Materials
Materials3 min readUpdated
Kraft paper and board
Kraft is the strong brown paper of shopping bags, sacks and the outside of shipping boxes. It looks natural, and it changes how your artwork prints. Here is what to expect before you choose it.
Why it is strong, and why it is brown
The name is the German and Swedish word for strength. Kraft pulp is cooked in a way that keeps the wood fibres long, and long fibres hold together. A kraft sheet resists tearing better than ordinary paper of the same weight.
Left unbleached, the pulp stays brown. That brown is the paper itself, not a dye. Bleach it and you get white kraft, still strong, ready for cleaner colour.
How your artwork looks on brown
Brown kraft is usually uncoated, so it soaks ink in, and the brown shows through every colour. Colours come out darker and duller, and pale tints almost disappear.
- Black and dark single colours read clearly. Logos, line art, text and barcodes look good straight on brown.
- For bright colour, the printer lays down white first and prints your colours on top of it. It costs more, and not every printer offers it.
- Or print in white alone. On brown it stands out clearly.
- Photos and soft gradients belong on white kraft or a coated board.
Ask for a printed proof on the real paper. A screen cannot show you how much the brown takes away.
Brown, white or black
| Kraft | Looks | |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | Natural, the classic bag and box look | Dark colours and simple art; white first for bright colour |
| White | White or off-white, clean | Full colour, a little less crisp than coated board |
| Black | Dyed black, for gifts and premium packs | White ink or white first; colours on bare black look dull |
For food, grease-resistant kraft grades exist. Ask your supplier for one if oil or butter will touch the paper.
Uncoated or coated kraft board
Kraft also comes as board. Uncoated, its surface stays rough and natural, good for drink carriers and tough outer packs, but fine type and small details lose their edge. Coated, it gets a white clay topClay coating A thin layer of clay and pigment on board, smooth and white, so ink sits on top and prints sharp. that prints like ordinary carton board while the brown fibre underneath keeps it strong. That coated grade is CUK in Paperboard basics, and its relatives are in Recycled and kraft-back board.
Kraft on this site
Paper bags are usually kraft paper. A paper bag with handles and the pinch bottom bag have no board thicknessBoard 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. to type, only their sizes. Give a box board of 1 mm or more and its 3D view starts on kraft, like corrugated boardCorrugated board A wavy sheet, the flute, glued between flat liners. Light, stiff and hard to crush: the board of shipping and mailer boxes.. Any box or paper bag can show White, Kraft or Colour in 3D, so you can see your design on brown before you print it.
Try your design on kraft
Open the 3D view and set Board to Kraft. Then switch to White and compare.
- Cut
- Folds
- Safe area