Head over to our online store this month. We have an Amazon Gift Card with your name on it!

You can package your product in a simple white paper sleeve or paperboard mailer and we can help you with that. There are lots of projects that this type of packaging is perfect for.

However when you are talking about products for the retail market, either on-line or at a bricks and mortar store, movie and music enthusiasts choose the physical product over a download for one reason… The Packaging.

The following is a short list of movie and music reviewers and their thoughts on the packaging and the value it adds:

Rev/Views DVD & Television blog

Review of the first season of the TV series “Chuck“:
“Now I am a bit of a packaging enthusiast, mostly because I feel I’ve invested money in purchasing DVDs and as such I want them to look nice on the shelf and work well.”

Creative Review blog

Review of “Glastonbury The Movie“:
“At a time when you can get online and simply download music and films, really it’s down to the packaging of albums and DVDs to make the tangible music or film product a viable option to the consumer.”

Pulse Wrestling blog

Review of the WWE “Randy Savage Ultimate Collection“:
“As someone who collects a lot of disc based stuff (hardcore video game collector here), I like it when the stuff occupying my shelf looks good.”

MamaPop blog

Review of “Wilco (the album)”:
“certain bands, you need to buy the physical recording, because there’s packaging that speaks to what the album is and isn’t.”

NSRMTB blog

Review of “Tipping Point“:
“To all those out there that would rather download a DH DVD than buy one you are going to miss out on some cool packaging and shame on you.”

Bring on Mixed Reviews blog

Review of “The Dear Hunter“:
“The album’s packaging is also something to behold. The time and effort put into the old timey photos that double as track lyrics/notes, is simply amazing. If you have The Prize Fighter Inferno‘s album “My Brother’s Blood Machine” then you know what I am referring to, it returns my faith in the CD medium, where so many have abandoned it for hollow digital downloads.”

These are just some of many comments that prove that the packaging adds value to an album or movie.  You could decrease piracy and downloads by investing in custom packaging that is creative and eye-catching.  By doing this, you are making the physical product of your album or movie a must-have for every fan.

According to the New York Times, many studio companies are now using DVD cases that are smaller and lighter in weight to reduce their environmental impact, as well as save on costs.

Warner Home Video, the largest distributor of DVD entertainment, just started releasing all of its new and library titles in cases with 20 percent less plastic.  Some feature a thin layer of plastic, while others have cutouts in the walls.  One of the main forces is to lessen the load on the environment; it will reduce Warner’s home entertainment division’s carbon emissions by 31 percent.  Not only do these improvements help the environment, but they also cut costs for companies by using less raw materials and by spending less on shipping.  Companies are looking to save money wherever they can, especially in this struggling economy.

Warner is not the only studio making changes in DVD packaging.  Just last month, Sony Pictures Entertainment released their own 20 percent reduced DVD cases.  Walt Disney Company is also coming up with their own green home entertainment ideas.  And don’t forget that Disney, Century Fox, and Sony were the ones to really push the shift to Blu-Ray discs, in which cases have a 30 percent smaller impact on the environment.

Using lighter DVD packaging helps the environment by reducing waste and carbon emissions, while still storing and protecting your DVDs.  And don’t forget about the money you’ll be saving on raw materials and shipping!  Lighter DVD packaging could include DVD cases with cutouts in the walls, Blu-Ray cases, slim DVD cases, c-shells or square-shells.

Ever wonder what to do with all of your old DVD cases when you switch to storing your discs in multi-disc DVD cases or DVD albums? They are not curbside recyclable, but there are still other options to get rid of your old cases without having to throw them in a landfill.

Reuse
First, a good idea is to see if anyone else can reuse your old DVD cases. A number of places would love to take them off of your hands:

• libraries,
• schools, and
• churches

These types of organizations always need replacement DVD cases for their media collections. Some schools have classes where students create videos on DVD and they could use cases to display and protect their projects.

Donate
Another place to donate would be Goodwill or another thrift store. They receive donations of discs without cases or with broken cases, and it would be much easier to sell a DVD with a case. They could also just sell the empty cases. Video rental stores or any store that sells used DVDs would also gladly take your used cases as replacements.

Or there are websites like Freecycle where you can post items that you would rather give away than create waste by throwing them in the garbage.

Recycle
If the cases are broken or they cannot be reused for some reason, there are still other alternatives to throwing them away. You can’t put DVD cases in your curbside recycling bin, but you can check with your local recycling center to see if they will take them. Earth911.com can help you find a local recycling center for certain types of materials.

