Board & finishing
Five stock boards, every common finish, and one rule: go a step heavier than you need and you pay for it on every unit. Here is what each board is for and what each finish costs you in look, feel and lead time.
The five stocks we hold
Anything else can be bought in for a run — allow a week on the schedule.
Print, finishing and structural options
SBS C1S 18pt
Bright white coated one side. The default for full colour work.
SBS C2S 24pt
Coated both sides, heavier caliper for weight or tall cartons.
Natural kraft 18pt
Uncoated brown face. Warm, but fibre shows under dark solids.
White kraft 20pt
Bleached kraft with a clean printing face.
Recycled CRB 20pt
100% recycled content, grey back, lowest cost per sheet.
Food-grade barrier
Grease and moisture barrier for direct food contact.
Offset print
Best cost and colour above 2,500 units. Plates held for reruns.
Digital print
No plate charge, so short runs and versioned artwork stay cheap.
Pantone spot
Mixed to formula and matched on press for brand colours.
Soy-based ink
Renewable binder, same colour output, fully recyclable.
Water-based ink
Low solvent, standard on food-contact cartons.
Fluorescent ink
For shelf pop where CMYK cannot reach the colour.
Matte AQ
Water-based, low sheen, cheapest protective coating.
Gloss AQ
Water-based with a light shine. Scuff resistant.
Gloss UV
Cured under UV for a hard, high-shine surface.
Spot gloss UV
Gloss on a named area only, matte elsewhere.
Soft touch lamination
Velvety film. Premium feel, shows fingerprints on black.
Matte lamination
Film rather than coating. Deepest blacks, best durability.
Hot foil stamping
Metallic foil pressed with a heated die. Gold, silver, custom.
Cold foil
Foil applied inline with print. Cheaper over large areas.
Blind embossing
Raised motif with no ink or foil.
Blind debossing
Recessed motif, reads well on uncoated kraft.
Registered embossing
Emboss aligned to printed artwork within tolerance.
Combination emboss and foil
Raised and foiled in one pass for a 3D mark.
Window patching
Die-cut aperture with clear film, PET or PLA.
Board inserts
Folded insert to hold the product still in the carton.
Tamper seal
Perforated or glued seal for evidence of opening.
Hang hole
Euro slot or round hole for peg display.
Child-resistant closure
Push-and-slide closure for regulated products.
Braille
Embossed braille panel for pharmaceutical work.
Board and finishing questions
If you are choosing between two specs, send both. We quote both and say which we would run.
Ask about a spec18pt coated SBS covers most products under a pound and a half. Go to 24pt for weight or for cartons taller than about six inches. Kraft only if the natural look matters more than colour accuracy.
Matte lamination with spot UV on the logo is the most common retail spec, and it hides handling marks. Gloss UV is cheaper and reads brighter on colour-heavy artwork.
It changes how the box feels in the hand more than any other finish, and it scuffs more easily. Worth it on premium and gift work, not on high-turn retail.
On offset, yes — name the Pantone and we mix it rather than converting to CMYK. On digital runs we get close and show you a printed proof first.
Recycled CRB takes a coated front, so line work and type are clean. Large solid areas mottle more than on SBS, and the grey back shows on unprinted interiors.
Not sure which board to specify?
Tell us the product, its weight and where it sells. We will name the board and finish, and quote the alternative alongside it.