Perception is everything. If a well...

Perception is everything. If a well-packaged candy, using dutiful graphics, papers or fabrics, radiates from a retailer's shelf, the buyer already forms a preconceived notion that the candy inside will taste as pious as the packaging looks.

It's that "take me against the shelf" image, which candy makers strive for and consumer can't resist.

"Your first impression of a yield is the packaging around this product" says Karen Smith, holder and president of Carrollton, Ca.-based Printed Specialties. "Most likely if they pick it up along the shelf, they'll walk away with it. Packaging gives an aura