Digital printing doesn’t use different plate for each print run – in contrast to offset and flexo printing. Instead, all of the colors are printed with a single pass just like your color printer. By not changing printing plates for every run, it helps to save a lot of cost and time. Quicker turnaround times and no additional set-up time is required to produce multiple version of artwork. Also, you don’t have fixed costs before you start printing, which makes it beneficial for small runs.

However, digital packaging printing is inconvenient to print in large volumes. This is mostly because it takes a lot of time to print a single sheet. When a product is no longer a “small job”, you’ll lose your flexibility because you’ve scheduled continuous jobs for your digital press.Moreover, digital printing requires color calibration. Digital printing does not come with any protection, like lithographic printing. Moreover, digital costs cannot use metallic inks and per unit costs are quite high, compared to offset lithographic or flexographic printing.

Flexo printing is a great choice if you require a higher volume order. Since flexo printing presses run at a much faster speed than digital presses, it is an efficient way to produce large volume runs with high-quality results. Also, the cost per label decreases substantially as your quantity increases.

Flexography and digital printing are no longer competing technologies. Despite the pros and cons of each printing method, the key question will always be: which method is most cost-effective? What is the crossover point? Before this point, it would be more cost-effective to run your labels digitally. When you pass the crossover point, flexo printing becomes more cost-effective.

A speedy printing process, flexo uses quick-drying inks and works on many types of absorbent and non-absorbent materials. Thanks to its versatility, resilience, and quick print times, flexo is widely considered the best printing option for high-volume custom corrugated jobs.

Examples of corrugated products appropriate for flexo printing, include:

• Shipping boxes
• Pre-printed liner board
• In-store displays
• Subscription boxes
• Jewelry boxes
• Point of purchase displays
• Clothing boxes
• Bakery boxes

What’s Right for You When Printing on Corrugated Boxes

That depends on your needs. Ask yourself a few questions first:

Will I need primary retail packaging, POP (point of purchase) displays or shipper boxes?

• If you want shipper boxes, then flexo printing for sure. Depending on the type of product, litho label may be the way to go as it will yield much better results if you need printing on primary retail packaging or stunning POP displays.

How many colors will I need?

• If you only need a few PMS colors, flexo is probably your best bet.

What is my volume?

• Flexo is generally cheaper so having low volumes is not necessarily a deal breaker. But, digital is the way to go for low volumes.

For more information about our corrugated carton boxes and what type of printing you’ll require for your specific need, kindly contact us at +603-8766 0864 or email us at packtalk@kym.com.my.