Blister Pack Backers

You may have been using blister packs for quite some time, and now you are looking for upgrades. Or maybe you are willing to use blister packaging as the new packaging method for your products. Either way, you are going to have to choose from two options: blister packs with cardboard backers and blister packs with plastic backers.

With these two options on the table, you may question which backer is going to be better for you. You may also think about the environmental impact. Or you may think about whether it makes a difference to choose between any one of them.

In this article, we are going to discuss these two backers to help you find answers to your questions and concerns.

What is a blister pack?

This carded packaging features small plastic casings covered with a backer, which is usually made of paperboard or plastic.

Blister packaging is a type of tamper-evident packaging. You can open a blister pack by removing the entire backer or press on the stop of a small casing to push the inner content through the backer.

A tampered blister pack develops holes or other protrusions, allowing the customer to know that the packaging has been already compromised.

Items that you can package using blister packs may include pharmaceuticals, batteries, candy dispensers, toothbrushes, glue sticks, and many other types of small goods.

Blister packs with paperboard backers

Blister packaging that uses paperboard backer is the more popular of two blister packaging options. The paperboard backer contains graphics and text, including pricing, product information, features, and instructions.

The most significant benefit of a paperboard backer is that you can print anything on it without having to put the label on the item. This characteristic also makes the paperboard backer an environmentally-friendly option because it is easier to remove. It makes all types of packaging materials used in this packaging easier to recycle.

In most cases, you can remove the paperboard backer easily, which means that both items become fully recyclable. However, the recycling of any of these items may become quite challenging if either of them has a label on it.

Blister packs with plastic backers

Blister packs with plastic backers can be used for similar packaging applications for which you may also use paperboard backers. The fundamental difference here is that this packaging option often requires labels. These labels are there to provide information about the product and brand. The presence of such labels can make the packaging waste hard to recycle.

Blister packs that didn’t have their labels removed usually end up going into the landfill because they are generally considered contaminated and, thus, not fit for the recycling process.

Which type of blister pack to consider?

You are going to have to find answers to a few more questions to answer this question.

If environmental impact is something you care about, you may want to go with the option of using blister packs with paperboard backers. These packs do not use any labels, meaning that they can go straight into the recycling unit.
If you want to use less plastic, you may want to consider using blister packs with paperboard backers.
If you want to pack heavier items or products with sharp edges, you may need to use blister packs with plastic backers.

You can also speak to a packaging consultant to get information regarding which blister pack option suits your packaging application well enough.