There are other centers that we found where you can send in your old DVD cases. There is not charge, but they may ask for a small donation to help cover costs:

Plastic Recycling, Inc.
2015 S. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225

CD Recycling Center
68H Stiles Road
Salem, NH 03079

There are plenty of options available to reduce waste by having your DVD cases reused or recycled, rather than just throwing them in the garbage. Just another way you can be more environmentally-friendly.

Yesterday marked the 30th birthday of the Compact Disc. On March 8th, 1979, Royal Philips Electronics exhibited a prototype of what we now know as the CD. Since then, over 240 billion CDs have been sold. The introduction of the CD also paved the way for videogame discs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs.

To celebrate this historic landmark, IEEE, the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology, presented Philips with the IEEE Milestone Award for their role in the development of the CD.

The CD was truly a revolutionary idea. Not only are CDs much smaller than their predecessor, the cassette tape, they are more convenient and have a much higher quality playback. They completely transformed the way audio, video, and computing was done.

Although some believe that CDs are being pushed out of the way for digital files and mp3s, CDs have brought us a long way and aren’t disappearing yet. Many prefer having a physical disc, rather than storing everything on the computer. And don’t forget about videogames, DVDs, and the new Blu-Ray format. The world is not letting go of discs anytime soon. So to this we say, “Happy Birthday CD!”

Libraries are trying to continue to stay up to date with the current times. With this comes the increasing demand for the new Blu-ray technology format.

Since Blu-ray discs are able to hold 25GB (single layer), rather than just 4.7GB with a standard DVD, it brings major improvements to the image quality, audio quality, and special features.

Blu-ray discs can deliver up to 48MB per second, while DVDs only bring 8MB per second. This is a huge jump for picture quality! It is no doubt that people would prefer to watch Blu-ray movies, if they have the capabilities.

Libraries see this demand and want to meet it to satisfy their customers. As they increase their media collection to include Blu-ray discs, they need authentic, high-quality Blu-ray cases to replace their old ones. These electric blue cases are eye-appealing and are a reminder of the higher quality that comes with the Blu-ray format.

Don’t know where to get them? We now offer authentic Blu-Ray cases here at Sunrise Packaging! You can visit our store at http://shop.sunpack.com.

You know that you need cases to package and store your CDs or DVDs, but do you know which case is the best fit for your needs? We came up with a few questions to help you analyze your situation, in order to determine which case is the best fit for you:

Are you looking for a standard size case to match the rest on the shelf or are you attempting to save space?

If you want your case to be the same size as a standard DVD case, there are a few options available for you:

• Premium Quality. If you are looking for a durable case that will last, the premium quality DVD case is for you.  This case is available in black or white in either one or two disc capacities.  Black cases are also available in four disc capacity. White cases are perfect for Wii gaming discs or wedding DVDs.  These cases feature literature clips and a clear overlay to display your artwork.  If you are looking for strong cases that will protect your discs, stick with the premium quality DVD cases.
• Standard Quality. If you are looking for a case offered at a lower cost, the standard quality case is for you. This black case is available in either one or two disc capacities and features literature clips and a clear overlay to display artwork.
• Blu-Ray. The new Blu-Ray technology is a much higher quality than the standard format. This needs to be displayed in the packaging by making it obvious that it is a Blu-Ray disc and showing the higher quality. It is the norm to package Blu-Ray discs in blue cases, so it is important to follow the trend. This will help to avoid confusing customers, as well as have it match the rest of the Blu-Ray cases in their collection.

If you are looking towards saving space with a thinner CD/DVD case, there are even more options:

Are you looking for a case to store CDs or DVDs?

• CDs are typically packaged in jewel cases or paper sleeves. It would be best to stick with these techniques to avoid confusing the customers. These come in more of a square shape, rather than the taller DVD cases. The jewel cases are clear to display artwork and can come with either a clear or a black inner tray. The paper sleeves have a clear acetate window to display the disc and a flap to keep it from falling out.
• If you are looking for a space-saving way to package and store your DVDs, there are clear, slim DVD cases in one or two disc capacities that are 7mm thick. If you are looking for an even smaller case, try clam-shells and square-shells, which are clear and only 4.2mm thick. Artwork can be displayed through all of these clear cases. Paper sleeves could also be used for DVDs if you are looking for your packaging to be especially thin.

Know what you want, but don’t know where you can get it? Sunrise Packaging now offers all of these styles of CD/DVD packaging! Visit our stock CD/DVD products page for more information or go to http://shop.sunpack.com/cd-dvd-albums.html

We are pleased to announce that we have expanded our line of DVD cases. These new cases make it even easier for you to put together your movies, videos and DVDs.

