| Carton is the name of certain objects typically | | | | televisions, in which case styrofoam inserts are |
| made from the material cardboard, the word's | | | | used to standardize the shape. |
| original (French) meaning. | | | | Materials |
| Artistic design | | | | Despite the name, cartons can be made from |
| In art history, the carton (pronounced the French | | | | many materials, and in fact are often a |
| way) was a drawing on ordinary cardboard, used | | | | composite. |
| as life-size design for the manufacture in an atelier | | | | Most common is the familiar corrugated |
| of a valuable tapissery, such as a gobelin. During | | | | cardboard, made by folding cardboard into a |
| the weaving it hung behind the tapissery in the | | | | rough semblance of a sine wave, and then |
| making, a time-consuming process thus in a | | | | pressing it between two more pieces of |
| creative sense simplified to 'mechanical' | | | | cardboard. Because of the triangular shape of the |
| painting-by-numbers. | | | | cavities, the addition of corrugation greatly |
| As these were extremely valuable, often | | | | increases the strength of the container. |
| commanded by the very richest art-buyers, | | | | Often, cartons are made out of a single piece of |
| including princes who hung them in their palaces | | | | cardboard, when the strength of corrugated |
| and even took them on their travels as | | | | cardboard isn't needed. Quite often this cardboard |
| prestigious displays of wealth, often with a visual | | | | is waxed to form a moisture barrier. This may |
| message, especially the world-famous Flemish | | | | serve to contain a liquid product or keep a |
| ateliers were deemed worthy to have cartons | | | | powder dry. |
| made by some of the greatest graphic artists of | | | | Plastics are another common packaging material |
| the time, including such celebrated painters as | | | | since they can be molded in to a container of |
| Rubens. | | | | almost any shape. |
| Packaging cartons | | | | Content |
| Types of cartons | | | | A wide variety of products, mainly foods, are sold |
| A carton is a type of packaging, generally for | | | | in cartons. The following are a few examples: |
| food. They come in many different shapes; milk | | | | Labeling |
| cartons are upright boxes with spouts, egg | | | | The labels on cartons generally contain information. |
| cartons are long boxes with cups to hold the eggs | | | | Much of this information is considered useful by |
| upright. | | | | many people, because it is very informative. For |
| Egg cartons or trays are designed to protect | | | | example, many labels have featured the following: |
| eggs while in transit. There are three types of | | | | label - indicative of the name, contents and |
| raw materials which are used in the manufacture | | | | producer of the carton. |
| of egg cartons: recycled paper, styrofoam and, | | | | nutritional information |
| more recently, PET. | | | | contact instructions - how to contact the |
| In North America, the three largest producers of | | | | manufacturer in a complicated way involving |
| egg cartons are CKF Inc., Hartmann North | | | | hand-drawn facsimiles. |
| America and Pactiv Corporation. | | | | ingredients - exposes the public to terms like |
| Packaging history | | | | propylene glycol for the first time. |
| An early American packaging industry pioneer was | | | | contests - again, hand drawn facsimiles are |
| the Kieckhefer Container Company, which was | | | | involved. Self-addressed stamped envelopes are |
| run by John W. Kieckhefer. The company excelled | | | | also often required. |
| in the use of fibre shipping containers, which | | | | Faces of missing children |
| especially included the paper milk carton. In 1957, | | | | Beginning in the 1980s, milk cartons in the United |
| through an exchange of stock, the Kieckhefer | | | | States had faces of missing children printed on |
| Conatiner Co. holdings were merged with the | | | | them with headlines such as "Have you seen |
| Weyerhauser Timber Company of Tacoma, | | | | me?" and descriptions of the children. The hope |
| Washington. | | | | was that these photos would lead to the |
| Shape | | | | recovery of the children, and over 1,400 children |
| Although quite often shaped like a cuboid, it is not | | | | were found as a direct result of this campaign. |
| uncommon to find cartons lacking right angles and | | | | Carton-pierre |
| straight edges, as in squrounds used for ice | | | | Under the French name of carton pierre ('stone |
| cream. The number of corners on any given | | | | carton') a substance which is essentially papier |
| carton is a function of the product it contains. For | | | | © is also largely employed as a |
| example, a product with eight vertices would | | | | substitute for plaster in the moulded ornaments |
| require a box also with eight corners. Exceptions | | | | of roofs and walls. |
| to this rule are irregularly shaped products, like | | | | |