Outdated processes are killing your efficiency.
You’re trying to replace manual methods without breaking the budget, but it feels like an impossible balance to strike.
Every delay and ounce of wasted material eats directly into your profit margins, making it harder to justify new investments.
This pressure is industry-wide. Research shows that over 40% of companies plan to adopt innovative packaging by 2025. This move highlights the urgent need for better systems.
The right software can solve this by automating your entire workflow, optimizing materials, and integrating with your existing ERP systems.
In this guide, I’ll review the best packaging software available. I’ll show you how each tool helps you cut costs and improve production.
You’ll discover tools with real-time monitoring and seamless ERP integration that can boost your overall operational efficiency.
Let’s find your solution.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esko → | Mid-sized manufacturers | |
| 2 | ManageArtworks → | Operations & compliance teams | |
| 3 | Loftware → | Global labeling operations | |
| 4 | Specright → | Operations managers | |
| 5 | Filestage → | Operations & procurement |
1. Esko
Struggling to manage your packaging design and production?
Esko offers end-to-end solutions designed to automate, connect, and accelerate your entire packaging go-to-market process. This means your team can move from design to shelf with greater speed.
Their software tackles challenges by streamlining production and enhancing efficiency, helping you optimize output and improve quality & speed-to-market.
Here’s how Esko helps customers.
Esko’s products drive innovation and automation for packaging design and print, benefiting both brand owners and manufacturers. This helps you overcome issues with outdated manual processes.
For example, WebCenter acts as a central digital source for managing artwork and label creation, a true workflow solution. Additionally, Share & Approve lets you upload, share, annotate, and approve packaging and labels in hyper-realistic 3D.
Moreover, MediaBeacon provides robust Digital Asset Management, giving you control over assets and managing your creative workflow effectively. This comprehensive approach helps reduce waste, speed up packaging cycles, and improves supply chain transparency, directly addressing your core challenges.
You’ll see significant improvements in operational efficiency.
Key features:
- Artwork Management Software: WebCenter centralizes artwork and label creation, simplifying management and approval workflows for your entire team.
- Artwork Approval Software: Share & Approve facilitates hyper-realistic 3D reviews, speeding up feedback and approval cycles for packaging and labels.
- Digital Asset Management: MediaBeacon helps you control creative assets and manage workflows efficiently, ensuring consistency across all your packaging projects.
Learn more about Esko features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Esko stands out as a strong contender for the best packaging software, particularly for mid-sized manufacturers. Its focus on automation, connectivity, and accelerating the design-to-shelf process directly addresses common pain points like manual processes and slow approval times, ultimately helping you cut costs and boost production efficiency.
2. ManageArtworks
Struggling with packaging errors and slow approvals?
ManageArtworks offers an intuitive platform to streamline your artwork processes, helping you cut delays and enhance collaboration effectively.
This means you can accelerate your product launches and ensure compliance, simplifying complex workflows from content creation to print.
It’s time to take control.
ManageArtworks centralizes all your packaging content, from copy to assets, making it easy to manage, review, and update. Their AI-powered proofing tools can verify text, barcodes, and colors, catching errors early before they become costly reworks. Plus, the Dielines & 3D feature allows you to access over 3,000 dielines and visualize packaging in 3D, improving accuracy. Additionally, their Adobe Plugin pushes approved content directly, eliminating manual data entry mistakes.
This approach significantly reduces rework, enhances compliance, and speeds up your time to market.
Key features:
- Artwork Workflow & Approval: Streamline approval cycles and track progress with serial and parallel routing, reducing communication gaps and ensuring faster launches.
- AI-Powered Proofing Tools: Utilize image compare, text compare, and barcode analysis to verify accuracy, eliminate delays, and ensure multilingual precision across your artworks.
- Digital Asset & Specification Management: Centralize all packaging assets and specifications in a version-controlled repository, providing quick access and ensuring data integrity.
Learn more about ManageArtworks features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: ManageArtworks is a strong contender for the best packaging software, effectively addressing common pain points like approval delays and compliance issues. With its end-to-end management, AI proofing, and integration capabilities, like ERP and SAP, your team can achieve up to 80% reduction in approval time and significant improvements in first-time-right rates.
3. Loftware
Struggling with inconsistent packaging or regulatory compliance issues?
Loftware offers cloud-based solutions designed to centralize your labeling, streamline artwork management, and ensure compliance. This means you can simplify complex operations.
Your company can design, integrate, automate, and track packaging processes with ease, eliminating reliance on outdated manual methods. Here’s how you gain control.
Boost production efficiency and cut costs.
Loftware empowers you to manage and scale your labeling operations globally, providing centralized control and enhanced collaboration. This helps you overcome the challenges of scattered systems and inconsistent data.
You can streamline your packaging artwork management with automated workflows and built-in approvals, significantly accelerating your time-to-market and ensuring regulatory adherence. This reduces errors and boosts overall efficiency across your supply chain. Additionally, Loftware integrates with major ERP systems like SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics, automating label creation, eliminating data duplication, and ensuring the right data powers the right label at the right time. The result is improved operational efficiency and reduced costs.
Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of regulatory change management software helpful in streamlining your compliance efforts.
Key features:
- Centralized Labeling Platform: Manage and scale your entire labeling operation, enhancing collaboration and ensuring compliance across global supply chains from a single, cloud-based platform.
- Automated Artwork Management: Streamline packaging artwork with automated workflows, integrated approvals, and real-time collaboration to accelerate time-to-market and ensure regulatory compliance.
- Seamless ERP Integration: Connect effortlessly with systems like SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics to automate barcode label creation, eliminate data duplication, and improve operational efficiency.
Learn more about Loftware features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Loftware offers an end-to-end solution for your labeling and packaging artwork needs, helping you modernize product identification throughout your supply chain. Its robust integration capabilities with ERP systems and proven success in reducing SAP label print times by 98% make it a top contender for best packaging software to enhance production efficiency and reduce costs.
4. Specright
Struggling with outdated packaging data and processes?
Specright offers a patented, purpose-built platform for specification management, including Packaging Management and Bill of Materials Management. This means you can standardize SKUs and streamline packaging BOMs.
Digitizing your spec data can help you accelerate product development, improve quality, and easily report on packaging sustainability and EPR requirements.
It’s time to take control.
Specright helps you manage all your product and packaging data in one centralized location, reducing waste and optimizing costs. You can easily search at the component level and create essential reports.
This enables faster product development and easier rationalization of packaging SKUs, saving your team significant time and effort. Additionally, you can automate quality checks and collaborate effectively with your suppliers.
This platform also offers modules for Product Data Management, Document Management, and Supplier Management, allowing for end-to-end traceability and visibility across your supply chain. You can even manage raw materials, ingredients, and finished goods, all while tracking supplier performance to prevent issues.
The result is increased production efficiency.
To further enhance your team’s capabilities and avoid costly rework, exploring learning management systems could be beneficial.
Key features:
- Packaging Management: Standardize and rationalize SKUs, report on sustainability, and improve packaging efficiency by centralizing all your packaging specifications.
- Bill of Materials Management: Create, manage, and share precise packaging and product Bill of Materials, ensuring accuracy and collaboration across your teams.
- Supplier Management: Drive traceability and accountability within your supply chain by tracking supplier performance and fostering collaboration on packaging specifications.
Learn more about Specright features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Specright stands out as a best packaging software solution for operations managers and procurement officers. By centralizing specification data, it helps companies like DHL and Taylor Farms optimize costs, accelerate innovation, and significantly reduce waste, improving production efficiency and enabling better sustainability reporting.
5. Filestage
Is your packaging approval process bogged down by endless emails?
Filestage offers a centralized online proofing platform to manage feedback, making your review process 5x more effective than traditional email. This means you can share, review, and approve all file formats in one place, streamlining your workflow significantly.
Operations and procurement teams can track approvals from every department, gaining a clear overview for project managers. This helps ensure compliance with regulations like FDA and EFSA.
Here’s how to simplify your packaging design approvals.
Filestage helps you collect feedback directly on files, eliminating the stress of consolidating comments from multiple sources. You can also compare two versions with just one click, ensuring all previous feedback is addressed.
This allows you to track your project’s progress in real-time, knowing exactly what edits are needed before printing. With smart annotation tools, feedback becomes fast and clear, while AI assistants provide instant feedback based on your brand guidelines and industry regulations. Additionally, automations allow you to automate manual tasks with custom triggers and actions, freeing up your team for more critical work.
The result is a highly efficient, transparent, and compliant review process.
Key features:
- Project Workflow Management: Centralize sharing, reviewing, and approving all your file formats, enhancing collaboration and reducing communication delays.
- File Proofing with Annotations: Get clear, contextual feedback on packaging designs using smart annotation tools, ensuring accurate revisions.
- AI Assistants and Automations: Leverage AI for instant feedback based on brand guidelines and automate manual tasks for maximized efficiency and compliance.
Learn more about Filestage features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: For operations and procurement managers seeking the best packaging software, Filestage provides a robust solution. It streamlines review cycles, enhances compliance, and centralizes feedback, significantly reducing errors and turnaround times, as demonstrated by companies like Kärcher saving hundreds of hours on artwork reviews.
6. Boxshot
Struggling with outdated packaging design processes?
Boxshot provides product and packaging mockup software, directly addressing your need for efficient visualization. This means you can evaluate designs without the expense and delay of physical prototypes.
It offers tools to generate 3D models of your products, helping you to visualize packaging concepts accurately before production.
So, how does Boxshot help you?
You can visualize packaging concepts digitally, reducing waste and speeding up cycles. This software helps you create realistic 3D mockups.
For instance, the Box Dieline Generator can streamline your design process by ensuring precise dimensions for your packaging, cutting down on material errors.
Additionally, with tools like the Conical Label Calculator and AI Toolbox, you can handle complex label shapes and bulk tasks, which is great for managing customized packaging demands and improving overall workflow efficiency.
It truly helps to visualize your product packaging better.
