الطباعة على الكرتون هي عملية وضع الصور أو النصوص أو التصاميم على ورق الكرتون باستخدام تقنيات وأدوات مختلفة. تتمتع الطباعة على الكرتون بالكثير من الميزات، كما أنّ هناك العديد من الطرق والتقنيات المستخدمة فيها. في هذا المقال سوف نتعرّف على هذه الميزات والتقنيات المختلفة.

ميزات الطباعة على الكرتون

Cardboard printing has many features and benefits that make it a preferred choice in many commercial and industrial applications. Here are the most prominent features:
1- Flexibility in design so that designs so we can adapt to suit different needs such as brand promotion, communicating marketing messages, or providing instructions.
2- التكلفة المنخفضة نسبيًا مقارنةً بالمواد الأخرى.
3- الاستدامة وصداقة البيئة بسبب قابلية الكرتون للتحلل الحيوي وإعادة التدوير.
4- القوة وتحمّل الظروف البيئية المختلفة مثل الرطوبة، الضغط، والصدمات.
5- التنوّع في التطبيقات مثل التغليف، الملصقات، البطاقات، المواد الترويجية، والصناعات الإبداعية.
6- الوزن الخفيف وسهولة المناولة مقارنةً بالمواد الأخرى مثل المعادن أو البلاستيك.
7- التوافق مع تقنيات الطباعة المتعددة بما فيها الطباعة الأوفست، الطباعة الرقمية، والطباعة بالشاشة الحريرية.
8- Improving the customer experience by providing important information about the product, such as instructions, ingredients, and warnings, which enables enhancing the visual identity of the brand.
9- سهولة الطيّ والتشكيل للعبوات والصناديق ذات الأشكال والأحجام المختلفة.
10- التأثير البصري والجمالي من خلال استخدام مجموعة واسعة من الألوان، مما يساعد في لفت انتباه المستهلكين.
11- القدرة على إنتاج كميات مختلفة حسب الحاجة، مع الحفاظ على الجودة العالية.

Methods and techniques used in printing on cartons

1- Offset Printing:
Offset printing is one of the most common printing techniques in commercial printing. In this technique, we use metal plates to transfer ink to carton paper via a rubber cylinder. We characterize this technique by high print quality and color accuracy. The cost of setting up this technique is high when we compare it to digital printing, so it is economically suitable for printing large quantities only.
2- Digital Printing:
Digital printing uses laser or inkjet printers to transfer images directly from digital files to cardboard. We characterize this technology by the flexibility of printing on demand. It has a low setup cost suitable for printing small or medium quantities.
3- Silkscreen Printing:
This technology is based on transferring ink to cardboard through a soft screen that filters the ink through specific areas of the design. Its advantages include that it is effective for bright colors and large designs, and we can use on thick cardboard, but it is not suitable for fine details or photographs.
4- Flexographic Printing:
This technology is based on using flexible plates made of rubber or plastic to transfer ink to cardboard. We often use it in packaging printing, and we characterize it by high flexibility. Flexographic printing is suitable for printing on non-flat materials, but the print setup can be expensive, so this technology is effective for printing large quantities.
5- Hot Foil Stamping:

This technique uses thin paper covered with foil (such as metal foil) that is glued to the cardboard using heat and pressure.

Hot foil printing adds a luxurious and attractive touch, and is used to emphasize certain elements of the design. It is considered expensive because it requires special molds.

Embossing/Debossing:

This technique is used to shape the surface of the cardboard so that the design stands out (embossing) or sinks (debossing) into the surface. This technique gives a tangible and aesthetic effect, and is used to add a luxurious artistic touch at an additional preparation cost.

Finally, it is worth noting that choosing the appropriate cardboard printing technique is subject to many influential factors such as material cost, required quantities, and determining the required level of quality in terms of accuracy, clarity, and colors. The thickness and quality of the cardboard also affect the choice of printing technique, as do the design details and required colors.