Making Folding Cartons Work for You

As the market pushes packaging converters and printers toward faster turnaround times and shorter runs, many people believe that printing folding cartons is a method that has run its course, especially due to the complexity associated with the folding carton product supply chain. However, this has not been the case. Brand owners are continuing to look toward folding cartons over the option of labeled containers. Today’s business mantra focuses on customer intimacy, and the folding carton helps to provide both new and existing businesses with that effect.

A Changing Market

The days in which packaging was simply done in order to hold a product are gone, and a superior packaging solution that simply protects a product and facilitates storage is no longer good enough in the current market. Today, the top packaging solutions need to do all of these tasks along with maximizing the brand owner’s selling power. As the current marketplace becomes increasingly cluttered, business owners are given the daunting task of creating a recognizable brand that is also protected. Custom-designed folding carton packaging allows for individual businesses to effectively communicate with their customers.

Crucial Folding Carton Printing Features

There are a variety of features that have been identified as crucial for the printing of folding cartons.

• Conventional Substrates: Using toner that can be printed on any conventional substrate without being pretreated is crucial. This helps printers to save money and time, and it also allows for easy press integration into a traditional environment of production.
• Food Safety: When producing folding boxes, it is important for a manufacturer to consider the advantages of technology in dry toner. The FDA has established guidelines for direct and indirect food contact with certain surfaces. All folding carton process colors have been deemed as suitable for direct food contact, and they are also odorless.
• Inline Finishing and Durable Clear Toner: Toner choices can eliminate the need for a business to invest in a separate varnishing station. The toner choices that are available today therefore make this printing type a viable option.
   

The Future Market

A study by Pira International has indicated that strong growth is expected in the market of digitally created folding cartons. A study completed in 2011 indicated growth of over 30% worldwide from 2011 to 2016. This forecast works to confirm that digital printing is becoming increasingly popular and accepted within the folding carton printing market.

[8/8/2013]