Key features:
- Product and Packaging Mockup Software: Create realistic 3D visualizations of your product packaging, helping you reduce physical prototyping costs and accelerate design approval.
- Dieline Generation and Calculators: Access tools like the Box Dieline Generator and Conical Label Calculator to ensure accurate dimensions and precise label application, minimizing material waste.
- Illustrator Integration and Barcode Generation: Utilize the AI Toolbox for Illustrator to manage complex designs and leverage the Barcode Generator for essential labeling needs, improving operational efficiency.
Learn more about Boxshot features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Boxshot offers a comprehensive suite of tools that make it a strong contender for the best packaging software, especially for operations managers and procurement officers. Its emphasis on 3D mockups, dieline generation, and label calculation directly addresses pain points related to design accuracy, waste reduction, and production efficiency, making it valuable for streamlining your packaging workflows.
7. Packly
Struggling with complex packaging design and production?
Packly centralizes your entire packaging process, from initial design to final print, ensuring efficiency. This means you can create custom boxes without adapting to predefined formats.
You’ll find feasible box models just by entering product dimensions, offering total customization with over 5 trillion combinations. This eliminates the need to compromise, helping you achieve perfect fit and reduce material waste.
Here’s how to simplify your packaging journey.
Packly introduces an interactive 3D virtual mockup, streamlining the approval process and minimizing errors. You can download tailored die-cut templates, add your artwork, then upload for an instant 3D preview, allowing you to evaluate realistic appearance and share designs easily. Additionally, the platform supports high-performance four-color printing and offers diverse materials and finishes, including luxury details like foil or custom cutouts to elevate your brand. Plus, with no minimum order quantities and printing in as little as 48 hours, you can manage both small and large runs, helping optimize your supply chain and implement just-in-time inventory. The result is reduced time to market and lower supply chain costs.
Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of the best user generated content platform helpful for broader content strategies.
Key features:
- Total Customization: Create and print tailor-made boxes by simply inputting product dimensions, ensuring a perfect fit with over 5 trillion possible combinations.
- Interactive 3D Preview: Simplify design approvals by uploading artwork and instantly viewing virtual 3D mockups, allowing for detailed evaluation and easy sharing.
- Flexible Production: Order anywhere from 1 to 1 million pieces with no minimums, benefiting from quick 48-hour printing and real-time quotes without die-cutting costs.
Learn more about Packly features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Packly is an excellent choice for the best packaging software, offering a comprehensive platform that simplifies the entire packaging process. Its ability to handle customized demands, provide virtual mockups for approval, and offer flexible production from 1 to 1 million pieces, all with transparent pricing and no die-cutting costs, directly addresses core operational challenges for manufacturing companies.
8. CHILI Publish
Struggling with outdated packaging processes and soaring costs?
CHILI GraFx is a graphics production engine designed to boost your efficiency and shorten time to market. This means you can create more visual content, automatically and on-brand across all channels.
Their Smart Templates can intelligently reshape, dynamically altering text formatting to fit designated areas, allowing you to replace hundreds of PDFs with just a few templates. This lets even non-designers create and edit graphical content.
Here’s how to produce graphics at scale while remaining in control.
CHILI GraFx delivers compelling, on-brand messaging at high volume with strong brand governance. This platform acts as a one-stop shop for all your creative production needs, handling digital, print, and motion graphics.
You can infuse live data into your Smart Templates to add QR codes, bar codes, promotions, or price tags. This integrates with your existing tech stacks like DAM, PIM, CRM, and ERP, enabling seamless data flow for targeted content. The API-first approach simplifies connecting external systems, ensuring a smooth user experience from design to checkout for press-ready assets.
The result is streamlined, automated, and expedited graphical production, from creation to output.
Key features:
- One-stop shop for creative production: Produce multichannel, on-brand output across digital, print, and motion graphics, boosting efficiency and shortening time to market.
- Integrated data operations: Infuse live data into Smart Templates for elements like QR/bar codes and price tags, seamlessly connecting to your existing tech stacks for personalized content.
- Brand enablement at scale: Empower non-designers to self-serve design assets using brand portals, simplifying content creation while maintaining brand consistency.
Learn more about CHILI Publish features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: For operations managers and procurement officers seeking the best packaging software, CHILI GraFx offers a compelling solution. Its Smart Templates consolidate over 500 templates into 90, reducing product label creation from hours to minutes, which directly addresses challenges in efficiency and cost.
Conclusion
Tired of outdated packaging processes?
I know finding the right software is a challenge. You need a solution that fits your budget and integrates with your systems without causing major disruption.
This isn’t just a minor upgrade; it’s a strategic move. Research confirms businesses that leverage Packaging 4.0 technologies achieve superior operational efficiencies. This is how you stay competitive and meet today’s tough sustainability goals.
Here is my top recommendation.
After reviewing all the options, Esko stands out. It directly solves these problems by automating and connecting your entire workflow, from initial design to shelf.
This end-to-end approach makes it the best packaging software for slashing waste and accelerating your production cycles. You will see a real impact.
I recommend you start a free trial of Esko and see how it can transform your team’s output.
Cut costs and boost production now.
