You do not need to choose a process before requesting a quote. Pakko reviews your dimensions, board, artwork and quantity and recommends the most practical and economical method.
| Printing method | Suitable materials | Max flat sheet | Colour capability | White ink | Plates / stereos | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital on corrugated board | Selected corrugated flute boards and liners — E, B, C, BC and EB flute | 2400 × 1400 mm 50 mm grip and lay edge | CMYK process colour | Not available | No traditional plate | Mailer boxes, shipping cartons, large-format packaging, displays and short-run corrugated boxes |
| Digital on artboard | Artboard and folding carton boards from 60 gsm to 400 gsm (approx. 500 microns) | 510 × 720 mm 15 mm grip and lay edge | CMYK process colour | Not available | No traditional plate | Folding cartons, product boxes, sleeves, pharmaceutical cartons and retail packaging |
| Flexographic printing | Selected corrugated flute boards — E, B, C, BC and EB flute | 1600 × 1150 mm 50 mm grip and lay edge | Up to three colours from Pakko’s approved ink range | By approval only | One-off stereo charge applies | Shipping cartons, produce boxes, industrial packaging and repeat corrugated orders |
| Offset printing | Smooth paperboard from 80 gsm to 600 gsm, and printed sheets laminated to corrugated board | 720 × 1020 mm 15 mm grip and lay edge | Up to 6 colours carriage — CMYK, PMS and selected speciality options | Project dependent | Plates and setup charges apply | Premium retail cartons and detailed litho-laminated packaging |
Maximum sizes refer to the flat sheet before die-cutting, folding and gluing, and include a grip and lay allowance around the edge of the sheet — 15 mm on digital artboard and offset lithographic printing, and 50 mm on digital corrugated and flexographic printing. Your printed area must sit inside that allowance. Finished box dimensions also depend on the packaging style, dieline, flute direction, machine allowances and glue areas.
Print method is a production decision, not just a design preference. Six things determine which process gives you the best result at the best price.
Your dieline, including panels, folds and glue flap, must fit inside the maximum flat sheet for the process.
Corrugated flute, artboard or litho-laminated stock each run on different equipment with different results.
Photographs, gradients and fine detail point to offset print. Bold logos and simple shapes suit flexo.
CMYK process, up to three approved flexo inks, or PMS and speciality options through offset.
Short and medium runs favour digital. Larger repeat runs can absorb stereo or plate setup for a lower unit price.
If the artwork stays the same and you reorder regularly, a reusable stereo can significantly reduce unit cost.
Digital corrugated printing applies CMYK artwork directly onto the outer liner of a corrugated sheet. Unlike flexographic printing it needs no stereo, which makes it practical for shorter runs, detailed artwork, multiple designs and packaging where the artwork changes between orders.
A white outer liner produces brighter colours and stronger contrast. Brown kraft creates a more natural appearance, but the board colour will influence the printed result.
See how the same colour prints on white versus kraft board →There is no white ink, so white has to come from the board itself. If your artwork contains white logos, white text or white backgrounds, the way to achieve it is:
The same approach applies to digital artboard printing — choose a white board and knock the white elements out of the printed artwork.
Digital artboard printing applies CMYK artwork onto smooth artboard or folding carton material. It is designed for smaller-format cartons and product packaging where sharper graphics, fine text and a refined retail appearance matter.
Not every board between 60 gsm and 400 gsm behaves identically. Coating, stiffness, fibre composition and grain direction all affect printing and converting, so Pakko confirms material suitability before production.
Flexo printing transfers ink directly onto corrugated cardboard using a flexible raised plate called a stereo — much like a stamp. Ink is applied to the raised areas of the stereo, which transfer the artwork onto the board. It is fast and economical once artwork and stereos are established.
A separate stereo is usually required for each printed colour — one colour artwork normally needs one stereo, three colour artwork needs three. The stereo charge is separate from the carton price and is identified as a one-off setup cost in your quotation.
Pakko may retain and reuse stereos for repeat orders where the artwork, carton dimensions, print position and process remain unchanged and the stereo is still in suitable condition. New artwork, a colour change, a new dieline or a damaged stereo will require a new plate.
Offset printing also called offset litho — prints onto smooth paperboard using plates, giving the finest detail and the strongest colour control of the four processes. It suits premium retail cartons and commercial production runs. Where the packaging needs corrugated strength, the printed offset sheet is afterwards litho-laminated to board as a separate finishing step.
Discuss an offset printed projectThe same artwork behaves differently on each process. Offset on smooth stock is the sharpest, digital artboard is close behind, digital corrugated is detailed but textured, and flexo is bold and practical.
Offset and flexographic printing use separately prepared inks and plates, while both digital processes reproduce colour from CMYK with no plate at all — greater artwork flexibility versus finer detail and a more economical unit price over longer repeat runs.
