Lexus promo mailer has the high-end touch

Soft-touch inks are popular in blow-molded bottles, and now they're emerging on paperboard cartons.

A promotional package from Lexus is hot-stamped and printed with a "double bump" of soft-coat ink to deliver a leather-like feel on the automaker's promotional mailing carton. These design tactics leverage both paperboard structure and decorating techniques to deliver a premium look that supports the brand.

The carton has a wallet-like appearance. It holds a USB stick that a potential Lexus buyer can plug into a computer to specify car options.

The package, which won the 2008 Paperboard Packaging Council's Innovation Award, hits the mark in two ways. The structure is strong enough to deliver the USB stick undamaged to the recipient yet exhibits visual enhancements that communicate "luxury."