How to Print Custom Cardboard Boxes:

Why should we print cardboard boxes? During a time where digital ads, social media, and other technology dominate the industry worrying customizing your packaging is a waste of time is a valid concern.  Advertising is a tool used to build your brand awareness which ultimately helps your product stand out from your competitors. The introduction of social media and digital marketing has given companies the ability to introduce various products and brands to get air time to even more people.  A common misconception regarding print media to be a “dead media”; which would include cardboard boxes. Using different box styles or custom packaging boxes can help your brand stand out! The packaging of your product is in a unique position where no matter how saturated the market is with digital ads and their continuous growth; the final decision will always lie with the consumers. Packaging in itself is often the final communication that influences consumers’ decisions.  Custom packaging and the ability to print your boxes allow you to be versatile in an ever-changing market. Therefore, allowing your unique package design to stand out from the never-ending pool your consumers are faced with on a daily basis.  Custom boxes are more expensive than its’ generic counterpart available to you. Studies have found, however, that customers are willing to pay more for a product of higher quality. This simple fact boils down to consumer’s perception linking quality to the appearance and design of the product.  Customer decisions on the brand of product they will purchase happens moments before adding it to their carts in a segment they aren’t particularly familiar with or have no brand loyalty to. Unique custom boxes could set you apart in this scenario.  If your corrugated box features a high-quality printed logo, it allows consumers to pause and add your brand to their selective set. It doesn’t end here either. You can use custom shipping boxes to help your brand be seen as your product is making its way to the customer’s location. Companies such as Amazon and Nike have long used mailer boxes with their branding on them to help draw attention and allow customers to see the custom printed boxes moving throughout the country. Packaging isn’t just helpful for your market campaign; it is also essential in protecting your product. Making your boxes in-house allows you to design packaging that will fit all your different products to exact size. This ensures that the product is safe without the need for heavy duty boxes or careful handling.  Custom boxes secure the product and give it the best chance of getting to consumers in one piece. The fastest way to lose customers is when they think they are buying a low-quality product that easily breaks.

Traditional Methods and How They’ve Changed

Flexography printing; flexo for short, is possible on several substrates such as cardboard boxes, plastic, foil, and brown paper but certainly not limited. This process uses plates made of plastic, rubber, or photopolymers to apply the ink.  Flexo printing is highly efficient in producing a high volume but, the highly detailed design will cost significantly when trying to customize or change a design. This stems from the need for a unique plate for every design printed. Offset printing, also utilized in box production is a popular technique that utilizes plates and rubber rollers to create a high-quality product. This process takes ink from a plate to a rubber roller before transferring it onto your surface.  This process will produce the highest quality of the image and high volume. Both of these techniques have two similar downfalls. They both use plates to generate their prints.  The plates allow these techniques to excel in long runs and become slow and expensive in shorter runs. They both also generate a decent amount of waste.

Digital Printing of Boxes 

Digital printing is the newest form of corrugated printing. It offers a unique, streamlined printing process that takes images sent directly to the printer in PDF form and produces your end product.  Digital unlike its traditional counterparts offers more customizable features and flexibility than any other option. Digital can change between runs seamlessly with almost no time loss and at no increased cost to you. Digital printing offers high quality that will maintain the same consistency from the first product to the last one produced; this results in low waste and lower operating costs.  Digital printing does have a higher barrier of entry on the price initially, but these increased costs are negligible by the savings this type of printing offers.  If you’re looking to start designing your boxes and other packaging check out the Limitronic V6 color or V7 color. These digital printers will allow you to customize your boxes with branding or even custom message to your customers.