product review | noissue custom tissue paper, tape, and stamps
Question :: When is the last time you felt TRULY appreciated when you received an order from a small business? What was it that made you feel that way? Was it a handwritten note tucked into your box? The way your order was packaged? The quality of the work provided? All of the above?
As a small business owner, I understand how much time and effort go into thoughtful packaging, so when I receive a beautifully wrapped order, I’m that much more appreciative. It’s easy to throw something into a mailer and call it a day, but even something as simple as a sheet of tissue paper can make me feel more appreciated as a customer.
Today, I’m so excited to share a review of my experience with noissue, the New-Zealand-based company that’s helping small businesses like mine stand out through sustainable custom packaging.
To be completely transparent, I placed our first order of tissue paper and tape on my own back in April. In June, I was approached by noissue and asked to partner with them. I did receive a free stamp to try (which you’ll see in this post); however, the words below are my own and have in no way been influenced by receiving a freebie. Rest assured that the cost of the stamp was well below the cost of my time to produce this post! I hope you find this information helpful.
First, I’ll give you a quick peek at our new packaging, featuring a simple, sleek, black box with a magnetic ribbon closure, a custom wax seal, noissue tissue paper, and a black embossed sticker.
You can watch me assemble everything here:
Sorry the lighting is wonky - my video skills need improvement. ;)
We all know how much waste comes with shipping packages, so access to reasonably priced, eco-friendly packaging products that are also good-looking and high quality is more important than ever. noissue’s tissue, stickers, mailers, tape, stamps, and cards are compostable, reusable, and/or made from recycled materials…AND they plant one tree per order.
CUSTOM TISSUE PAPER
Out of the 3 things that I ordered, the custom tissue paper has had the biggest impact on clients. You may be thinking, “Eh, it’s just a piece of tissue paper,” but the custom color and fun pattern make it feel extra special.
Quick Facts:
noissue offers 2 sizes—standard (30” x 20”) and small (20” x 15”)—in 1 or 2 print colors. What you see above is the small sheet in 1 print color.
As of today, pricing starts at $125 for 250 small sheets.
CUSTOM TISSUE PAPER |
|
QUALITY |
★★★★★ |
| The overall product quality is great. The printing is clear and precise, and they did a good job color matching to my Pantone number. The weight and feel of the tissue paper is just right. | |
MINIMUMS |
★★★★ |
| The MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is 250 sheets, which is perfect for small businesses. | |
PRICE |
★★★ |
| To be honest, 3 stars feels low to me because I highly value quality, but I don't want to give you the impression that this product is inexpensive. Unit cost will decrease significantly if you can order higher quantities, but if you're like me and only need 250 sheets at a time, the price is a little steep. | |
ORDER PROCESS |
★★★ |
| Overall, the online ordering process is quite easy. noissue even offers an online design tool if you don't have a pattern file. The website can be a little finicky, though, and I don't like that you have to immediately start designing your product before you can see more info. | |
TURNAROUND |
★★ |
| Standard turnaround for all products is 21 days. Perhaps this is "quick" for custom tissue, but it feels like forever when you're waiting to ship something. You CAN pay extra to expedite things, but it's not something I'd do on a whim. Warning :: if you receive your order and something is wrong with it, you have to wait another 21 days for a replacement. So PLAN AHEAD...like, WAY AHEAD (at least 45 days before you need it in hand). | |
SHIPPING |
★★★★★ |
| Worldwide shipping is FREE and FAST! Once your product is picked up by DHL, it only takes 2-3 days to receive it. I was shocked how quickly my order arrived once I received tracking info. (It may take longer in other cities, but it was quick coming to Houston.) Here's a tip :: DHL will text you the day before your order arrives. Be sure to reply "YES" if you want to waive the signature requirement. | |
WORTH IT? |
YES! I would definitely order this again. |
A few other notes:
The sheets arrive flat, which is great because you don’t have any ugly or unwanted creases. Just keep in mind that you’ll need a pretty big shelf to store these properly. (I keep mine in a space under my desk.)
To ensure your color is accurate, I highly recommend providing a Pantone number when you submit your design.
CUSTOM TAPE
I was really excited about using this tape and I AM very happy with the final product, but due to production issues it took over 40 days to receive my corrected order. If you want to know what happened, keep reading - otherwise, skip the next paragraph!
Since this was my first time ordering custom tape, I read all of the file prep instructions very carefully. I submitted the design, placed my order, and hoped for the best. Though the website specifically said, “We'll provide a print ready template for you to approve within 24 hours,” I never received a proof. Instead, I received an email saying my design was approved and sent to production. 21 days later, when I received the tape, it was not printed correctly. I contacted customer service with all the details and it was eventually determined that the issue was on their end. They DID send me a free replacement, but it took another 21 days to receive it.
I have mixed feelings about this in terms of customer service. IMO, if the mistake is made on the part of the business, it’s my expectation as the customer that the issue be remedied as soon as possible. But that’s not how it works currently. If you need something remade, they’ll do it—happily—but you’ll have to wait. The part that sucks is that this could have been prevented if I had been shown a proof.
The tape itself is lovely and the print quality is excellent.
Quick Facts:
noissue offers 2 tape widths: 5cm and 7.2cm. What you see here is the 5cm tape.
The base color can be kraft or a custom color.
As of today, pricing starts at $85 for 5 x 50m rolls.
