Printing 101

CMYK is the color mode used in the digital printing process for creating custom packaging. It combines four ink colors—Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK)—to produce full-color graphics, photos, text, and other artwork elements.

Digital CMYK printing is used to produce corrugated and cardstock boxes, as well as Pouches and other products. It can produce vibrant, full-color designs. 

Please note: CMYK inks are semi-transparent, so the color of the selected material may slightly affect the final printed appearance, especially on Kraft and Standard White corrugated materials. 

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color mode is designed for digital screens, while CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) is the color mode used for printing. 

Because print is created using CMYK inks on presses, any artwork submitted in RGB must be converted before printing. This may cause some colors to appear less vibrant or slightly different from how they appear on screen. 

For the most accurate print results, we recommend creating and saving your artwork in CMYK color mode. For more advanced users, we recommend designing within the Coated GRACoL 2006 color profile. This will give the closest on-screen representation of your artwork in print. 

Learn more about using color modes for best print results in our guide to differences between RGB and CMYK. 

Packlane does not offer color-matching services and cannot guarantee color consistency across multiple orders or between on-screen artwork and the final printed product. 

Because we print using CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) inks, artwork created in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) must be converted to CMYK. This conversion causes some colors to shift and appear less vibrant when printed. 

If your artwork includes Pantone (PMS) colors, these will also be converted to CMYK before printing. If you're using Adobe Illustrator, you can learn how to adjust your own colors before submitting your artwork by watching our Pantone to CMYK conversion video.  

For the most accurate print results, we recommend creating and saving your artwork in CMYK color mode. For more advanced users, we recommend designing within the Coated GRACoL 2006 color profile. This will give the closest on-screen representation of your artwork in print. 

While we cannot guarantee color matches, the vast majority of our customers are pleased with the final printed results. 

HDPrint is our premium printing option for corrugated boxes, designed to deliver sharp print details. 

Benefits of HDPrint include: 

• Sharper print quality  with fine lines, small text, and detailed graphics 
• Low to no ink odor  on finished boxes 
• A more  environmentally friendly  single-pass printing process that reduces waste compared to many print processes

HDPrint is available in the following options: 

Yes and no.  

The print quality (clarity or sharpness of the printed design) is the same for all corrugated material options. The main difference you may notice is the printed appearance of the colors on your printed packaging. 

Kraft is an excellent choice for printing darker, bolder colors, but the finished box won't necessarily match the online proof's color intensity, especially in lighter areas. The light brown color of the kraft material will always show through and influence how CMYK ink colors appear.  

Meanwhile, our Faux Kraft option lets you create a design with vibrant colors and a natural Kraft look and feel. See more information about Faux Kraft here.

In comparison, Standard White and Dreamcoat corrugated materials produce a printed appearance that more closely matches how colors appear on-screen.  

Especially if your design contains yellows, pinks, or pastel colors, we recommend selecting Standard White, Dreamcoat, or Faux Kraft material for the best color vibrancy. 

Please keep in mind that when printing on any material, we cannot guarantee a color match between what you see on the screen and the final printed color on your boxes. Colors displayed on-screen use RGB color mode (Red, Green, Blue create the colors on your screen), while the physical act of printing uses CMYK color mode (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). Fundamental differences between the two prevent us from guaranteeing an exact color match from screen to print with digital CMYK printing.   

The same design is printed on each corrugated material option as labeled; this shows how printed colors can vary depending upon the material. 

The same design is printed on Dreamcoat (white), Kraft (brown), and Faux Kraft corrugated material to show how each material choice can impact printed color.  

We currently do not offer foil stamping, metallic ink printing, or white ink printing. 

All printing is done using a digital CMYK printing process, which uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK) inks to create full-color designs. 

While we do not offer white ink on corrugated Kraft material, we do offer a Faux Kraft option that mimics the visual effect of white ink on Kraft. The effect of Faux Kraft is created by printing a high-definition Kraft image onto Standard White material. This results in vibrant white graphics or text on unprinted areas, contrasted with vivid artwork elements where you add color, with an overall natural Kraft look and feel. Learn more about Faux Kraft here.

Lithographic printing (also called litho or offset lithography) is a high-quality printing method commonly used for large production runs. It produces sharp, consistent colors and is ideal for detailed graphics, photographs, and retail packaging. 

Because it requires custom printing plates and setup, lithographic printing is best suited for high-volume orders. 

For more information about the process, benefits, and when to choose lithographic printing, see more information about lithographic printing here. 

Lithographic printing is commonly used for: 

• Retail cardstock packaging and folding cartons
• Magazines and books
• Business cards
• Stationery

If you want to explore lithographic printing for your next packaging project, reach out to Packlane Plus. 

Lithographic lamination, sometimes called litho lam, is a printing process in which artwork is first printed onto a smooth paper liner. The liner is then glued to a corrugated board before the entire sheet is cut into its final shape. 

This process combines the strength of corrugated material with high-quality, detailed printing that's difficult to achieve when printing designs directly onto corrugated material digitally. 

Lithographic lamination is commonly used for: 

• Retail corrugated packaging 
• Retail signs 
• Point-of-purchase (POP) displays 
• Floor displays

To explore lithographic printing for your next packaging project, reach out to Packlane Plus.

Flexographic printing, or flexo printing, is a printing method used for large volume packaging orders. It uses flexible printing plates to transfer ink directly onto the material. 

Flexographic printing works well for simple designs, logos, and text built with solid colors. It can be a cost-effective option for larger production runs. Because custom printing plates and specialized spot-color inks are used, setup costs are typically higher than with digital printing, making flexo better suited to higher quantities. 

If you want to explore using flexographic printing for your next packaging project, submit your information through Packlane Plus and we will be happy to build a custom quote for you.