You’d be surprised how often a simple brown box sparks a big conversation. At SmartShield, we help businesses find the best way to turn corrugated cardboard into packaging that works hard and looks the part.
Corrugated cardboard is everywhere in industrial packaging: from aerospace components to medical devices and defence equipment. It’s strong, sustainable, and cost-effective.
But with the right printing method, it can also showcase your brand. Printing on corrugated cardboard transforms protection into presentation, and that’s where choosing the right technique really matters.
Here are five key things to know about printing on corrugated packaging, and how to find the right fit for your business.
Flexographic printing - often called Flexo - is the backbone of corrugated box printing. It’s reliable, cost-efficient, and perfect for high-volume industrial packaging. Using print plates (think of them like large, flexible stamps), Flexo applies ink directly to the cardboard surface.
Pro tip: Kraft cardboard naturally absorbs ink, so lighter colors like white or pale blue may appear muted. Reverse printing (applying darker ink while leaving text areas unprinted) can help your design stand out cleanly and crisply.
Digital printing for packaging is all about agility. It doesn’t require printing plates, making it ideal for shorter runs, product changes, or evolving designs. For industrial packaging teams who value both precision and flexibility, digital printing offers endless creative potential.
Digital corrugated printing delivers a retail-quality finish without the big upfront setup costs. This is perfect for businesses that want full-color branding and rapid turnaround.
With presentation mattering just as much as protection, lithographic printing, or litho-lamination, provides a premium look. Instead of printing directly on corrugated cardboard, the design is printed on a separate sheet that’s laminated to the box surface.
Options:
Best for: Large-volume projects that demand precision and aesthetic impact
Litho printing gives your industrial packaging a refined finish, This option is ideal for equipment displays or customer-facing shipments that need to look exceptional.
In aerospace, defence, robotics, and medical manufacturing, packaging often has to do more than look good, it also has to perform under pressure. Specialty coatings add functional value to your printed corrugated packaging, which boosts durability and performance.
These coatings ensure your corrugated boxes don’t just carry your brand, they protect what’s inside with the same level of care and precision your products are built with.
Each printing method has strengths depending on your project’s needs:
The right choice balances function, budget, and brand identity. We work closely with all of our clients to understand their goals and help them choose a printing solution to communicate their brand’s quality.
At SmartShield, we believe great packaging goes beyond protection. It’s about performance, precision, and presentation for industries where quality can never be compromised.
Whether you need high-volume flexographic printing, short-run digital printing, or lithographic packaging for a premium look, our team is here to help.
Let’s create industrial packaging that protects what matters, and proudly represents your brand.
Get in touch to start your corrugated packaging project.