A printed corrugated box is a shipping-grade box with artwork applied by one of three processes: direct flexo printing onto the outer liner, litho lamination (a printed sheet glued to the board), or digital printing straight to the sheet. That choice decides how much color detail the box can hold and what it costs per unit. iBox Factory makes printed corrugated at two plants, West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China, from a minimum of 100 boxes.
Three ways to print a corrugated box
| Process | How the ink gets on the board | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Direct flexo | Flexible plates print onto the outer liner of the finished board | Logos, line art, one to three colors, larger runs |
| Litho lamination | A litho-printed sheet is laminated onto the corrugated board | Photographic images, heavy ink coverage, retail-facing boxes |
| Digital | Ink is jetted straight onto the sheet with no plates | Short runs, several versions of one box, fast turnarounds |
Plates and dies are included on iBox orders, so a plate-based process does not add a setup charge to your first run or to a rerun of the same artwork later.
Board, flute and liner
The flute is the wave layer sandwiched between the liners, and it sets stiffness and thickness. Finer flutes give a smoother printing surface and a thinner wall, coarser flutes give more stacking strength and a rougher surface that softens fine detail. If you are choosing between grades, read what flute means in corrugated first.
The outer liner matters as much as the flute. A natural kraft liner is brown and unbleached, so every ink laid on it shifts warmer and darker. A white top liner gives you a bleached surface and colors closer to what you see on screen. Neither is better, they just print differently, and your proof will show you which one you are getting.
Artwork that survives the process
- Supply vector logos and type. Bitmap logos scaled up on a large box show their edges.
- Keep fine reverse type off kraft under direct flexo. Ink spreads into the brown fibers and thin white lines close up.
- Move critical elements away from scores and creases, because the board bends there and print distorts across the fold.
- Build the file on the dieline we supply so the panels land where the die cuts them.
Design support is included, and no job goes to press until you have approved a digital proof.
Minimum, pricing and turnaround
The minimum is 100 boxes. Pricing starts at about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, because the real number depends on size, board, number of colors and quantity. US shipping is included.
Turnaround is quoted per product in three lanes. Rush combines expedited production with air freight, Standard uses air, and Cost saver moves by sea for buyers with a longer runway. Production runs from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. Specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks, so say on the quote request when you need the boxes in hand.
Get a printed corrugated quote
Send your box size, quantity, board preference and artwork through the quote form and you will get a written price with the print process named on it. If you are still weighing print methods, the offset versus digital comparison covers the tradeoff in more detail, and custom corrugated boxes covers the structural side.
