The Flexible Packaging Blog

Printed Board For Retail Skin Packaging

Written by David Roberge | Mar 13, 2015 12:00:00 PM

There are two main components to look at when designing your skin packaging, board choices and printing guidelines.

Board Choices

In the early days, we pre-perforated the printed board used in our skin packaging with many small holes so that the air could be vacuumed through it. In the early days we used a clay-filled or newsback board. In the early days this left the package to be less than attractive. 

Today we use an SBS (Solid Bleached Sulfate) board for most applications. It is a solid board and the corners will not de-laminate. It is white throughout, which assures that the back of the package looks just as appealing as the front. This is excellent to print on, compared to newsback and clay-filled boards of yesteryear.

Printing Guidelines

We will coat the board to enhance the adhesion of the film to the board. 

This is NOT the coating that is referred to in PMS (Pantone Matching System) color books. For skin packaging, select PMS Un-coated.(e.g.- PMS 220U rather than PMS 220C).

The film will provide the "shine" and the "pop" to the colors. 

Lay out your graphics to accommodate your cutting die design. 

A double-ruled die will allow for more critical color placement. A common bleed allows for greater flexibility. For example, if you have a gradient on your board, when cut, it may be difficult to keep the gradient from being cut onto the next board in line every time. If this is the case, a double-ruled die will keep the coloring precise on each board. Keep in mind you will end up with extra scrap. 

Do you want to see what Industrial can do for your packaging? Maximize your profits with us, get in touch!

.