Mouse Packaging Boxes.

A mouse has compound curves and no flat face, so a rectangular insert lets it rock and scuff its shell against the card. A moulded pulp cradle is formed to the underside of the specific shell, which spreads contact across a broad area and holds it in one position.

Each model gets its own cradle. We don't use one cradle across a range, because a few millimetres of difference in shape brings the rocking straight back.

The cradle supports the mouse from underneath and along its sides, with clearance left above the buttons and the scroll wheel. Nothing in the box sits on the top surface, so a stacked or dropped carton can't hold a button down or push on the wheel.

For less sculpted shells, a fitted board insert is a lower-cost alternative that still keeps the load off the controls.

Yes, a window panel shows the shell shape and colour, and where the retailer allows it, a touch opening lets people feel the grip. Hand feel is hard to judge from a photo, and it's usually what decides the sale.

We cut the window so the cradle frames the mouse at a good angle. The dongle, cable and paperwork sit in a separate compartment behind or below it, out of the view.

Full CMYK on folding boxboard covers most ranges, with matte lamination for gaming and productivity lines. Soft-touch lamination suits a mouse with a soft-coated shell, since the pack then feels like the product before it's opened.

The spec panel on the front carries DPI, connectivity and button count in large type. We also leave room for the wireless compliance marks, and we need those confirmed before artwork is finalised.

Most mice pack into a box around 5 by 4 by 2 inches, and larger ergonomic or gaming models closer to 6 by 4.5 by 2.5 inches. Both figures are inside dimensions.

We size from the mouse's length, width and height at its tallest point, plus the cradle wall and any accessory bay. A vertical mouse is measured standing in the orientation it will sit in the cradle.

Our minimum for these boxes is 500. From 1,000 upward the price per box moves to a lower tier, and a single production run tops out at 100,000.

Since each cradle is shaped to one model, plan on a separate cradle for every shell shape in your range, even when the outer carton design is shared between them.

Production runs 7 to 10 business days after approval, and a rush option cuts it to 5 to 7. Sampling takes 5 to 7 business days, and on a formed cradle we'd always sample before bulk to check the fit against a production shell.

Whatever you pay for the sample is credited against the production order, so nothing is lost by checking the cradle first.

Moulded pulp is usually made from recycled paper fibre and is accepted in most curbside paper recycling, so the cradle can go out with the carton. That's one reason we prefer it to plastic trays for mouse cradles.

It also takes a detailed shape well, which a curved shell needs. The window film is the one plastic part, and it can be left off if you'd rather use a touch opening.