How to Print Your Own Custom-Made Boxes

Why is Your Packaging Design Important?

With all the new products, social media, and latest trends out there, it can be hard to differentiate yourself in the industry when it comes to getting your name and brand to the masses. You’ve increased your marketing strategy and taken the time to do your research, but what can you do to make your product stand out from the crowd and get noticed, or keep your existing customers happy? According to industry research, packaging and its design really matters to consumers. A recent 2021 Paper and Packaging Board and IPSOS study, found that over 70% of consumers identify that packaging design directly influences their buying decisions. There’s a need there; your product is good, your brand is on point, but you’re just not seeing the traction you were hoping for. Picking the right packaging is essential and more significant than you might think, because your packaging choices can have a huge impact on your sales. Shipping boxes are more than a convenient way ship and protect your product, whatever corrugated cardboard, box, or container you use, It’s important to create an eye catching, tailored package that your customers will be drawn to. When your product comes pre-wrapped in a generic cardboard box, it lacks a certain finesse and personality that can unintentionally devalue your brand since custom made boxes tap into your business’s potential, which helps get your product into the right hands. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when faced with all the designing choices out there, it can almost feel like the wild west. That’s where direct-to-package-printing comes into play and can make all the difference when creating the best possible outcome for your business.

What Are Your Printing Options?

With a plethora of options made available to package a product, one of the first places to start when trying to come up with a packaging design is how you want it to be printed. There are a several printing options that can help you make the best decision. Here are a few options to get you started:

• Flexographic: Flexographic or Flexo printing is a more traditional printing option, which allows for 3-color printing. It’s a direct-printing method which means it uses relief plates and anilox rolls to press the ink straight onto the material. In flexo printing, after a raised image of the design is created, a plate is placed into a press.
• Lithographic: Like Flexo, Lithographic or Litho printing a traditional printing method. It’s creates a high-end, magazine-like quality that laminates printed sheets on top of your container or box. It is a 2-step process and can contain up to 6 colors.
• Digital: Digital printing is an economical similar to flexo that prints directly onto the box itself. It’s also an excellent option for small orders and unique benefits that typical printing methods just don’t have. It’s an ideal option for short run printing.

Traditional Flexo Box Printing

Flexo printing is highly efficient in producing a high volume of prints. It’s a good option if you want to maintain consistency and print an image multiple times for large print runs. It’s important to note that Flexo lacks the high-resolution needed for designs with patterns and photographs or intricate detail. This stems from the need for a unique plate for every design printed.

Traditional Litho Box Printing

Litho printing is good for high-resolution printing for clear images. Water and ink rolls over the printing plate so that it only wets the area around the image while the ink is only applied to the image, to create this fine detail. Litho printing is far slower than digital printing and isn’t ideal for short runs because the process requires a detailed set up which slows down production and lead times. Litho provides a softer and often less precise finish than other printing options, which is something to consider when making your decision decisions. Between these two processes, they have one major downfall: they both produce their prints on plates. The plates enable these methods to succeed in long runs while becoming slow and costly in short runs. They also produce a significant amount of waste. Digital printing is the newest option for printing directly to boxes and containers, as it offers full customization, fast timelines on shorter runs, more flexibility to easily switch between jobs on a variety of substrates, including corrugated boxes.

It’s been said that digital inkjet printing is the way to go when it comes to the new improvements made to today’s technology. This is because with all the new technology to come about in recent years, it’s almost impossible to compare the quality between traditional printing solutions and digital printing methods – the image quality is just that good. If you need your samples done quickly in short runs, have expedited order needs, require customized or varied prints, and want to recreate realistic or intricate images or designs, digital printing is the best option for your printing needs. It’s also more economical and less wasteful by maximizing the use of material space, a process known as imposition. Digital printing is much easier and less time consuming than traditional printing options, which is why it is often the most used solution for shorter print runs. It can significantly increase turnaround times many printing companies in the industry need to create the most efficient and aesthetically pleasing boxed design. If you’ve been thinking about designing your own custom boxes, check out the Limitronic V6 color or V7 color. These digital printers will enable you to brand your boxes and even send personalized messages to your customers.