Packaging & printing terms, explained
Plain-English definitions of the terms that come up when you're specifying print and packaging.
- What Is Corrugation?Corrugation is the wavy, fluted layer of paper sandwiched between flat liners to make corrugated board.
- What Is Lamination in Printing?Lamination is a thin plastic film bonded over a printed carton, label, or cover.
- What Is Spot UV Printing (and UV Coating)?UV printing uses inks or coatings that are cured (dried) instantly by ultraviolet light instead of by evaporation.
- What Is Flexography (Flexo Printing)?Flexography (flexo) is a printing method that uses flexible rubber or photopolymer relief plates and fast-drying inks.
- What Is Die Cutting?Die-cutting is the process of cutting printed board or paper into a precise custom shape using a die, a block fitted with sharp steel rules.
- Embossing and Debossing: What They MeanEmbossing presses a design so it stands raised above the surface of a carton or card; debossing presses it recessed below the surface.
- What Is Hot Foil Stamping?Foil stamping (hot foil) presses a thin film of metallic or coloured foil onto a design using a heated metal die.
- What Is Offset Printing (Offset Lithography)?Offset printing (litho) transfers an inked image from a printing plate onto a rubber blanket, and then from the blanket onto the sheet, so the ink is "offset" via the blanket rather than printed directly.
Written by LeRoy Print Packs, a printing and packaging manufacturer making cartons, corrugated boxes and labels in-house. Get a quote