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Thanks to their lightweight nature, folding cartons are witnessing an increased customer demand globally. This means quality assurance is not only important for the physical carton, but also for the final package print.

To address this growth and meet demand, printers are looking at multi-site printing operations. In such a multi-site operation, a critical challenge comes into play: print consistency.

Ready to set about tackling the issue and gaining control? Let’s examine the criteria to ensure a uniform print, as well as the variables in the print package allowing a printer to gain this consistency. Outlined here are key areas to watch for to ensure you are on the right track for folding cartons.

Photo courtesy of DuPont Advanced Printing

Design Considerations

Consistency is the key word here, meaning work closely with your designers and suppliers to develop good, repeatable artwork that can be printed to your specifications.

Some things to consider with artwork for folding cartons include:

Screening

Screening of the plate image has drastically changed over the years and there are now many different options. Currently:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#d5504f” class=”” size=””]“Measuring is key! Have a system in place to manage and monitor print density, dot gain, ink pH and ink viscosity.”[/perfectpullquote]

Plate Materials

Selecting the best possible plate for paper substrates is a never-ending discussion between printers. It’s important to understand that paper materials have a variety of ink absorption, coatings and textures. It is critical to monitor substrates throughout the pressrun. Pay close attention to the amount of ink carried to the plate and the amount of latitude you have when impressing the plate to the substrate.

For folding carton paper substrates:

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