Types of Printing Methods for Designing Custom Boxes and Printing

There are a variety of printing methods available for the designing of personalized containers. These methods are chosen according to the material of the coverings, budget of the process and the complexity of the designs which are to be created. All these methods are different in their operations, and hence, different types of results are obtained. These days, the customers are inclined to fabricate the coverings of their products according to their own sweet will and desire. The custom shipping boxes are prepared for the transportation of items to distant places. They are printed into various creative and artful designs to make them more lovely and acceptable to the consumers by using appropriate and suitable methods and technologies of the printing.

Lithography printing;

Most of the big-sized items are transported by packing them inside large cartons. These cartons are typically made up of cardboard. Because of the natural characteristics of their forming material, they are incredibly durable and robust and are able to protect the material from any sort of damage during its journey. They can be customized by applying various types of prints. These custom boxes are mostly prepared by using lithography printing methods. It is also commonly known as offset technology. The big containers of electronic goods, multimedia encasements, food coverings, etc. are printed by using this technology. Aluminum plates are required for this purpose. The designs are applied on these plates with the help of ink. The image thus formed is eventually transferred on the packaging by using a rubber blanket. This method is more preferable when a large number of containers are required to be printed. Otherwise, it would prove to be a costly process because of the expensive plates.

Flexography printing:

Flexography is considered as the refined and modern version of letterpress printing. The ink used in this method dries very rapidly, which makes this whole process extremely quick. This technology is favorable for printing the plastic or laminated wrappers like the pouches of juice, milk, and other food products covered with corrugated containers. It has the advantage that it is cheap than the lithography method, but also has a drawback that the result is not up to the mark as the minor details tend to become a blur and illegible. The color options are also limited in this method, and thus, it is not used in such cases where pictures or images are required to be printing.

Digital printing:

This is the most famous and frequently used printing method. It has a large number of benefits and thus is the preferred choice for the printing of custom shipping boxes. This method operates with the help of computer-mediated technology, and hence, no extra tools like plates or dyes are required for this method. It has a rapid turnaround time and is exceptionally cheap than the remaining processes. It can be used to print labels, corrugated containers, and packaging prototypes. The computer software allows the user to apply any design according to his choice with great ease and convenience. But they are not preferred for a large number of containers as the quality of the printing becomes low if excessive coverings are printed. This method does not employ metallic inks and therefore, if the requirement is the shiny outlook of the product, then this method is not utilized. Digital printing is mostly for the simple printing designs of less number of units.

Rotogravure method:

This is another important type of printing of the custom boxes. They are useful for the printing of a large number of units. It is typically used for such packaging which requires to preserve intricate details. It produces a high-quality result and has the ability to print pictures or images of high resolution. This method also offers an extensive range of colors and color combinations according to the taste of the consumers. This technology can be applied to a large variety of materials, but they perform their best on thin materials like polyester or nylon. But this method is used by large organizations or firms for their products as it is one of the most expensive methods.

Silkscreen method:

Unlike the rotogravure, this method can be utilized for small scale productions. It is named so because it uses a screen that is comprised of a woven piece of fabric. The screen used in this process is selectively permeable, which allows some materials to pass through while restricting the others. Ink is pushed through the permeable portion, and the designs are printed on the required objects. This method is extremely advantageous because diverse materials like paper, fabric, glass, wood, metal, etc. can be reproduced. Other methods do not provide such a range of options. It can be applied to a small quantity as well as on a large number of units. Glass fragrance bottles, plastic tubes of body lotions, shampoos, soaps, hair oils, etc. are most frequently printed with the help of this method.