Packaging glossary: box, board and print terms

A

Air pillows: Small film bags filled with air, packed round a product to fill the gaps in a box. They weigh almost nothing. Void fill
Anti-scratch lamination: A matte laminating film made to resist scuffs, so dark designs keep a clean surface. Lamination
Aqueous coating: A clear water-based coat over the whole printed sheet. It guards against rubbing and fingerprints, in gloss or matte. Coatings and varnishes

B

Bleed: Background colour or images run a little past the cut line, so no bare edge shows if the cut lands slightly off. How much is your printer's call. What is a dieline?
Blind embossing: A raised design pressed into the board with no ink or foil on it: only the shape and its shadow. Embossing and debossing
Board thickness: How thick the board is, in mm, also called caliper. Type it into a box's dieline and the details around the folds follow it. Paperboard basics
BOPP film: Polypropylene film, used for labels on jars, bottles, food and cosmetics. It shrugs off water and oil. Labels and stickers
Box hang tab: A tab on top of a box with a hole, round or Euro slot, so the box hangs from a shop peg. Structural features
Bubble wrap: Film with small air cells, wrapped round a product to cushion it rather than poured round it like loose fill. Void fill
Burst strength: How much pressure board takes before it bursts (the Mullen test). A US rating, for reference: it never changes a dieline. Corrugated board

C

C1S (coated one side): Board coated on one face only, the print side. Most folding cartons need no more: the inside stays plain. SBS board: C1S and C2S
C2S (coated two sides): Board coated on both faces, so print stays sharp outside and inside. Pick it when the inside of the box carries print too. SBS board: C1S and C2S
Chipboard: Grey, stiff board with no white face, not made for print. Rigid gift boxes are glued up from it and covered in printed paper. Recycled and kraft-back board
Clay coating: A thin layer of clay and pigment on board, smooth and white, so ink sits on top and prints sharp. SBS board: C1S and C2S
CMYK (process colour): Cyan, magenta, yellow and black, printed as fine dots the eye blends. Four inks make photos, gradients and most colours. Inks and colour
Cold foil: Foil laid on glue in the printing press itself, with no heated die. It can be printed over, and wants a smooth, coated board. Foil stamping
Corrugated board: A wavy sheet, the flute, glued between flat liners. Light, stiff and hard to crush: the board of shipping and mailer boxes. Corrugated board
Crash lock bottom: A bottom glued flat by the box maker that locks itself when the carton is opened. Also called auto-lock bottom. Folding cartons
Crease: A fold line pressed into board so it bends cleanly, also called a score. Dashed green on our dielines. What is a dieline?
Cutting die: The steel knife that cuts the pack out of the sheet along the dieline. The die-maker builds it from the same file. What is a dieline?

D

Debossing: A design pressed into the board from the front, so it sinks below the surface. The opposite of embossing. Embossing and debossing
Die-cutting: Cutting the flat pack out of a printed sheet with a cutting die. The dieline is the drawing the die follows. What is a dieline?
Dieline: The flat outline of a pack before it is cut and folded: where to cut, where to fold and where artwork is safe. What is a dieline?
Digital printing: Printing straight from your file, with no plates. Good for short runs, samples and a different design on every pack. Printing methods
Display box: A box that shows the product where it is sold, such as an open counter tray with a header for the brand. Display packaging
Divider: A wall of board inside a box that gives each item its own cell, like the six cells of a beer box. Inserts
Double crease: Two creases side by side, twice the board thickness apart, where a wall folds right back on itself. Under 0.6 mm one crease is enough. Structural features
Double wall: Corrugated board with two flutes and three liners, such as E+B or B+C. For heavy or large boxes and long trips. Corrugated board
Dust flap: A small flap on a side panel of a tuck box that folds in first, under the closure flap, and keeps the tuck in place. Folding cartons

