Cut-Out Front Display Trays

Board Choices for Weight and Durability

Light items such as sweets and lip balms sit well in folding boxboard trays, which print with fine detail. Heavier products, such as cans, jars or multipacks, need a corrugated tray with a fluted board that resists sagging; the guide to board and card types explains the flutes. E-flute corrugated is thin enough for good print and strong enough for most retail products; B-flute is thicker and suits heavier loads or trays that ship stacked.

If trays will sit in a chilled cabinet, mention it, as condensation can soften board; a coated or laminated surface helps them keep their shape longer.

Glue-free locking corners are worth asking for if staff assemble trays in store, as they fold up quickly and hold firm without tape.

Where a tray is part of a shipping case, the outer case board must be strong enough for the journey, while the tray part must still tear away cleanly. We set the perforation strength with both jobs in mind.

Printing the Front Lip and Sides

The front lip is the most visible part of the tray and should carry your logo or product name in large, clear type. The sides are seen when the tray sits at the end of a shelf, so printing them too gives you visibility from the aisle. The inside back wall shows when the tray empties, so a message such as the product name or a reorder code is useful to staff.

Full colour print on white board gives bright results for confectionery and snacks; kraft board with one or two colours suits natural food brands and craft products. A matt or gloss lamination protects the print from handling.

Remember that shop lighting varies. Colours that look rich on screen can look darker under warm lights, so very dark designs benefit from a slightly lighter shade on the proof.

Sizing a Tray to Your Products

Start with how many units you want in one tray and how you want them arranged: one row deep, two rows side by side, or stacked. Measure a single product and multiply out, adding a few millimetres of clearance so items slide in and out easily, following the measuring guide for custom packaging. Check the tray will fit the shelves of your main stockists, as many shops have a standard shelf depth and height between shelves.

Front height matters too. Too low and products can tip out; too high and you lose the display benefit. We usually suggest a front around a third of the product height, adjusted for the shape of the item.

Making Life Easier for Retail Buyers

Retail buyers judge new products partly on how easy they are to stock. A tray that arrives ready to put out, fits their shelves and stays tidy as it empties is a strong point in your favour. Including the product name, flavour and a barcode on the outer case also helps staff find and restock the right tray quickly.

If you are pitching to a chain, ask whether they have rules for shelf-ready packaging, such as maximum tray heights, colour bands or specific opening methods. Designing to those rules from the start avoids a second print run.

For smaller independents, a bright header card behind the tray, like the one on a counter display box, helps your product get noticed on a busy counter, where many brands compete for the same few square centimetres. Keep the header message short: product name, a key benefit and your logo are plenty.

Load a Plain Tray With Real Stock and Lift It by One End

The test that decides a cut-out tray is a lift. Fill a plain tray of the size you have in mind with the real product and pick it up by one end the way a shop assistant will. If the base bows or the front lip splays, the board is too light and the tray wants E-flute or B-flute corrugated rather than folding boxboard. While it is loaded, decide how low the cut-out should go; around a third of the product height shows the pack without letting items tip out. Then count the units per tray.

Send the product sizes, the units per tray, the board preference and artwork, and a custom quote comes back by email within one working day, minimums low and quoted per job so a short first run can test a few shops. A free design proof shows the flat tray with print on each panel. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and the flat trays reach UK mainland addresses on free tracked delivery in 2 to 3 working days. Brands that ship cases straight to shelf usually add tear-away PDQ trays in the same artwork.