We now have Machine-Loadable Black DVD cases with machine sealed clear overlay. Why is a machine-sealed overlay important? It ensures consistency in size of your cover artwork and helps make inserting the artwork easier. You can print and cut your cover artwork all together and when you are ready to insert your art into the case, it will easily fit into place. There is no re-cutting and no guesswork.

In addition, these cases come in sizes to hold 1 or 2 discs and the outsize dimension of each case is the same. That means that you have 1 artwork template for both styles! There is no keeping track of which artwork template goes with which case.

Our premium machine-loadable cases are made from over 50% recycled materials making these cases more environmentally friendly.

We also have white DVD cases that are great replacement cases for Wii gaming discs. And for your budget conscious projects, we have standard quality DVD cases.

We have more information on our DVD Cases. You can purchase our new DVD cases in our on-line store.

You may have decided to store your CDs and DVDs in albums for easy organization and to save space. If you’re like me, these jewel cases are still taking over your room, because you do not have the heart to throw them away. But what do you do with them?

We researched online and found several creative ways in which you can reuse these jewel cases, instead of adding more to our landfills. Here are a few of the good ideas that we found:

1. Turn them into picture frames. This is simple and easy project. You can decorate your own border and insert the picture. You can either make a standing frame, put magnets on the back to put on the fridge, or mount them on the wall.
2. Make a wall calendar. All you have to do is print the numbers 1-31 on separate sheets and place them in the mounted cases. You could even insert a friend’s picture in the case of his or her birthday.
3. Make a pen holder. Craft Chi explained how to make a pen holder out of slim jewel cases. The sides can be decorated with pictures or artwork.
4. Store pressed leaves or flowers. This is a great way to display and protect them from damage.
5. They make great gifts. You could give a friend one of these crafted ideas, or make them an audio mix CD.
6. Donate them. Chances are you have more jewel cases than you would like to make picture frames with. Kids love crafts, so you could donate your extra cases to a local school or church organization. Libraries constantly have to buy new cases to loan out their music. You could donate your cases as a way of “giving back” for the services that they provide. Small indie bands may also like to use your old cases to package their CDs.

These are many simple and easy ways to display your memories. Not only do these crafts make great gifts, but it helps relieve your eco-friendly conscience by not having to throw boxfuls of plastic away. So go tackle that mountain of jewel cases and get ready for an afternoon of crafting fun.

Companies are looking to cut costs in any way possible. While quality should never be sacrificed for the sake of saving a few pennies, you can realize cost savings by packaging your product as efficiently as possible. Sunrise is a custom packaging manufacturer and we firmly believe in the added value of custom packaging. We also know there are some projects where a custom solution is just not in the budget. We would like to show you a variety of high-quality CD/DVD packaging options that are all available for less than 50 cents!

First off, there are the standard size 14mm black CD/DVD cases. These cases feature quick release hub prongs that are strong and durable. They can hold up to two discs and include literature clips to hold DVD booklets or artwork. These are also available in either premium or standard qualities. The premium model cases are made from partially virgin material to protect your discs, and they are machine-loadable. This can save an enormous amount of time by not having to insert everything by hand. There are also premium quality cases made from 100% raw material in white. This is a great option for weddings or to package Wii gaming discs!

There are also slim CD/DVD cases being introduced if you would like to save space without giving up quality or protection. There are premium quality slim 7mm DVD cases, as well as clam-shell cases, square-shell cases. These cases are all clear to display the artwork on the discs.

And for only a few pennies a disc, paper sleeves with a window, protect your discs from damage and display its artwork too.

There are even more CD/DVD case options to choose from. There are premium quality jewel cases available in either the standard 10.4mm style or the 5.2mm style. These cases offer high protection to prevent damage to your CDs/DVDs, and the clear cover allows artwork to be displayed. The trays are available in either black or clear, whichever best suits your needs.

Lastly, using Blu-Ray cases is another low cost approach to packaging your discs. There is a higher perception value associated with Blu-Ray discs, which should be matched with premium packaging. As soon as the customers see the signature clear-blue packaging, they will know that they are getting the high-definition Blu-Ray discs that they desire.

In the coming year, budgets are going to be tighter. With that in mind, Sunrise Packaging is proud to announce the new stock CD/DVD case product line that is currently being launched. These cases will be available for less than 50 cents each and many are priced under 25 cents! The 14mm DVD cases are now available for order, and the rest of the product line will be launched in February. Visit http://shop.sunpack.com for more information.