When you decide to adopt the label adhesive solution, the first crucial question arises: Which printing process should you choose? Different processes not only affect the appearance and durability of the labels, but also directly relate to your production costs and market competitiveness. Data shows that choosing the right brand of printing process can increase the visual appeal of packaging by 40%, while reducing the printing cost by an average of 22%.
In-depth comparison of the four mainstream printing processes
1. Flexographic Printing - The Best Choice for Cost-Effectiveness
Best application: Basic text, large color blocks, medium to long-sized orders (10,000 - 500,000 pieces)
Cost advantage: The plate-making cost is only one-third of that of the intaglio printing method. The lowest unit price per thousand pieces can be as low as 0.08 yuan.
Our upgrade plan: We use eco-friendly water-based ink, which has passed FDA food-grade certification. It is particularly suitable for categories with high safety requirements such as dairy products and pet food.
2. Digital Printing
Applicable scene: New product trial sales, promotional labels, multi-version testing (100 - 5000 pieces)
Core advantages: No need for plate making, 5 shipments; Variable data printing (each label has a different QR code/serial number)
Actual measurement data: For the baking brand we serve, after adopting digital printing, the iteration cycle of seasonal product packaging was reduced from 45 days to 3 days.
3. Gravure Printing
High-quality brand label, metallic texture effect, extremely long order quantity (more than 500,000 pieces)
Visual presentation: Color saturation has been increased by 30%, and fine text (below 1mm) is clear and sharp.
4. Screen Printing
Unique features: Local UV protection, tactile texture, special effects such as fluorescence/nightlighting
Three dimensions determine how you choose：
1,Order Volume
Trial sale period / small batch → Digital printing
Regular replenishment / medium batch size → Flexographic printing
Mature products / large-scale → Gravure printing
Special requirements / added value effect → Screen printing
2,Complexity of Design Content
Simple text + single-color logo → Flexographic printing with 1-2 colors is sufficient
Color images + gradient effect → Gravure / Digital 6 colors or more
Anti-counterfeiting requirements → Suggest using a combination of intaglio printing and digital technology
We offer a full-color anti-counterfeiting ink solution
3,Usage Environment
Freezing and refrigeration → It is necessary to test the adhesion of the ink
Outdoor sunlight exposure → Anti-UV coating needs to be added ,we use special ink with a durability of 3 years.
Contact with grease → It is recommended to apply a protective film ,PP film provides the best anti-grease effect.
What are your actual needs?
In actual production, we often hear these problems from customers:
▶ "I want to conduct a trial sale with 5,000 boxes, but the traditional printing factory says that at least 50,000 units need to be printed first"
▶ "The product formula is often adjusted slightly, and the ingredient list on the labels is always too late to update"
▶ "Different channels require different label versions, and it's too chaotic to manage"
Please contact us and let us know:
What was the most challenging aspect for you when choosing the printing process? Was it cost control, delivery speed, or the realization of special effects?
How we can assist you in making a choice?
At YingFei Pack, what we offer is not merely printing services, but personalized plan immediately,you can got:
1,Free process recommendation report based on your specific needs
2,Three process sample comparisons
3,Label application adaptability test ,send your packaging bag to us, we will attach test labels and send it back.
YingFei Pack - With 20 years of label printing experience and a cumulative production of over 100 million labels, we know that the right printing choice is the first step towards the success of your label application strategy.