All About Box Printing

Box printing is a means to allow you to unleash the potential that your brand has through the box. With expert printing and ideas, you’ll be able to improve the way your box looks.

Some of the ideas include: 

• Art design 

• Finish added 

• Application of packaging 

• Design of packaging 

• Production run 

Here, we’ll go over how to really maximize box printing, along with some of the unique ways to take box printing to the next level. 

Digital printing 

Digital printing is one that’s super popular, and we see this both in retail, and ecommerce food and product packaging. 

They’re fast to make, with no costs for setup. If you’re a small business or are trying to run a seasonal or small packaging run, this might be good. Startups also thrive on this type of packaging because it’s easier on the wallet than other types of packaging products. 

There are different substrates that can be used with this, including corrugated boxes, cartons for folding, sleeves, rigid paper boxes, stickers, and bags. ‘

They’re good for setting up, and they do produce a high quality print that’s detailed.   There’s low minimums too, so if you’re just starting out, it’s great. There are also varnishes of matte and gloss, and variable printing within similar runs.

However, the downside is that since they only utilize CMYK, it cannot color match to the pantones out there. it can get high in terms of costs later on, so use it for high volume options to get the best prices. 

It is sustainable, and produces far less waste, and you can even get water based inks for it. 

Lithographic Printing 

This is a longtime favorite, as it offers classic, sophisticated looks. They’re good for production runs that are high in volume. So cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, gifts, and food and drink are good for this. 

It works well for corrugated packaging, rigid paper boxes, folding cartons, and paper bags.

Some of the pros are that it’s detailed, and high in quality. There are specialty finishes, and color matching. It’s the best for larger unit runs. 

If you are a small business, this might not be ideal since it can cost more. the lead times also may be longer. There's also no variants for product options. 

This is a good one for cardboard options, but opting for lamination makes it a challenge to recycle.   For the most part, eco friendly water and vegetable inks definitely work for this, and it’s good for log printing runs. 

Flexographic Printing 

Finally, we got flexo, which is good for pretty much anything. Shipping boxes use this for bar codes, logos, and information. 

Postal boxes love to use this.   printed messages in the box also are done with this. pizza boxes too can also keep costs to a minimum if they use this. 

There are limitations, but it does work. If it’s a paper bag, corrugated packaging, or paper tape, it works. 

It’s cost-effective and provides good definition, so good for all types of runs. 

The cons are the costs for setup is expensive, due to the plates you have to get. So if you’re a small business, or doing a small run, it might not be ideal for you.

There are also limitations with extensive, complicated artwork, especially when compared to other printing.

Flexo printing, however, is environmentally friendly, and it utilizes recycled, and sustainable materials. Water-based types of inks, along with solvent-based inks are changing the game, and the packaging can be recycled too.

Interested? Contact us today and let us choose your printing means.

Why Digital Printing Optimizes Packaging

Digital printing is a type of process that’s direct, and it offers you a chance to apply the ink directly to the substrate. Photo and signage industries were the ones using this early on, and nowadays, it’s used in a ton of other industries, including print on demand, publishing, direct mail, display, and even marketing collateral, which are all printed packaging that utilizes digital technology.

When it involves your packaging, the digital packaging is a bit different from litho and flexo lamination. They use plates and cylinders to get the image onto different materials, and they pass through some presses. Digital doesn’t need this, instead, putting the inks directly on there to make this. Some brands are still learning to adopt this, but it’s become popular for displays, boxes, and even labels and other types of applications for packaging. It’s changed how people view products, and also gets them on there.

The product Life Cycle

Why is this so popular?  Well, it attributes itself to the product life cycle. That’s because the life cycles are getting less and less, and there are now more products and even variants than ever before. New SKUs have been introduced, and it’s something that plays a part in the success of products.

The demand is there, and there is a need for this. So how do you handle the demand for this? Conventional methods take time, and these days, digital printing is a lot better. 

Packaging plays a part in this, and there are now more fluctuations of products than ever before. With more surplus packaging tying up the cashflow that’s there, and it costs money especially when not used, it’s clear that there are some product packaging options that cause the product to sit in the trash, or even just recycled.

Using the correct packaging will help save you money, but the thing is, the right packaging can be hard. Not to mention, with holiday sales and the like, it can be a struggle to get the correct packaging on your team.

Conventional printing is good for some options, but the problem is, it can’t handle the fluctuations of the current packaging lifecycle. The plates cost a lot, and if the packaging is a dud, you’re in the red. That’s why more and more have adopted the use of the digital printing methods that are out there, because it’s clear that with this, you’ll be able to print the packaging that you want, to meet the demands that are there.

How digital printing solves this 

Digital printing is super different, because it lets you put together the right packaging and the needs that are there, allowing companies to print whatever, whenever, and however, and you can control, handle the volume, replenish it better, and offer better graphic iterations that are there, offering better alignment to the supply chain.

It’s also more sensical in a financial sense. With conventional printing requiring higher minimums in order to overcome the initiation and the production that’s there, it also includes some tooling, the setup of machines, and the wastes of material. Lamination can run way more than most companies are willing to pay, and if you’re printing hundreds of that, it certainly adds up.

Digital printing also gets rid of a lot of the initial costs that come with this. For those starting out, it’s less about printing a ton of things, and more about printing something that’s consistently the same price, which is good for a lot of brands.

Overall, it is the future, and hopefully, we see more applications too.