windows (2 or 3 sides of the carton have a window). However, a cello window is a great cost-effective option for small window openings. The polyester film can be recycled and will work with curved structures, due to its flexibility.

Both clear PET plastic and Cellophane windows are safe for food packaging. PET is contact-safe for food and for Food Safety implementation, it can also be ordered as food grade. Food Grade PET comes with a certificate and lot number to trace the manufacture of the material. Printex Transparent Packaging is also SQF Certified (Safe Quality Food Packaging Certified) and has earned the Silver Ecovadis Certification (EcoVadis is the global standard for business sustainability ratings.)

These Gable Boxes and Folding Cartons are made from SBS with a small cello window. The cello window lets the consumer see the iconic foil-wrapped chocolates inside while the package is mainly comprised of sustainable SBS paperboard with eye-catching offset four-color process print. Because gable boxes and folding cartons can be made from recyclable materials, they offer the added benefit of being eco-friendly. While a sealed fold-over top and automatic bottom provide security, and the shape evokes the idea of a gift bag, gable boxes are perfect for retail!

The Benefits of Plastic Window Boxes

Window boxes help your products stand out on the shelf. Giving the consumer visual access to a product before they buy it comes with several benefits for both you and your customers. These benefits include:
  • Building TrustBuilding Trust
    Building trust between you and the buyer
  • Increasing ValueIncreasing Value
    Increasing the perceived value of the product
  • Improving BrandImproving Brand
    Improving your brand image
  • Increasing SalesIncreasing Sales
    Increasing sales because consumers are drawn to your product on the shelf
  • Product IntegrityProduct Integrity
    Maintaining product integrity, as consumers won’t feel the need to open the package in the store
  • Environmentally FriendlyEnvironmentally Friendly
    Environmentally friendly as the PET window is recyclable, as well as can be made from 100% Post-Consumer Recycled content. The window can be designed for easy separation from the paperboard carton for recycling.

Why Printex Transparent Packaging?

As the largest clear folding box manufacturer in North America, we design easy-to-erect plastic folding cartons. We bring years of experience and expertise to design and produce your package. Our rigid window applicator can apply one, two, three, or four-sided windows to paper folding cartons, and they can be custom-designed to run on automated filling lines for efficiency. Through the years, we’ve produced countless high-quality packages in all shapes and sizes, using offset print, hot foil stamping, cold foil, and silk screen printing to create unique designs that match your brand and attract consumer attention.

Plastic Window Boxes from Printex Transparent Packaging

At Printex Transparent Packaging, we stay on top of packaging trends and adapt to meet our customers’ needs. We’re committed to continued growth and development to ensure we’ll remain your trusted packaging partner for years to come.

Our products are manufactured in our Long Island, New York, and Montreal, Canada facilities. We work closely with our customers to ensure you have the assistance you need throughout the design and manufacturing process. Contact us to learn more about our window box packaging solutions, or request a quote for your project.

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