Corrugated board printing process

The same paperboard substrate used in different printing processes, the only thing that may change is the image quality. The biggest difference in the performance of these substrates on the press is the difference in the type, thickness, and structural properties of the substrate.
First, labeling problems caused by coating materials, composites The performance between coated and uncoated label materials varies greatly. A paper supplier’s product manager said: “The coated label material is suitable for high-quality four-color printing, with more than 175 lines; the non-coated paper has a wider range of applications, including visual effects, textures, and colors. Differently, the interaction between paper and ink is unique, and a smooth, coated white paper may not necessarily reproduce the same effect, and in most cases, if the color non-coated paper can be used correctly, the printing press can be omitted. Ink sets. Overall, uncoated paper can reduce the price budget for raw materials and printing press costs."
There is one important difference in the process of offset printing between coated labels and non-coated label materials, which is the dot gain value, because non-coated materials have higher ink absorption rates. The 10% to 15% dot gain value limits the maximum number of screens to only 175 lines, but it can also produce high-quality, low-cost prints when the design is correct and operations are performed properly.
Daryl Evans, General Manager of Mafcote-Wabash Paper Coating Co., Ltd., said: “The difference between prints has accelerated the transition from traditional paper labels to synthetic materials, which have greater strength and resistance. However, the extensibility of synthetic materials Larger, affecting the cutting and punching operations without burrs, other potential problems are indentation and registration.
Mafcote-Wabash also emphasized the need for Typar composite tags. Evans said that compared to DuPont Tyvek, the Typar tag is a 100% spun-bonded polypropylene material that is more economical in terms of strength and moisture resistance. Corona treatment enhances its printability, and the 10-pound Typar label has both coated and non-coated properties.
Second, remove the cardboard on the rough point In the paper, paper product packaging companies stressed that they are mainly committed to solve the problem of cardboard thickness, in order to ensure a stable printing quality, give full play to the advantages of non-coated cardboard materials.
According to reports, the Composipac process can solve the previous thickness problem. Composipac is a patented process technology. The principle is to first reverse print on the film, and then vacuum metallization processing behind the ink layer, and finally the film cover. Membrane on cardboard. The laminating operation is independent of the board thickness and successfully replaces the pre-printed corrugated material process. The Composipac process allows the use of less expensive substrate materials while still ensuring that good images are obtained. The process can also integrate more packaging features such as humidity protection and waterproof steam.
Tom Wynne, general manager of the folding paperboard division of Fibre Containers, believes that advanced sheet-fed transfer technology on the Manroland 700 offset press can successfully handle heavier substrates. Although the Manroland 700 is designed for 40-pound cardboard, it can actually print a 42-pound, F-shaped corrugated cardboard without stepping on the corrugated paper, usually using a flexo process. The manroland 700's flexibility allows Fibre Container to apply the appropriate gloss treatment to each customer's corrugated cardboard or folding carton pack.
Whether using SBS, SUS materials, or coated newsprint waste paper pulp core materials, Wynne uses the same method and pastes better paper for maximum stability. Regardless of the type of printing process used, high-quality paperboards are always stable and therefore help printers to increase speed. The manroland press has a maximum speed of 15,000 sph.
A cardboard packaging company used Temple Premium to solve long-lasting indentation problems. Temple Premium was a coated SBS material developed by its head office, Temple-Inland, using super soft wood. Terry Ong, general manager of the Graphic Resource Center, explained that mixing harder wood may result in the cracking of three layers of corrugated packaging, but generally does not cause problems with single-layer folded cardboard. If a board has a humidity of less than 6%, it can also cause cracking problems. In addition, the dry paperboard will absorb aqueous ink as if it were a sponge.
Liz Hirschey, marketing manager of Climax Packaging, believes that flexo can accept a wide range of substrates because it can be pressure controlled by a web stick. Climax's flexo linework adds a lot to materials such as SBS and non-coated, recycled cover boards, and it looks like it has almost reached ink coverage in the field. Hirschey believes that one of the biggest challenges in current cardboard printing is the shortage of non-coated materials. Using non-coated materials can not only give satisfactory appearance but also ensure the stable operation of the printing press. For smooth surface requirements, printers can use varnish to treat non-coated materials, or to apply film, but the cost of the film is higher.