E

E flute: A thin corrugated flute, 1.5 mm in our Board list. Flat enough to print well, it suits mailer boxes and retail packs. Flute profiles
ECMA code: A code from the European catalogue of paperboard carton styles, such as A20.20.03.03 for a straight tuck end box. Folding cartons
Edge crush test (ECT): How much load corrugated board takes on its edge before it crushes, as in 32 ECT. A US rating, for reference only. Corrugated board
EPE foam: Expanded polyethylene: a light, springy foam with closed cells. It costs less than EVA and suits heavy items and large runs. Foam inserts
EVA foam: Ethylene-vinyl acetate: a dense, firm foam with closed cells and crisp cut-outs, for a premium unboxing. It costs more than EPE. Foam inserts

F

FBB (folding boxboard): Paperboard in layers: a bulky middle between bleached outer layers. Light and stiff for its weight, for everyday cartons. Paperboard basics
FEFCO code: A four-digit code for a corrugated box style from the FEFCO catalogue, such as 0201 for the regular slotted carton. It names the shape, not the size. Shipping boxes and FEFCO codes
Flap: A panel hinged on a crease that folds over to close an end of a box or to hold it together. Closures and bases
Flexo printing: Printing from soft raised plates on cylinders, straight onto the material. The usual press for film, paper bags and shipping boxes. Printing methods
Flute: The wavy layer inside corrugated board. Its letter (F, E, B, C, A) tells how tall the waves are. Flute profiles
Folding carton: A printed paperboard box made from one flat sheet, cut and creased, shipped flat and folded up at packing. Folding cartons

G

Glue flap: A narrow flap at the end of the row of panels that the box maker glues to the last panel, turning the sheet into a tube. Structural features
Grammage: A board's or paper's weight in grams per square metre (g/m², gsm). It hints at thickness, but only loosely. Paperboard basics
Gravure printing: Printing from cells engraved into a metal cylinder. The cylinders cost a lot to make, so it pays off on very long runs of film. Printing methods

H

Handle: A hole or a cut-out grip for carrying a box, such as the hand holes on our gable box. Structural features
Holographic foil: A foil with a rainbow, light-shifting shine, one of the hot foil options. Foil stamping
Hot foil stamping: A heated metal die presses a thin metal foil onto the board in the shape of your design. The brightest shine of the foils. Foil stamping

I

Insert: A piece inside a box that holds the product still: foam, card, corrugated or moulded pulp, shaped to fit. Inserts
Inside dimensions: A box's sizes measured inside, from crease to crease. This is what you type on our boxes, and what box makers quote. Box dimensions

K

Kraft paper: Strong paper from long wood fibres. Brown when unbleached, white when bleached; the paper of shopping bags and sacks. Kraft paper and board
Kraftliner: A strong liner made from fresh kraft fibre, usually the outside face of corrugated board. Marked K in a board grade. Corrugated liners

L

Label: A piece printed on its own and stuck on the pack, so a plain box, pouch or jar can carry your brand. Labels and stickers
Lamination: A thin plastic film bonded over the print, gloss, matte or soft touch. It protects better than any liquid coat. Lamination
Laser engraving: A laser burns a thin layer off the board and leaves a mark. No plate or die, so every piece can carry its own name or number. Laser engraving and windows
Liner: A flat paper sheet on the face of corrugated board. A single wall board has two, one each side of the flute. Corrugated liners

M

Mailer box: A corrugated box that folds into a tray with a hinged lid and locks without glue or tape. Ours is FEFCO 0427. Mailer boxes
Moulded pulp: Paper pulp pressed in a mould, the way egg cartons are made. As an insert it follows the product's shape. Inserts

O

Offset printing: Printing from a metal plate onto a rubber blanket, then onto the sheet. Fine type, photos and even colour, the usual press for paperboard cartons. Printing methods
Outside dimensions: A box's sizes measured outside, a little bigger than crease to crease. Shelves, outer cartons and couriers go by these. Box dimensions

P

Packing peanuts: Loose fill: small pieces of foam polystyrene or starch poured round a product. The starch kind dissolves in water. Void fill
Paperboard: Thin, stiff board in one solid sheet, well under a millimetre thick. It folds cleanly and takes fine print: the board of shop shelves. Paperboard basics
Perforation: A line of short cuts with small uncut bits between them, so the board tears along it. We draw it as real red cuts. Structural features
Primary, secondary and tertiary packaging: The three layers of packaging: the pack that holds the product, the box that groups several, and the bulk load on a pallet. Kinds of packaging
PU foam: Polyurethane: a soft, sponge-like foam with mostly open cells. It settles round small, delicate items, but soaks up water unless treated. Foam inserts

