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Craftsmanship refers to various secondary processing techniques applied to printed materials, aimed at enhancing their visual appeal and functional performance.
This article provides a detailed review of essential printing and packaging technologies, enabling readers to gain a thorough understanding of modern printing methods and material applications.
Common Packaging Processes
Four-Color Printing
Four-color printing utilizes four ink types-cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K)-which are combined through halftone screening to reproduce full-color images and text. This process is widely used for high-fidelity color reproduction across diverse substrates.
Spot Color Printing
Spot color printing involves applying pre-mixed inks to achieve specific, consistent colors that cannot be accurately reproduced through four-color process mixing. These inks produce more vibrant and uniform results, particularly for brand-specific hues such as metallic gold or silver. Commonly referenced via the Pantone Matching System (PMS), spot colors do not support gradient effects; if gradients are required, they must be achieved using CMYK process printing, potentially in combination with spot colors.
Lamination (Gloss)
Gloss lamination involves bonding a transparent plastic film onto the printed surface using heat and pressure. This enhances surface gloss, improves durability, and protects against moisture and abrasion. It is one of the most fundamental post-printing surface treatments for paper-based packaging, offering greater mechanical strength compared to alternatives like aqueous coating.
Lamination (Matte)
Matte lamination applies a non-reflective film to the printed surface through heat pressing, providing protection while delivering a sophisticated, low-sheen finish. Like gloss lamination, it increases the rigidity and tensile strength of paper substrates, making it suitable for premium packaging applications.
UV Coating (Spot UV)
Spot UV coating selectively applies a high-gloss, curable varnish to specific areas of the printed material, creating a raised, three-dimensional visual effect that highlights logos, text, or design elements. For maximum contrast, spot UV is typically applied over matte-laminated or uncoated surfaces. When applied over glossy laminates, the differential effect is diminished.
Hot Stamping
Hot stamping is a dry printing technique that uses heated dies to transfer a metallic or pigmented foil layer-typically from aluminum-based transfer film-onto the substrate through thermal adhesion. This process produces a precise, high-luster metallic finish in colors such as gold, silver, red, green, and blue. While limited to solid colors and single-color applications per pass, hot stamping delivers excellent detail and is widely used for branding and decorative accents.
Embossing
Embossing creates raised or recessed patterns on the substrate using matched male and female dies under high pressure. This technique adds tactile and visual dimensionality to text and graphics. While effective on a wide range of paper thicknesses, embossing is generally unsuitable for thick cardboard due to material rigidity and structural limitations.
Common Packaging Materials
Single-Faced Art Paper (SBS – Solid Bleached Sulfate)
Commonly used for folding cartons, this paperboard ranges from 80 g/m² to 400 g/m² in weight. Higher grammages may require lamination of multiple sheets. One side is coated for high print receptivity and gloss, while the reverse remains uncoated and matte. Full-color CMYK printing is fully supported without restriction.
Common post-printing treatments include lamination, spot UV, hot stamping, and embossing.
Corrugated Board
Compared to standard paper, corrugated board offers superior stiffness and load-bearing capacity due to its fluted inner structure. Common configurations include single-wall, double-wall, and triple-wall variants. While capable of multi-color printing, print quality is generally lower than that achievable on smooth substrates, especially for fine details and halftones.
Standard finishing options include lamination, UV coating, hot stamping, and embossing.
Cardboard (Folding Boxboard or Grey Board)
Used primarily as the structural base for rigid gift boxes, cardboard is often laminated with a layer of art paper or specialty paper on its surface. Available in common colors such as white, black, gray, and yellow, it comes in various thicknesses to meet different load requirements.
When laminated with single-faced art paper, it follows similar processing rules. When paired with specialty papers, printing options are often limited-most can only be finished with hot stamping, while some allow simple printing, albeit with suboptimal results.
Specialty Papers
These include embossed paper, patterned paper, pearlescent paper, metallic paper, and gold paper, among others. Through specialized manufacturing processes, these materials enhance the aesthetic quality and perceived value of packaging. Some textures, such as deep embossing or intricate patterns, may limit printability. While certain types support full CMYK printing, others are restricted to surface embellishments such as hot stamping, foil application, or spot color printing.
Metallic Paper (Gold/Silver Cardstock)
Produced using UV transfer technology, this material features a UV-coated base with a light-diffracting film (e.g., holographic or laser-like patterns) transferred via roller. The result is a highly reflective, textured surface resembling laser paper. Printing requires UV-compatible equipment and allows for creative pattern effects. Despite its premium appearance and enhanced tactile qualities, it incurs significantly higher production costs.
Common Processes for Non-Paper Materials
Baking Varnish (Thermosetting Paint)
This process involves applying multiple layers of paint onto a pre-textured substrate, followed by high-temperature curing to achieve a durable, scratch-resistant finish. A wide range of solid colors is available, referencing the Pantone Color Guide. However, gradient effects cannot be achieved due to technical constraints.
Anodizing
An anodizing treatment forms a protective oxide layer on aluminum or aluminum alloy surfaces through electrochemical oxidation. This enhances corrosion resistance and wear performance while allowing for coloration (via dyeing the porous oxide layer). Colors follow the Pantone system but are limited to solid tones; gradients are not feasible. Compared to baking varnish, anodizing offers a more authentic metallic texture.
Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber is a high-performance composite material containing over 95% carbon, known for its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, thermal and electrical conductivity, chemical resistance, and durability under extreme conditions. After fabrication, the distinctive woven texture is preserved, and optional surface coatings can introduce color while maintaining the material's inherent characteristics.
Electroplating
Electroplating deposits a thin metallic layer-such as gold, silver, or chromium-onto a conductive substrate using electrolytic principles. This enhances appearance, corrosion resistance, and surface hardness. It is commonly used for decorative and functional finishes in luxury packaging and electronic enclosures.
Screen Printing
In screen printing, ink is forced through a mesh stencil using a squeegee, transferring the image onto the substrate. It supports a broad range of Pantone spot colors and is suitable for printing on flat or slightly curved surfaces. However, it cannot reproduce continuous-tone gradients effectively.
Pad Printing
Pad printing employs a silicone pad to transfer ink from an etched metal plate (cliché) onto irregular or three-dimensional surfaces. This method enables precise printing on complex geometries and supports multi-color overprinting. It is ideal for small components and products with no restrictions on shape.
Water Transfer Printing (Hydrographics)
In water transfer printing, a water-soluble film printed with color patterns is floated on water. The product is immersed, and hydrostatic pressure ensures even adhesion of the pattern to all surfaces. The film dissolves, leaving only the ink, which is then sealed with a clear protective coating. This technique enables realistic wood grain, carbon fiber, camouflage, and other complex multi-pattern finishes.
Chemical Etching
Chemical etching uses controlled chemical reactions to remove material from localized areas of a metal surface, forming permanent designs or markings. The resulting appearance reflects the base material's natural color. Additional color can be introduced by filling etched areas with paint or pigment.
Laser Processing
Laser technology enables non-contact processing-including cutting, welding, drilling, surface texturing, and micro-machining-by focusing high-energy beams onto materials. It offers high precision and repeatability without tool wear. The resulting marks reflect the intrinsic color of the material, with no option for color variation.
Laser Engraving
Also known as laser marking, laser engraving is a surface modification technique based on optical principles. A base layer (often colored) is first applied, followed by a topcoat. The laser beam removes the topcoat in defined areas, revealing the contrasting base color beneath and creating permanent, high-resolution graphics.
