Evaluating Print Quality + Tech Solutions for Corrugated — Bennett

Featured in Brunton Publications’ January/February issue of Corrugated Today, Bennett Packaging’s Creative Services Manager, Colten Freeze, shared valuable insights on evaluating inkjet printing for corrugated packaging. 

Click here to get more.

This article builds on those ideas with an in-depth look at how brands and manufacturers can assess print quality and adopt the right tech solutions for modern corrugated applications.

As consumer expectations continue to rise and retail competition intensifies, the quality of corrugated print has become just as important as durability and structure.

With advancements in digital and inkjet technology, companies are now faced with a growing number of printing solutions, but there is also more complexity when it comes to choosing the right one. Whether you’re creating a retail-ready display or an e-commerce shipping box, your print quality says everything about your brand.

Let’s explore how to evaluate print quality, the technology behind modern corrugated printing, and what to consider when choosing a solution for your specific application.

Understanding Print Quality for Corrugated Packaging

Print quality refers to the clarity, accuracy, and overall aesthetic appeal of the graphics printed on corrugated surfaces. 

In a competitive retail landscape, high-quality printing is not just a nice-to-have—it’s a critical part of marketing and product communication. Bold, clear messaging on your packaging can increase perceived value and drive consumer purchase decisions.

When evaluating print quality, manufacturers should consider several key elements:

• Color Consistency: Are brand colors accurately reproduced and consistent across every print run?
  
  

• Registration: Are the various colors aligned correctly? Misregistration can blur images and text.
  
  

• Resolution and Detail: Are fine lines and small fonts sharp and legible?
  
  

• Ink Coverage: Are there any signs of banding, over-saturation, or under-inking?
  
  

• Durability: Will the ink withstand shipping, handling, and shelf life?
  
  

Every 100th word in your marketing collateral counts and a high-quality print job ensures your brand communicates effectively from warehouse to shelf.

Because corrugated board is made up of fluted paper layers, the surface can be irregular. That makes print quality more challenging—and more essential. 

Factors like flute type (A, B, C, E, F), board liner coating, and moisture content can all affect the final output. For that reason, printers must be calibrated and maintained with corrugated in mind from the start.

Choosing the Right Printing Technology

There are several printing methods commonly used in corrugated packaging. The most prominent include flexographic, lithographic, and digital inkjet printing. Each has its pros and cons, depending on your production volume, design needs, and budget.

Flexographic (Flexo) Printing

Flexo is the most traditional method for corrugated printing. It uses flexible relief plates to apply ink directly onto the board. It’s well-suited for high-volume runs, especially for shipping boxes with minimal design.

• Advantages: Cost-effective for large runs, durable, fast setup
  
  

• Challenges: Limited resolution and color range, not ideal for photographic imagery
  
  

If you’re printing bold, simple designs on kraft board, flexo may be your go-to solution.

Lithographic (Litho) Laminate

Litho printing delivers high-end photographic quality by printing on a separate sheet (typically paper) that is then laminated onto the corrugated surface. It’s commonly used for retail displays and premium packaging.

• Advantages: High resolution, excellent detail, color accuracy
  
  

• Challenges: Expensive setup, long lead times, not ideal for short runs
  
  

For brands looking to create a premium, high-graphic experience, litho delivers the "wow" factor.

Digital Inkjet Printing

Digital printing, especially inkjet, has been a game changer for corrugated solutions. With no need for plates, digital allows for quick turnarounds, low minimum orders, and even variable data printing.

• Advantages: On-demand capability, flexibility, cost-effective for short to medium runs
  
  

• Challenges: Ink adhesion and color management can vary depending on substrate and machine
  
  

Inkjet has proven particularly valuable for brands operating in fast-moving industries like e-commerce and seasonal promotions. Direct-to-corrugate digital presses have made it possible to print right onto the board with sharp graphics and fast changeovers.