R

Raised spot UV: A thicker spot UV coat that stands up from the surface, so you can feel it with a finger. Spot UV
Recycled fibre: Fibre from used paper, such as old newspapers. Cheaper than virgin fibre but weaker, so a box may need thicker board. Recycled and kraft-back board
Registered embossing: An emboss that sits exactly on a printed shape, such as a logo, so print and relief match. Embossing and debossing
Regular slotted carton (RSC): FEFCO 0201: four walls joined by a glue flap, with four flaps at each end, all half the width deep. The everyday shipping box. Shipping boxes and FEFCO codes
Reverse tuck end (RTE): A tuck box whose top flap hangs on the back panel and bottom flap on the front, so the ends open in opposite directions. Folding cartons
Rigid box: A gift box glued up from grey chipboard and covered in printed paper. It is made another way, and we don't draw it. Recycled and kraft-back board

S

Safe area: Keep text and logos inside it, clear of seals, zippers, folds and the cut. Dashed blue on most of our bags, pouches and paper goods; boxes have none. What is a dieline?
SBS (solid bleached board): Bright white paperboard of bleached virgin pulp all the way through, so even a cut edge is white. The smoothest print surface. SBS board: C1S and C2S
Single face: One liner glued to one flute, with no second liner. Soft enough to roll round a product as a wrap. Corrugated board
Single wall: Corrugated board with one flute between two liners, such as E or B. The board of most shipping and mailer boxes. Corrugated board
Sleeve: A tube or band of board, open at both ends, that slips over a box or round a drawer. Sleeves
Snap lock bottom: A bottom of four flaps that lock into each other by hand, with no glue: fold one, two, three. Also called a 1-2-3 bottom. Folding cartons
Soft touch: A matte coat or film with a velvety feel and no glare. Made to be touched, it suits gift and beauty boxes. Lamination
Spot colour: An ink mixed to one exact shade before printing, often named by its Pantone number. For brand colours that must match every run. Inks and colour
Spot UV: A glossy UV coat on chosen areas only, such as a logo, so they shine against a matte surface. Spot UV
Straight tuck end (STE): A tuck box whose top and bottom closure flaps both hang on the back panel, so the two ends open the same way. Folding cartons

T

Tear strip: A perforated band you tear off to open a box, or to turn it into an open display tray. Structural features
Testliner: A liner made from recycled fibre, weaker and cheaper than kraftliner, often on the inside of a box. Marked T in a board grade. Corrugated board
Tray: A base with walls and no lid. Its strength is in its corners, which lock, glue or fold. Closures and bases
Triple wall: Corrugated board with three flutes and four liners, for very heavy loads and bulk transport. Corrugated board
Tuck flap: The end of a closure flap that slides down inside the box. Short slits at its sides catch behind the dust flaps, so it stays shut. Closures and bases

U

UV coating: A liquid coat that UV light hardens in a moment. The toughest of the liquid coats and the highest gloss, but it can crack on folds. Coatings and varnishes

V

Varnish: A clear coat printed like one more ink, on the same press. Light protection at low cost, in gloss, satin or matte. Coatings and varnishes
Virgin fibre: Fresh wood fibre that has not been recycled. Strong and clean, it brings no smell or taint, which counts next to food. SBS board: C1S and C2S
Void fill: Paper, air or foam packed round a product so it stays put in the box. A box that fits needs less of it. Void fill

W

Water-based ink: Ink that uses water instead of oil or solvent. Flexo printing on corrugated board mostly uses it. Inks and colour
White top liner: A liner with a thin white layer over brown: off-white, with a hint of brown. The cheapest white face for corrugated. Corrugated liners
Window: A hole cut so the product shows through the pack, often with clear film glued over it from the inside. Laser engraving and windows
WLC (white-lined chipboard): Paperboard of mostly recycled fibre with a white top and a grey back. The cheapest grade, for cereal, shoes and dry goods. Paperboard basics