What are the most common printing services in packaging today?

Paper packaging is becoming more and more popular and widely used thanks to its friendly, convenient and flexible characteristics. Printing services for paper packaging in Vietnam in recent years has witnessed a dramatic change.

We’ve seen constantly improving  technology and upgrading facilities to meet the diverse packaging needs of customers.

1. Offset printing service

Offset printing is a popular printing technique in which ink-stick images are pressed onto rubber sheets (also called offset sheets) and then pressed onto paper surface. When used with lithography, this technique prevents water from sticking to the paper according to the ink.

Offset printing has many advantages so it is very popular with manufacturers.

Advantages:

• The image quality is higher, sharper and cleaner  because the rubber sheet is evenly applied to the surface;
• Cost savings – the more you print, the lower the price
• Printing time is quick, large quantities, suitable for industrial printing;
• Offset printing sheets are easily made;
• Printouts last longer, are easier to maintain

Disadvantages:

• Requires accurate and standard design. Because if the printing contains errors (letters or numbers), the entire order has to be canceled, thus causing waste of time;
• Calibration time before printing is quite long;
• High cost if printing small quantities;
• Printing experts must be skillful

The current popular offset printing publications include paper boxes, paper bags, catalogs, stamps, labels, POSM.

2. Flexo printing service

This is a embossing technique, the elements (images or text) on the printing die are put higher than the non-printing elements.

The image on the mold is reversed, ink is applied with anilox roll, and then the ink is transferred directly to the object through the printing process.

Advantages:

• Fast drying, good adhesion
• Printing applications on many surfaces, including non-flat surfaces (such as paper, fabric, and carton)
• Can be printed on rolls for automatic gluing lines
• Fast printing time, suitable for large volume printing

Disadvantages:

• The print surface is dirty or the ink is uneven due to the unstable on-axis temperature
• Affects the environment due to exhaust of toxic substances
• High price, suitable for printing large quantities
• Print life is not durable, difficult to preserve

3. Screen printing service

Screen printing, also known as silkscreen printing, is a method of printing using silk screen frames. Currently, this grid is replaced with many different materials: cotton, chemical cloth, or metal mesh. Common products for silkscreen printing include wedding cards and paintings.

Advantages:

• Applicable for many surfaces, including non-flat surfaces (such as wood, cloth, rough leather)
• Unlimited CMYK color system like offset printing, easy to adjust the colors when printing
• Low printing costs, product costs are lower than offset printing
• Printer is easy to use

Disadvantages:

• The quality of printed products is not as sharp as offset printing
• The printing time is quite long, suitable for printing small quantities

4. Digital printing service

Digital printing is a method that uses inkjet and laser printers to print images directly onto the surface of paper. Suitable for namecards, envelopes, greeting cards, photos, banners, standees in small quantities.

Advantages:

• Simple, commonly used at the office, home with a small area
• Quick preparation time, no need to use the printed plates
• Possible to control printing and immediate adjustment
• Suitable for small quantities and small sizes

Disadvantages:

• Long printing time
• Higher cost than offset printing
• Suitable for small quantities and small sizes (has advantages and disadvantages)

There are more printing services for paper packaging, including gravure printing, typo printing, inkjet printing.

If you are in need of bulk packaging printing services, contact us for a competitive price.

Khang Thanh – The packaging company in Vietnam specializes in producing paper bags, rigid box, labels, hangtag, books, calendar, POSM and so on. Contact us to support your brand with the right packaging:

KHANG THANH CO., LTD – ​HOUSE OF PACKAGING
Tel: (+84) 77 8878 222 ​
Email: info@khangthanh.com