Digital Folding Carton Substrates
Masterpiece Graphix offers many roll and sheet substrate solutions for folding carton production, including two HP Indigo-certified substrates. Recent innovations in HP Indigo press technology has made folding carton production a new revenue opportunity for both roll and sheet HP Indigo users.
As digital printing evolves, more short-run applications are becoming possible (and profitable) via digital press technology. According to a recent L&NW article, HP Indigo is focused on digital press applications “beyond labels”, and have made improvements to the roll-fed WS6000 and even the sheetfed HP Indigo 5500 to facilitate additional production options such as folding carton. Now, both presses can print on board stock up to 18 points thick with the necessary upgrades, offering new revenue opportunities for digital printers. Currently HP Indigo is the only press vendor that offers both sheet-and roll-fed presses that are engineered to support folding carton substrate printing up to 18 points thick.
Narrow web roll presses are best equipped for producing larger folding cartons. The HP Indigo WS6000 is especially suited for printing folding cartons, with its nearly 12 ½ inch narrow web width and over three foot repeat. These options giving press operators a much larger printing surface to lay out a product carton job. The press efficiently utilizes each repeat frame, minimizing material waste.
Recent developments in HP Indigo sheet press technology have made the HP Indigo 5500 a viable candidate for small folding carton production. Recently HP showcased the Indigo 5500 with its new thick substrate upgrade at Label Expo 2010 in Chicago. Now the HP Indigo 5500 can print on sheets up to 18 points thick. This new capability, combined with near-line systems for diecutting and folding manufactured by HP Indigo partners (see this HP news release), opens up a whole new market for commercial printers who currently utilize the HP Indigo 5500 for their digital press jobs.
Masterpiece Premium 18 pt C1S Board Stock (R1275) is certified for use on the WS6000, and is perfect for folding carton applications as well as business cards, direct mail pieces and postcards. Masterpiece Premium 18 pt Card Stock is available as a C1S or C2S product and can be optimized for Indigo printing on one or both sides of the substrate. The material offers superior printability and excellent ink adhesion on either side. In addition, Masterpiece Graphix offers many HP Indigo-compatible folding carton substrates at varying weights and thicknesses, tailored to your unique application. You can view a partial list of MGX’s roll-fed digital folding carton substrates here.
MGX offers several in-stock solutions for sheetfed digital folding carton production. Masterpiece Premium 10 pt. Card Stock (MGX-1075) is an HP Indigo-certified substrate for the 5000 & 5500, offering exceptional printability and ink adhesion. MGX also stocks many HP Indigo-compatible substrates that are suitable for folding cartons: 80# C2S Gloss Cover (MGX-1326), 100# C2S Gloss Cover (MGX-1327), and Masterpiece Premium 15 pt. Card Stock (MGX-1077). All of these sheet products are always in stock and are also compatible with dry toner technology like the Xerox iGen and Kodak Nexpress. You can view all MGX stocked sheet products here.
Is there a digital folding carton material that you desire, but it isn’t mentioned here or on our website? No problem! Masterpiece Graphix can source your desired material and engineer it to your digital specifications. For more information on all of our options for folding carton production, please contact your MGX sales rep.