Design & Packaging
Vetted packaging suppliers, label designers, and template resources.
Comment Section
- Pinned
Start Here
Packaging and label design turn a good product into one people actually want to buy — this is where we'll collect vetted options as we find them: packaging suppliers, label designers, and template resources worth a look. Check back as this list grows.
Getting Your Logo & Label Designed: DIY or Hire It Out
Everything else in this section covers printing and materials — this one's about the actual design work, logo and label artwork, which is a different problem entirely. If you're comfortable doing it yourself, Canva is the standard starting point: a free (with an optional paid tier) drag-and-drop design tool with templates built specifically for labels and packaging. A lot of small food businesses design their own branding entirely through Canva, especially early on. If design isn't your thing, or you'd rather spend your time elsewhere, Fiverr is a reasonable place to hire an actual freelance designer for a logo or label, often for a modest fixed price rather than an agency-level bill. Read reviews and look at a designer's past work before committing — quality varies widely on any freelance marketplace, so it pays to vet who you're hiring rather than picking the cheapest listing.
Packaging & Labels: Where to Start, When to Scale Up
You don't need custom printed packaging on day one — most people starting out use plain mylar bags or pouches (see Impak Corporation) with a printed label applied on top, which is both the cheapest and the fastest way to get selling. OnlineLabels.com is a good starting point for that: no minimum order, fast turnaround, and a free nutrition-label generator tool that's worth knowing about even if you don't buy anything else from them. Once you have real sales volume and want your product to look like a finished brand rather than a jar with a sticker on it, custom-printed pouches are the next step — your logo, colors, and branding printed directly on the bag itself. ePac Flexible Packaging is built specifically for this transition: unlike older-style packaging printers that required committing to thousands of units upfront, they'll do runs as small as 100 pouches per design. It's still a bigger commitment than a sheet of labels, so it's worth waiting until you have some sales history and know your packaging sizes aren't about to change.
Links
- Canva ↗ — Free (with an optional paid tier) drag-and-drop design tool with label and packaging templates. The DIY option for designing your own logo and labels without hiring anyone.
- Fiverr ↗ — Freelance marketplace to hire a designer for a logo or label, often at a modest fixed price. The hire-it-out option — check reviews and past work before choosing someone.
- OnlineLabels.com ↗ — Blank or custom-printed product labels, no minimum order, fast 2–3 day turnaround. Includes a free nutrition-label generator tool. The low-cost starting point before investing in custom printed packaging.
- ePac Flexible Packaging ↗ — Custom-printed pouches made in the USA, built for small businesses — online orders start at 100 pouches per design (500 minimum total), custom quotes start at $1,500. No plate fees, and different flavors/varieties can be mixed in one order. The step up once you're ready for branded packaging.
- Impak Corporation ↗ — Supplies mylar bags, pouches, and oxygen absorbers for food storage and packaging, serving both individual and bulk/custom orders — about 75% of their work is custom sizing, printing, or materials. A good source once you're ready to buy mylar in volume rather than retail-pack quantities.