Packaging Printing Techniques – Different Print Types with Advantages and Disadvantages

Packaging printing techniques are something you should think about carefully before engaging in the process. There are a lot of different techniques that you can choose from for your various products, like food packaging, appeal packaging, or Pre-Roll Packaging. It’s important to know the pros and cons of each technique so you can determine which one is best for your product. 

In this blog post, I will discuss packaging printing techniques and provide information on which technique is best for your product’s packaging boxes. 

Packaging Printing Techniques 

Screen Printing 

In screen printing, ink is deposited through a series of screens. The screen with the design to be printed is inked and then used as a surface onto which an image or text will be transferred. There are two types of screens for this technique- water-based or plastisol. This process can also work on many different surfaces like glass, plastic, metal, etc., making it highly versatile. 

The advantage of this type of packaging printing technique is that you get accurate colors due to the fact that there’s no fading even after washing your shirt off. It has excellent definition and detail, so you won’t have any problems reading small print fonts or seeing logos on t-shirts. 

This packaging printing technique poses some disadvantages as well, which are that ink coverage is not as even, and the colors are more likely to change after washing. Plus, there’s a chance of screen burn-through in some cases where one color bleeds through to another layer. 

Digital Printing 

Digital printing is another popular printing technique that is practiced properly in the industry. With this packaging printing technique, you have the choice of using spot color or process colors as your ink type, which offers a variety of options for creating more dynamic designs that are vibrant and appealing to viewers. Images can also be printed in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) without any need for converting them from RGB because they’re already being produced digitally. 

Another great advantage with digital printing is that there’s no limit to how many pieces you want on a page since it all depends on what size paper rolls will fit into your printer. This makes production faster and easier than if you were doing large offset runs where inks dry up after every print run ends, making startup costs high and turnaround time long, so it is a good option for packaging printing. 

The disadvantages of this technique are that it is not waterproof, so you can’t use this for packaging boxes or items with high-quality graphics. 

Lithography Printing 

In lithography, printing texts and images are created from raised surfaces. This is accomplished by applying a grease-based solution to the surface of metal plates that are then inked and run through lithography presses where ink transfers from recessed areas on the plate onto paper or other material. 

The advantages are that with lithography prints, you can choose where your text will go on the package or box because there’s no set placement for words like in offset printing. Lithograph also has vibrant colors, which make it suitable for high-quality graphics packaging boxes. 

The disadvantage of this technique is that it takes extra time to design the image and print it since you have to pre-determine how many copies need to be printed before printing them. 

Flexography Printing 

In this technique, the package is printed using a rubber plate. The prints are applied to the packaging boxes using a silicone coating. This print type is best for packaging boxes that require graphics with sharp details and heavy ink coverage. Printing time can be quick with this technique, but there are some limitations to the material used in printing because it’s not as flexible as other techniques. 

The advantages of flexography prints are that you need less precision when designing your images which allows more room for creativity and variation while still maintaining quality; they’re also strong, so they offer good protection against abrasion damage during shipping or handling on store shelves. Flexographic printers are versatile, so different materials can be printed like paperboard, plastic, metal foil sheets, and even glass bottles. 

Flexography prints are used for full-color packaging, and it’s cheaper than other printing methods such as offset printing or letterpress. 

The disadvantage of flexography print is that it doesn’t last long, which means you need to reprint sooner if your product needs frequent changes in design. 

Silk Screen Printing 

This printing technique uses a stencil with a screen to block off the areas of ink that are not required. The silkscreen printing technique is suitable for both small and large batches, even though it takes more time than other techniques such as lithography or offset printing. 

The advantage of using silk screening is that you can use different colors without mixing inks like CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black). Another advantage of this printing technique is that you can use it on almost any surface. 

The disadvantages of using silk screening are that the stencils wear out quickly, and it’s hard to produce small batches with this technique, as well as difficult to edit details like typeface or images in post-production. 

Rotogravure Printing  

In this technique, prints are applied in reverse order, not in the conventional forward direction. This technique is often used for magazines or brochures where color gradations are important because it provides a smoother gradient between colors and shades than other techniques. 

The advantages of using this printing technique include that it can be used on different materials, including paper, plastic, metal as well as glass surfaces. It also has the capability to produce intricate details like photo-realistic images without any degradation in quality when editing post-production. 

The disadvantages of rotogravure printing are that it requires presses with large rollers, which cost more money to operate and maintain over time compared to lithography or offset presses. The print quality declines noticeably if you change ink colors too quickly, so there’s a limit for printing the boxes using this technique. 

Which Technique Should You Use for Your Product’s Packaging? 

There are several kinds of packaging materials, and they have different packaging requirements. You need to understand which printing technique is more suitable for your product’s packaging. 

Moreover, packaging size also helps to determine the printing techniques as the printing requirements of Cigarette Boxes will be different from the soapboxes and so on. So, do a thorough analysis and then select any of the techniques as your business requirements.