{"id":1963,"date":"2022-09-23T12:53:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T17:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mrtakeoutbags.com\/blog\/?p=1963"},"modified":"2024-08-10T18:14:20","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T23:14:20","slug":"food-packaging-printing-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrtakeoutbags.com\/blog\/food-packaging-printing-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Packaging Printing Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometimes, it\u2019s hard to understand why some of MrTakeOutBags\u2019 products can be custom printed<\/a> in smaller quantities than others. And, we hear a lot of questions about why some projects have plates and set-up costs, while others don\u2019t. So today we\u2019re going to do our best to provide some answers to questions about food packaging printing.<\/p>\n

Methods for Food Packaging Printing
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MrTakeOutBags.com employs a range of different printing methods for different products. Below is an explanation of the different printing methods that we can employ.<\/p>\n

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\"foodDigital Printing<\/b><\/h3>\n

Some products can be custom printed using a digital press, which is kind of like a big, expensive, technically advanced copier machine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The product (a cup for instance) is fed into the press and ink is sprayed onto the product (the cup) in very precise patterns, based on directions that are translated from the electronic art file.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Digital printing usually (not always) is printed in \u201cfour color process.\u201d Basically, that means that four colors: Cyan (light blue), Magenta (light red), Yellow, and Black inks are combined to give the illusion of a full-color image.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Obviously, there are no plates or tooling involved in the digital print method. So, set-up costs are low.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One downside of the digital print method is that the cost per unit doesn\u2019t decrease much as your print quantity goes up. It costs the same cost per case to one case of cups as it does when printing 25 cases \u2013 if they\u2019re produced using the digital print method.<\/p>\n

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\"foodFlexo Printing<\/b><\/h3>\n

Flexo (flexographic) printing is the most commonly employed ink printing method for food packaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Imagine a printing press that is set up with a rubber stamp (the plate) that\u2019s wrapped onto a cylinder on the press. The rubber stamp (plate) is then coated with ink in the image area. That inked image is then transferred to the printing surface.<\/p>\n

If the image being produced contains more than one color, a separate rubber stamp plate is made for each color and wrapped onto separate printing units on the press. The press operator makes sure that each color is lined up (registered) to the color from the preceding unit(s).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ink colors are often identified using the “Pantone” color system<\/a> or a CYMK equivalent.<\/p>\n

Depending on what sort of paper, plastic or product is being printed, sometimes the colors don\u2019t line up just perfectly. So, you might hear us warn you that the registration on a flexo printed project can float within a specified tolerance.<\/p>\n

The upside of flexo is that the press can run very fast. The result is that the more you run, the lower the cost per piece.<\/p>\n

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\"foodHot Stamp Food Packaging Printing
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Hot Stamp custom printing is an excellent choice for low-quantity branded boxes and bags.<\/p>\n

This process requires a metal etched plate of the art being imprinted. So, the image needs to be fairly simple line art.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The plate is heated and then pressed under pressure through a film that carries a layer of the preferred color. The heated, raised area of the plate\u2019s image basically irons the film\u2019s color layer onto the box or bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hot Stamping is a manual, hand-fed process, so it\u2019s best suited for lower quantities.<\/p>\n

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Inline vs Post-print<\/b><\/h3>\n

Some projects are best suited for printing on the paper or plastic before the product is formed, folded and glued This is referred to as \u201cinline printing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, some projects are best suited for printing after the product has been formed, folded and glued. This is called \u201cpost-print.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"inlineInline<\/b><\/h3>\n

In-line printing happens at the manufacturing facility prior to the box<\/a>, bag<\/a> or cup<\/a> being produced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This process is best for larger quantity orders, and it usually requires longer production and delivery times.<\/p>\n

Big advantages of in-line production are:<\/p>\n