Packaging print methods and finishes, explained

Print is where packaging budgets most often drift. A finish that looks wonderful on a mock-up may add cost to every one of your 10,000 or 50,000 pieces, and on a shipping carton nobody keeps, it is money spent on a box that goes in the recycling bin. Here is how to decide.

Flexo print

Flexographic print uses flexible plates to print directly onto corrugated board. It is the standard for shipping cartons and many mailers. It handles logos, solid colours, text and simple graphics well and keeps the cost per piece low on volume runs. It is less suited to photographs and fine gradients, which can look coarse on the textured surface of corrugated board.

Litho-laminated print

For photographic print on a corrugated box, the artwork is printed by offset lithography onto a sheet of paper, which is then laminated onto the corrugated board. The result is the sharp, full-colour finish you see on premium mailers and display boxes. It costs more than flexo, so we use it where the box is part of the customer experience.

Litho on paperboard

Folding cartons are usually printed by offset lithography straight onto the paperboard. This gives fine detail and accurate colour, which is why cosmetics, food and retail brands use it. It is also where most premium finishes are applied.

A note on digital print

Digital print needs no plates, which makes it popular for very short runs and samples. At 10,000 pieces per design and above, plate-based print is usually the more economical route. If your project has a reason to need digital print, mention it in your brief and we will tell you what is possible.

Finishes, and when they earn their place

Finishes and recyclability

Every finish changes what the pack is made of. Plastic films and heavy coatings can make paper-based packaging harder to recycle, and the EU packaging regulation will grade packaging on how recyclable it is from 2030. That does not mean finishes are off limits. It means each one should have a reason. Tell us if recyclability is a hard requirement, and we will suggest finishes that keep the pack in the paper stream where possible. Our EU packaging rules guide covers the timeline.

Getting colour right

Screens show colour in a different way from ink on board, so the colour you approve on a monitor is never the final word. Give us your brand colours as Pantone references where you have them. We check the dieline and print-ready files before they go to press, and you approve a physical sample before the full run. That sample is the moment to judge colour, finish and feel together.

Where to spend and where to save

• ✓ Spend on the surface the customer sees first: the lid of a mailer, the front of a shelf carton.
• ✓ Save on outer shipping cartons that go straight to a warehouse or the recycling bin.
• ✓ Print inside the lid before you add a foil outside; it is often cheaper and more noticed.
• ✓ Pick one premium finish and use it well, rather than three used everywhere.

When you are ready, add your print and finish choices to the spec builder, or see how we handle artwork on our packaging design page.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, EUR-Lex
• European Commission, Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform: when the PPWR applies

This page is general information for packaging buyers, not legal advice. Checked on 20 October 2026.