Printing Types

Why Add Printing to Your Boxes?

Custom Boxes Now has years of experience with custom box printing. Here are a few reasons to use custom packaging & box logos:

Having your brand’s logo on the box creates a more immediate and personal connection for the customer.

Don’t let your custom shipping box be lost in a sea of bland kraft boxes. Even adding a logo on the box can differentiate your product and brand apart from the competition.

Print important information right on the box including warnings, instructions, parts list, and more. No need to leave your customers in the dark on what’s inside!

All our boxes are made from 100% recyclable materials and is an eco-friendly way to transport your goods from point A to point B and a green way to promote your brand name.

Custom Box Printing is not just limited to logos; you can add re-order information to encourage repeat purchases.

With some boxes, such as display shippers, the boxes can go directly on the shelves. It’s a great way to save time and to make your brand more visible on store shelves.

Multiple Box Printing Methods Under a Single Roof

Custom box printing can be applied with three primary printing methods, depending on the quality of print needed:

Flexographic Printing

Flexographic box printing is the most basic form of box printing. It involves creating printing plates with your digital artwork that presses ink onto corrugated cardboard. Flexographic printing is great for printing simple logo designs to complex, colorful artwork. It is by far the most commonly used custom box printing method and it is great for creating large printing orders with lightning speed. At Custom Boxes Now, we produce our own printing plates and dielines so we can save you time and money.

Digital Printing

Digital box printing is a great option for relatively short runs and for creating box samples. Unlike flexographic printing, digital printing requires no printing plates – ink is applied directly on to the corrugated cardboard. Historically, digital printing was a slower process and the image output was not as high as flexographic. However, with recent advancement, digital box printing can achieve printing speeds and quality that rivals more traditional custom box printing methods. Digital printing is great for small to medium runs and for packaging that requires multiple versions (think printing in different languages, different designs for seasons or promotions, etc).

Litho Laminating

Unlike flexographic or digital printing, litho laminating involves printing artwork on paper which is then applied to the corrugated board rather than printing directly onto the box itself. Go with lithographic lamination if you require your custom printed box to have photo-realistic images and design.

Cost of Printing

Adding print to your custom boxes usually costs less than most people think. For example, adding one-color direct print only adds about 10% to the price of the box.

A one-time tooling charge is about $400 for flexographic custom box printing depending on the size of the box. It may seem like a lot at first, but the printing plate can be used for all future box orders as long as your box design doesn’t change.

Higher-end graphics such as multi-color lithographic prints have higher costs but the costs are absorbed in higher quantity orders.

Lead Time for Printed Boxes (Turn Around Time)

Speed is where Custom Boxes Now excels. Most custom printed box orders can be manufactured within 3-5 business days after artwork approval. Contact us to discuss exact time frames for receiving your custom printed boxes.

Ordering

How Our Order Process Works

Get inspired by looking at our box options – all boxes are 100% customizable

New to custom boxes? Learn about styles, size, material, print, and much more

Adding a logo or other print to your boxes? Learn about the process and what is needed

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Order

Place order either through the configurator or by calling and talking to a friendly rep

CBN designs, manufactures, and prints the boxes in-house. Have us arrange freight or use your own carrier

Prepress Process

After you upload your files, our talented prepress technicians will review your file and indicate what may need to be changed or modified to meet your requested style of printing. After that, we’ll provide you with the appropriate proof for approval.

We are one of only a handful of box companies in the United States that have a fully equipped lithographic prepress front-end. Our technicians are masters at file preparation and setup.

Artwork Guidelines

Contact us for artwork guidelines for your specific custom box printing project.

Examples of Printed Boxes

Want to see examples of custom printed boxes that we have produced? Check out images on our Box Styles page, or visit the Shipping Box Examples category of our blog.

Start Building Your Custom Box

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