- Cigarette pack
-
A pack or packet of cigarettes is a rectangular container, mostly of paperboard, which contains cigarettes. The pack is designed with a flavor-protective foil, paper or biodegradable plastic, and sealed through a transparent airtight plastic film. By pulling the "pull-tabs", the pack is opened. Hard packs can be closed again after opening, whereas soft packs cannot.
Cigarette packs often contain warning messages depending on which country they are sold in.
Contents
Package size
The size of a pack is often regulated. Government agencies usually set a minimum pack size.
In Australia, the most common quantity per pack is 25, second to 20 which by law, is the minimum. 30, 40 and even 50 packs are also sold.
In Canada, most packs sold have 25 cigarettes, but packs of 20 are also popular.
In many European countries, increases of cigarette tax can cause the quantity of cigarettes in the pack to change, in order to achieve the same end price.
In Malaysia, the selling of packs containing less than 14 cigarettes is prohibited.
In the United States of America, the quantity of cigarettes in a pack must be at least 20. Certain brands, such as Export As, come in a pack of 25.
In the United Kingdom brands are usually sold in packets of 20 but most popular brands are also available in 10s. Vending machines often dispense packets containing 16 or 18 cigarettes, although the dimensions of the packaging are the same as the equivalent packet containing 20.[1]
Hard pack
A demonstration of the flip-up top of a hard pack of Marlboro cigarettes sold in New Zealand. Tobacco packaging warning messages are visible.
A hard pack is the usual style of paperboard packaging for store bought cigarettes, which consists of a relatively stable box. This successfully prevents the crumpling of cigarettes when kept in a person's pocket or handbag. The flip-top hard pack cigarette case was introduced in 1955 by Philip Morris.[2][3]
Soft pack
A soft pack is a box packaging made of thin paper, usually containing 20 cigarettes. Soft packs may be considered inconvenient as they rupture easily and cannot be resealed. They offer the immediate convenience of not having to open the package each time the smoker wants a cigarette. They require less physical 'pocket space' when fewer cigarettes remain in the pack. With American brands, cigarettes from a soft pack are usually a few millimeters longer than their hard-boxed counterparts.
Collectible pack
Camel Collector’s PackSome cigarettes' packs present a particular interest for collectors. There are cigarettes packs labeled “collectible”.
Some brands introduce promotional packs to bypass advertising laws. An example would be a limited time promotion where the pack is made from tin with the shape, purpose, and look of a cigarette case to entice potential buyers.
They are distinguished by unique décor or are very old or they were removed from manufacturing for some reasons and consequently became rare.
References
- ^ "Cigarette Vending Packs". Licensed Trade Vending Supplies. http://www.ltvs.co.uk/vending.html. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
- ^ http://www.tobacco.org/resources/history/Tobacco_History20-2.html, accessed January 31, 2010
- ^ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470487/, accessed January 31, 2010
See also
External links
Categories:- Cigarettes
- Containers
- Paperboard packaging
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