CUSTOM SHIPPING TAPE |
|
QUALITY |
★★★★★ |
| The printing is clear and precise and the tape is very strong. I'm very happy with the detail and line quality! | |
MINIMUMS |
★★★★★ |
| 5 rolls is a fantastic (and very doable) minimum for custom tape. | |
PRICE |
★★★★ |
| You might be thinking $17 is a really expensive roll of tape, but it's honestly not terrible for CUSTOM tape. So far, I have sent about 25 small packages and I've barely made a dent in my first roll. If you plan on using LOTS of tape per order, I can see how this would get pricey quickly. | |
ORDER PROCESS |
★★ |
| Again, the online ordering process is easy but, as you read above, it has its flaws. In my opinion, a digital proof is essential to custom print products, but I have yet to receive one after ordering 3 different items. I hope they address this issue in the future! | |
TURNAROUND |
★★ |
| (Same as the tissue paper) | |
SHIPPING |
★★★★★ |
| Worldwide shipping is FREE and FAST. | |
WORTH IT? |
YES...probably? (see below!) |
A few other notes:
Currently, noissue only offers water-activated, gummed tape. This means the back of the tape has to be wet or it won’t stick. In terms of sustainability, I totally get it. It does make for a slower shipping process if you don’t have a special tape dispenser, though. (You literally have to cut strips and wet them one by one with the sponge. It’s a little messy and this kind of tape doesn’t love plastic bubble mailers as much as it does paper and cardboard.) I’m not complaining about this - just making sure you know about this ahead of time!
When you check out, you have the option of buying a tape dispenser for around $70. This sounded like a lot to me, so I opted out. I regret this decision because $70 turns out to be a good deal AND it would have saved me a lot of hassle.
When my tape had to be remade, I asked customer service if I could add the dispenser to my order (paying for it, of course). The answer was basically, “You’re right - you do have the option of adding that when you first place the order, but now it’s too late” even though my tape hadn’t been printed yet and they still had to ship me something. It’s small stuff like this that makes or breaks a shopping experience, and while I appreciate the quality of the product, I can’t say my interactions with customer service made me love them more.
CUSTOM STAMP
I have made (and sold!) a variety of stamps, so I know a lot about style (wood-mounted rubber vs. acrylic-mounted photopolymer) and quality (of both the stamp itself and the stamp impression). Overall, the noissue stamp is great. It’s sturdy, has a cute, unique design, and, most importantly, it’s easy to use and it works!
Quick Facts:
noissue offers 2 types of stamps: self-inking and manual. What you see here is the manual stamp.
You can choose from 3 base sizes for the manual: 1.19” square, 1.97” square, and 3.15” square. (What you see here is the 1.97” stamp.) - OR - You can choose from 3 base sizes for the self-inking: 1.97” x 1.97”, 1.03” x 0.36”, or 2.29” x 0.87”.
As of today, pricing starts at $27 for a 1.19” manual stamp or $35 for a 1.19” self-inking stamp.
BONUS! The manual stamp comes with a soy-based, black ink pad. (I didn’t know this when I ordered mine, so that was a nice surprise.)
What’s interesting to me is that it seems they use a photopolymer stamp that is glued to a wood base. (Usually, you mount a photopolymer stamp on an acrylic base or a red rubber stamp on a wood base.) The detail of the actual stamp is exceptional. I purposely used a small font to test the stamp’s limits, and it turned out perfectly.
You can watch me unbox the stamp here:
I love the simple, cute packaging! (Unfortunately, my ink pad had leaked a bit so I had to cut my video short and wash my hands.)
CUSTOM STAMP |
|
QUALITY |
★★★★★ |
| The quality of the stamp is excellent, as is the detail. There's a little less "give" in the stamp since you don't have that little foam cushion that usually comes with traditional wood-mounted rubber stamps. Because of this, stamping feels a bit stiff. I actually wish there was an option to order it with an acrylic block, as that would allow you to see where you're stamping. Handled wood blocks like this are best for "casual" stamping that doesn't require precise alignment. | |
MINIMUMS |
★★★★★ |
| You only have to order 1! | |
PRICE |
★★★ |
| The prices are very manageable for small businesses; however, they are still higher than some American companies that make equally good stamps. If you take the stamp pad into account, I'd bump this up to 4 stars, but I'm picky about my stamp pads and personally prefer a different type. | |
ORDER PROCESS |
★★★ |
| I had zero issues with this particular order, but I still wish they would send a digital proof before sending the stamp to production...just in case! | |
TURNAROUND |
★★ |
| If you live in the U.S., I only recommend ordering a stamp if it's an add-on to a bigger order. Otherwise, I know of other stamp companies that offer an almost endless number of size options and ship custom stamps within 1-2 business days. Custom photopolymer stamps take longer (1-2 weeks) but it's still less than 21 days. | |
SHIPPING |
★★★★★ |
| Worldwide shipping is FREE and FAST. | |
WORTH IT? |
MAYBE. Yes, if you bundle it. |
A few other notes:
Like I said, the stamp itself is great - I just know of several other options that fit the bill right here in the USA. I think it’s a great option if you’re already ordering tissue paper, tape, etc., but I don’t recommend noissue as a go-to source for stamps alone. (I don’t think that was their intention, either. Stamps are definitely more of a “secondary” product on their website.)
For me, the best part about the stamp is the fun design. The handle is different from most other stamps I’ve seen.
WHAT'S THE TAKEAWAY?
Here’s what I LOVE about noissue:
QUALITY + LOW MINIMUMS + FREE SHIPPING + ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS
Here’s where I’d love to see improvement: Turnaround Times, Customer Service
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Bottom Line :: I recommend noissue. Just be sure to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time for production. Ask for help if you’re not sure your design is right. If you’re ready for custom packaging that will uplevel your brand and make your customers feel valued, noissue can certainly help!