This applies to all four processes, digital corrugated, digital artboard, flexographic and offset. Printing inks are transparent, so the board underneath shows through. Identical ink values look bright and clean on a white liner, and warmer, darker and softer on brown kraft.
The white surface reflects light back through the ink, so colours stay bright, clean and close to the on-screen CMYK values. This is the best base for accurate brand colour.
The kraft tone sits under every colour, warming and darkening it. Blues green off slightly, yellows go mustard, and pale tints can almost disappear into the board.
Both panels above use exactly the same ink values — only the board underneath has changed. This is why Pakko asks which board you are printing on before approving artwork, and why a design signed off on white board should be reviewed again before it runs on kraft — whether it is printed digitally, flexographically or by offset. Light tints, pastels and pale brand colours shift the most; dense darks shift the least.
Any white area in your design must be created as a knockout, the area is left unprinted so the natural board surface shows through. That means a white logo does not stay white on brown kraft board.
On white board the knockout area appears white, because the unprinted liner underneath is white. This is the closest result to a printed white logo.
On brown kraft the same knockout appears brown, because the kraft surface remains visible. A white logo will not stay white — the artwork needs adjusting for the board.
Artwork must always be prepared for the actual board being used. A design prepared for white board may not produce the intended result on brown kraft without adjustment. Your dieline and proof should clearly show which areas are printed and which rely on the board colour.
The same file printed on four different boards will not look the same. Here is what to expect from each surface.
Corrugated board is a fluted structure with a liner glued over the top. When the sheet passes through the printer, pressure from the press makes the flute profile very slightly visible through the printed surface — most noticeably across large solid ink areas and dark colours. This is a normal characteristic of printing on corrugated board, not a print fault, and it cannot be eliminated on any direct-to-board process, digital or flexographic.
The only way to avoid it is litho-lamination: the artwork is offset printed onto a smooth sheet, which is then laminated to the corrugated board. If a perfectly flat, unbroken print surface is essential to your packaging, ask Pakko about a litho-laminated build at quoting stage.
Coated board carries a sealed surface layer, so ink largely sits on top of the sheet. Uncoated board is more absorbent, so ink soaks slightly into the fibre. The same file, the same press and the same ink can look noticeably different on the two stocks — and neither is a print fault.
Finishing also depends on the surface: celloglaze, spot UV and foiling generally sit best on coated stock, while uncoated board takes debossing, embossing and letterpress-style impression particularly well. If colour accuracy on an uncoated stock is critical, ask for a printed sample on the actual board before the full run.
Pakko can digitally print corrugated sheets up to 2400 × 1400 mm. This is the maximum flat sheet size before cutting, scoring, folding and gluing. The finished box dimensions depend on the packaging style and dieline layout.
Pakko can digitally print artboard sheets up to 510 × 720 mm. The selected artboard can be from 60 gsm up to 400 gsm, approximately 500 microns thick, subject to the specific material and production requirements.
Pakko can flexographically print corrugated sheets up to 1600 × 1150 mm. The finished box size must fit within this flat sheet allowance, including panels, folds and the glue flap.
Pakko can print up to three flexographic colours on suitable corrugated packaging. The colours must generally be selected from Pakko’s approved ink range.
A specific Pantone colour can be requested but is subject to Pakko’s approval, ink availability and machine suitability. The customer may need to purchase the special ink by the drum, along with any associated matching, freight and setup costs.
No. Pakko’s digital corrugated and digital artboard processes cannot print white ink. Any white elements must be created by leaving the area unprinted so the underlying board colour remains visible.
Where white ink is unavailable, white artwork becomes a knockout area. This means the area will show the natural brown kraft board rather than appearing white.
Digital corrugated printing generally produces finer detail and is more suitable for photographs, gradients and complex multicolour graphics. Flexographic printing is better suited to simple logos, bold text and repeat medium or high-volume corrugated packaging.
Digital artboard printing generally produces a smoother, sharper result because artboard has a flatter surface than corrugated cardboard. Digital corrugated printing still produces detailed full-colour graphics, but the liner texture and flute beneath the surface can affect fine details and solid ink coverage.
Yes. Flexographic printing requires a raised flexible printing plate called a stereo. A separate stereo is generally required for each printed colour, and a one-off stereo charge normally applies to new artwork.
No. Pakko’s digital corrugated and digital artboard processes do not require traditional printing plates or flexographic stereos. Artwork preparation, colour testing, sampling and other setup costs may still apply.
Often yes, where the artwork, carton dimensions, print position and process remain unchanged and the stereo is still in suitable condition. A new stereo is required if the logo, text, colours, print position, dieline or carton dimensions change, or if the existing stereo is damaged or worn.
