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Printing & Finishes
How packaging is printed and finished, and what each finish does to the look, feel and practicality of a box.
Guides
Printing & Finishes
CMYK vs Pantone (PMS) for packaging: which should you use?
CMYK prints every colour from four process inks laid down as tiny dots, so it suits photographs, gradients and multi-colour artwork. Pantone (PMS) prints a pre-mixed spot…
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Litho vs digital printing for packaging: which suits your order?
Litho (offset lithography) prints from plates with wet inks, giving the finest quality, true Pantone spot colours and the lowest unit cost on longer runs. Digital…
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Luxury packaging finishes: a buyer's overview
Luxury packaging finishes are the processes applied after printing that change how a box looks and feels: soft-touch or matt lamination, foil blocking, embossing and…
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Printing inside your box: options, artwork and pitfalls
You can print the inside of most custom boxes: the inner liner of a corrugated mailer, the reverse of a folding carton and the liner paper of a rigid box. Inside print…
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Finish
Foil blocking
Foil blocking (hot foil stamping) uses a heated metal die to transfer foil from a carrier film onto the surface of a box under pressure. It is used for logos, type and…
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Embossing and debossing
Embossing uses a matched pair of dies to push part of the board upwards into a raised design; debossing presses the design down into the surface. Both are used for logos,…
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Spot UV
Spot UV is a clear varnish applied to selected areas of printed packaging and cured with ultraviolet light, giving a glossy, slightly raised finish against the…
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Lamination
Lamination bonds a thin plastic film, typically around 15–30 microns, over printed packaging to protect it and set the finish. Matt lamination is low-glare and…
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