Window cartons: PET versus PP, and what a hang-tab is not

Name the film, not just “clear”

A window patch is a converting line: cut the aperture, apply film, or leave the cut open. Clarity, scuff, and heat behaviour differ by polymer. Write PET or PP if the brand cares. If the buyer only writes “clear window,” we still need a proposal on the sample — this article will not invent a fake film SKU.

Window size, which panel, and corner radius belong on the dieline. A round window in a rectangular carton is still a knife plus a patch, not a Photoshop hole.

• Window size and which panel.
• PET vs PP if you care about clarity or destination notes.
• A hang-tab is not a window.

PET versus PP is a choice to confirm

PET and PP are different films. Buyers use them for different clarity, forming, and handling stories. The right line on the RFQ is the polymer (or a buyer code) plus the destination market.

We will not invent a recycle-law outcome in this article. Rules differ by country and by how the pack is declared. Confirm film against the destination with the buyer’s compliance owner. Catalog photos of a shiny window are not a legal claim.

Patched carton versus full PVC

A patched SBS or kraft window is still a folding carton. A clear PVC hang-tab box is the PVC line. Mixing them on one PO without saying so is two samples and two material streams in the same Longgang plant.

If the product must be fully visible on five faces, you may be in PVC, not a window carton. If only the front panel shows the item, you are probably in a patched carton. Write which.

Hang-tab is a different geometry

A hang-tab is a header, euro hole, or butterfly cut so the pack hangs. It can sit on an SBS carton or on PVC. It is not a window and it is not a film choice. Gauge (for PVC) and hang-tab geometry are separate purchase lines.

Position relative to the header and to the window if both exist. A tab that cuts through a window patch is a dieline error, not a style.

Food, toys, and destination

If the window faces a food or toy regulation, put the market on the RFQ. Ask for the documents you actually need. This site does not invent certificate numbers or paste catalog marks into a contract.

What touches the product versus what is only outer carton still matters. A film patch over a sealed inner bag is a different conversation from film that can contact the goods.

Print around the aperture

In-house Heidelberg offset prints the carton sheet after Kodak CTP, then die-cut, patch, and glue. Artwork must keep type and legal copy off the window unless you intend it to sit on film — which is a different spec.

A digital mock-up with a transparent rectangle is not a production sheet and not a film sample. Approve board colour and film on physical pieces when the window is a selling face.

Confirm film on a chip, not a law blog

If PET versus PP is still open, ask for a film chip on the structure sample. Clarity, scuff, and how the patch sits in the aperture are converting facts you can see.

Destination labelling and recycle marks are the buyer’s claim to confirm. We will not write a country-by-country legal outcome here. Put the market on the RFQ and request current documents if you need them.

A hang-tab added after the window is locked is still a new knife conversation. Do not treat a late “please add euro hole” as a free filter on the same dieline.

What to put on the RFQ

Structure (sleeve, tuck, window gift carton), aperture millimetres and panel, PET vs PP or “propose on sample,” hang-tab yes/no as its own line, print map, quantity band, destination.

No prices, MOQ, or guaranteed lead times here. If you only have a retail photo of a clear front, say so — we will propose a close structure, not clone unknown knives.