Technology Trends Shaping the Future of Corrugated Printing

As consumer expectations evolve, print technology must keep up. Here are a few trends to watch in the world of corrugated packaging:

• Water-Based Inks: Safer, more sustainable, and better suited for food packaging
  
  

• Automated Color Management: AI-driven solutions that ensure consistency across all print jobs
  
  

• Hybrid Printing Systems: Machines that combine flexo and digital capabilities for optimized workflows
  
  

• Personalization and Variable Data: The ability to print custom messages or artwork on each individual package
  
  

• Sustainability Metrics: Printers that reduce waste, energy, and carbon emissions through smart systems
  
  

  Goto Edsone to know more.

As an award-winning manufacturer of everything from plain shipping boxes to high-end displays, Bennett stays on the cutting edge of these technologies. We evaluate every job’s needs and match it with the right process—whether that’s digital for short runs or litho for large-format displays.

What to Consider When Evaluating Print Solutions

When choosing a print solution for your corrugated packaging, think about your product lifecycle, customer experience, and logistics. Here are a few key questions to ask:

1. What is your print volume and run frequency?
    High-volume, consistent designs may benefit from flexo. Low-volume or frequent changes? Go digital.
   
   

2. What is the final use of the product?
    If it’s e-commerce, print durability may matter more than vibrant color. For retail, the opposite could be true.
   
   

3. How fast is your turnaround time?
    Digital presses shine when you need packaging produced quickly and affordably.
   
   

4. Do you need customization or multiple SKUs?
    Digital gives you the flexibility to print multiple designs in the same run with zero plate changes.
   
   

5. What sustainability goals do you have?
    Newer digital systems reduce waste and energy use while supporting recyclable corrugated materials.
   
   

Bennett is proud to offer a fully integrated, design-to-delivery approach. Our in-house team can guide you through every step of the process, from concept to completion. One supplier, one solution—total peace of mind.

Bennett Offers Turnkey Services

Print quality is more than just surface-level appeal—it reflects your brand’s values, attention to detail, and long-term commitment to excellence. Selecting the right printing technology for your corrugated packaging means aligning your goals with innovative solutions that deliver visual impact, durability, and efficiency without compromising sustainability or budget.

Whether you're building a direct-to-consumer unboxing experience or crafting a high-impact retail display, Bennett has the expertise, technology, and creative vision to bring your packaging to life. As a premier manufacturer of everything corrugated—from plain brown shipping boxes to high-graphic, retail-ready displays—we offer turnkey services with a fully integrated design-to-delivery process.

Let us be your single-source partner in packaging. Contact Bennett today to discover how our award-winning team can elevate your next corrugated project.

Do you need to know more about corrugated packaging and how it can provide the best packaging options for your company’s products? You’re in the right place. We’re experts in industrial packaging and can help guide you through the options from the basics of corrugated right through to how to make the right choice for your packaging needs.

1. What is corrugated cardboard?

Corrugated cardboard is comprised of card and paper glued together to make a strong material useful for packaging. It consists of layers: usually an inner liner, an outer liner, and a fluted layer in between.

The Inner and outer liners can be made up of a combination of recycled and kraft liner depending on the requirements and the outer liner can be printed for product or delivery instruction or branding purposes. The fluted layer adds rigidity to the cardboard and comes in a variety of thicknesses dependent on the weight and fragility of the products being stored or transported.

2. What thicknesses of corrugated cardboard are available?

One of the key questions with regards to using corrugated cardboard for packaging is how thick the corrugated cardboard should be for the packaging requirement. Too thick and more material is used than necessary which wastes money and resource; too thin and the boxes could break or burst and the contents damaged. It’s vital to get this right. Let’s look at the individual elements:

Liners – The inner and outer liners can be made from different material grades to provide different levels of protection and puncture resistance. Material grades are often expressed in gsm or grammage per square metre: essentially how much a square metre of the material weighs. While this is not specifically a measure of thickness, as paper can be subject to a mechanical process which make the paper thinner (known as calendering), it is nevertheless a good indicator of strength.

