Print & finish
Print & finish3 min readUpdated
Printing methods
Most packs are printed one of four ways: offset, flexo, gravure or digital. Which one your printer uses depends mostly on two things, the material and how many you order. Here is what each one is good at.
Four methods side by side
| Method | How it prints | Strong at | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offset | From a metal plate onto a rubber blanket, then onto the sheet | Fine type, photos, even colour | Paperboard cartons, tags, folders |
| Flexo | From soft raised plates on cylinders, straight onto the material | Long runs on film, paper and corrugated | Pouches, plastic and paper bags, labels, shipping boxes |
| Gravure | From cells engraved into a metal cylinder | Very long runs that look the same from first to last | Snack and coffee packs, other film made by the million |
| Digital | Straight from your file, with no plates at all | Short runs, samples, a different design on every pack | Test runs, small brands, seasonal versions |
What you pay for
Offset, flexo and gravure all need a plate or a cylinder for every colour before the first pack is printed. That set-up costs the same for a hundred packs as for a hundred thousand, so the more you print, the less each one costs. Gravure cylinders are expensive to make, which is why gravure only pays off on very long runs that rarely change.
Digital skips all that. You can print a handful, or change the design between runs for nothing. The price per pack, though, stays about the same however many you order, so on a large run a press with plates usually wins. Where the line falls depends on the pack and the printer: ask for a quote both ways.
The material decides first
Before run size even comes up, the material rules some methods out.
- Film is printed on a roll: flexo for most runs, gravure for the longest, digital for short ones.
- PaperboardPaperboard Thin, stiff board in one solid sheet, well under a millimetre thick. It folds cleanly and takes fine print: the board of shop shelves. for folding cartonsFolding carton A printed paperboard box made from one flat sheet, cut and creased, shipped flat and folded up at packing. usually goes through offset on sheets, or digital for small runs.
- CorrugatedCorrugated board A wavy sheet, the flute, glued between flat liners. Light, stiff and hard to crush: the board of shipping and mailer boxes. is usually printed as finished sheets, by flexo for most shipping boxes or digitally. For the finest print, the box's face can be a separate sheet, printed by offset and glued onto the board, since offset presses can't take fluted board. Corrugated liners explains when that is worth it.
- Paper bags are often printed on a roll by flexo and made into bags straight off it.
Sheet or roll
A sheet press prints one flat sheet at a time; you get as many blanks out of it as fit. A roll press prints a continuous web, with copies side by side in lanes and one after another along it. Offset and digital come in both kinds. Flexo and gravure run on rolls, except the big flexo presses made for corrugated sheets.
Try it in Print layout
On a computer, the editor's Print layout shows your dieline the way a press would take it. Pick Offset, Flexo, Gravure or Digital, a sheet or a roll where the method has both, and a press. Each box, bag or pouch offers only what suits its material: a pouch gets roll methods only, a corrugated box gets flexo or digital sheets. If your printer names a press or a sheet size that isn't in the list, choose Custom… and type it.
Lay out a tuck box for print
On a computer, open Print layout on a tuck box and switch between Offset, Flexo, Gravure and Digital. Each method brings its own presses, on a sheet or a roll.
- Cut
- Crease