It is usually told that good art inspires whereas good design motivates. Motivation is key to moving forward and progressing in a particular department and field. Printing has always held a basic position in the packaging of products industry. It can make or mar the impression of the inner products and earn you a name and fame.
Manufacturers own different kinds of packaging printers to give innovative looks to your packages. The printing of the boxes takes the real essence of packaging to the next level.
Whether it is a small-scale business or large-scale business, packaging nowadays is taking over even the real products’ worth also. Small-scale business ideas mostly ignore this part and underestimate the power of packaging. However, in today’s trend of online business and trade, the paradigm shift has brought packaging ahead and demands more innovative ideas and inventions.
Different printer packaging ideas and their merits as well as demerits
Table of Contents
Offset printing:
Offset printing or lithography is a way of designing the boxes by transferring the image on a flat surface with the help of the aluminum band. Large packaging boxes and cartons have this type of printing. Usually, flat surfaces support this kind of printing and designing. Offset printing is a quite traditional and old way of highlighting different designs on cardboard packaging boxes. Such a printing option is used by the tertiary packaging dealers which have to transfer large containers and cartons from one place to another. Printing takes time but is the primary option for large-scale printing processes.
Flexography:
Putting your image on a flexible rubber surface and getting it printed on it is a next-level game in printing. Flex is a flexible rubber-like surface that is used to advertise or cover something also. They give a ravishing look to the packaging boxes and allow the consumers to have a wide range of beautifying options etc. The flexes are a way of advertising different things and putting these posters on streets, roads, lanes, etc. Flexes however easily get broken or damaged and color also breaks down which makes it not a good option for longer-time projects.
Gravure printing:
Some printers for packaging do the packaging on metallic surfaces. Such printing is called gravure and also it gives a modern as well as sophisticated look to the packaging boxes. The carving in the metallic surfaces gives a modern and sophisticated look to the packages and earns appreciation from consumers on a wider level. The metallic canes, boxes, and bottles usually get such printing on them. However, this process is time taking and needs the utmost struggle and hard work to carve a design on the metallic surface.
Digital printing:
Having a wide range of color mixing options, digital printing uses colorful combinations to give a look to the package and make the box all new and noble with printing options. The use of CMYK+ PMS is also quite streamlined in the packaging arena and is used widely. The boxes of clothes and fabric etc. Nowadays companies have digital printing to further glorify the image of the manufacturers as well as the givers of the packages. Digital printing however makes the image a little vague and is not a better option while clearly defining the purpose of packaging.
Screen printing:
This is another way how packaging printers work. The design is transferred on a woven silk screen. Different colors are used according to the requirement of the design and thus they adhere to the surfaces. Screen printing is widely in use for fabrics of all kinds. The fabrics in return are used to make different things like dresses, baskets, enclosures for different things, and so on. However, putting designs on the packages is a sort of hectic job and needs continuous attention to keep it intact.
Colors of packages and their meanings:
Colors are a depiction of life within a package. They impose such meanings to the boxes as are Important for their purposeful use. The tertiary packaging cartons have a brown color. This color is an organic one and also it imposes a cooling effect on the packages. This color is magical in keeping the hustle-free look of the packages. Nowadays, green color is in much demand as an eco-friendly color and has an inbuilt quality of keeping the inner products in their original texture and form. This color has high compatibility with the environment as is considered a cooling color. Most packages come to us in solid colors and single designs. The solid colors give a mature and formal look to the packages and are mostly used in official packaging and boxing.
Stages of packaging:
There are three stages boxed packaged goods packaging:
1. Primary packaging:
The immediate packaging of the products is called primary packaging. For example, the primary packaging for lipstick is the metallic case that surrounds it. This is the immediate protection that the lipstick has.
2. Secondary packaging:
The packaging that is used to present them in the retail stores and keep them presentable there is secondary. The cardboard box that covers the lipstick is the secondary packaging and it contains a description of the inside product on it and other customizations as well.
3. Tertiary packaging:
The packaging that is on a larger scale and is used to transfer individual products in a pile or bulk from one place to another is tertiary packaging. The big cartons of cosmetics having stacks of lipsticks in them are tertiary packaging. They keep sustainable over long distances and keep them protected from external environmental conditions.
All these types are the stages of a single process and add up to the overall impact of businesses whether on a large scale or small scale.