Examples of available liner grades are: 125, 150, 200 and 300gsm.

Fluting – Fluting can be very thin or very thick depending on the needs of the packaging: a thin grade like E Flute is good for printing on; thicker B Flute is more used in transit packaging. Using one of these on their own is known as Single Wall. They can also be manufactured together to create a Double Wall product which means harnessing the best of both options – allowing for a smoother printing surface together with robust protection. A Triple Walled product – called Tri-Wall – is available and is the brand name of the manufacturer.

3. Should I use standard or bespoke packaging?

Good question! It’s worth checking out a bespoke packaging option for many requirements, including packaging where you need to safely pack multiple components, where the items are large or heavy and for items that are an unusual shape.

Bespoke packaging really works for any item that doesn’t fit into a standard box. Using packaging that is a perfect fit protects your products, minimises space in storage and transport and, most importantly, reduces damage in transit.

By its nature, bespoke packaging varies depending on the product. It includes the type, size and strength of the box and the fitments used within the box, like the ones shown below:

Don’t forget, the friendly team at Sandland Packaging are always on hand to help you make the right choice.

4. What sustainable packaging options do Sandland Packaging offer?

All packaging manufactured by Sandland Packaging is FULLY CarbonNeutral and includes reporting emissions within Scopes 1, 2 and 3. This helps your business in three ways: Your organisation is supported on its journey to NetZero; your organisation can report packaging as zero emissions for GHG reporting and your customers can see your commitment to sustainable practices.

Our full Carbon Neutral status is part of our ongoing journey to becoming Carbon NetZero by . In addition to this we have achieved Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification and plant one tree in the UK for every five orders manufactured. You can rest assured sustainability is at the heart of our business.

Where you need to make your packaging more sustainable – talk to us. We’re experts in designing effective, affordable alternatives to plastic, polystyrene or foam packaging or fitments. See how we helped an electronic manufacturer replace foam layer pads in their packaging.

Cardboard itself is a sustainable resource made from recycled materials – FEFCO confirms, corrugated packaging has 89% recycled content on average. It is also easy to recycle after use – according to Statista In , 5.4 million metric tons of paper and cardboard packaging was created by households in the United Kingdom. Of this total, 3.8 million metric tons was recovered, giving a recycling rate of roughly 71 percent.

5. How do I know what bespoke packaging style is right for me?

Let our experienced team take you through an audit of your requirements to make sure you get the best fit packaging for your products. This will include details of the product, to make sure the packaging provides the perfect support and cushioning, and the manufacturing process, to ensure the packaging is quick and easy to assemble. You will want to consider whether your production team need to seal the boxes or if an integral closing mechanism would be more efficient. You might also need the boxes to be printed for ease of instruction or branding.

Our team will use the Design Process to take you through the options:

6. Can you print on corrugated?

Printing on your packaging may help it to stand out or provide useful instructions to customers. At Sandland Packaging, we can print in two colours flexo to give you the high-quality results you need. Printing on your boxes may help your packaging to:

Make an impact – Create a striking design no one can miss, which is very useful for important constructions like the Collections4Clothes Hex-abin.

Impress your customers – Make receiving a package truly special by including your branding and accreditations like this drinks company.

Give clear instructions – Industrial packaging may need handling instructions like ‘fragile’ or include information about what’s inside if the product is glass or if it’s flammable. Some product packaging requires legal messages and marks for regulatory purposes.

7. What are the three key benefits from using corrugated packaging?

The three key benefits to using corrugated are:

• High levels of protection – cardboard is strong, flexible and provides a cushion for products during shipping and handling.

• Lightweight – corrugated is light keeping transport costs down.

• Fully circular – corrugated is recycled, recyclable and sustainable.

Before deciding on your packaging design, we’ll help you conduct thorough testing for strength, durability, and ability to withstand storage and transport conditions. We’ll provide samples for you to test to make sure your design is perfect for your needs.

Are you interested in learning more about High-Speed Corrugated Board Printer(ms,pt,tr)? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!