Application And Selection of Customized Paper Box Packaging for Four-color Or Spot Color
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Application And Selection of Customized Paper Box Packaging for Four-color Or Spot Color

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Application And Selection of Customized Paper Box Packaging for Four-color Or Spot Color

The principles of four-color printing and spot color printing are fundamentally different. Generally, companies that focus on brand image will use spot colors to customize paper box packaging and all other printed materials. Here are some introductions about spot colors and four-color designs, so that designers can have a clearer understanding of when to use spot colors and when to use 4-color designs for customized cardboard packaging.

What is four-color printing

The definition of four-color printing: printing with four ink colors

Four color printing refers to the use of four ink colors, namely cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, for printing, commonly known as CMYK printing, four-color printing, 4CP, or full-color printing.

The principle of four-color printing

The principle of four-color printing is based on the subtractive method of mixing the three primary colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) with black ink. During the printing process, these four colors can be combined into any desired color. When printing in color, the size of "dots" is used to indicate the depth of colors, and various colors are formed by overlapping dots of different colors.

4C printing

Knowledge Point (1)

Application of four-color printing

Four color printing is the process of creating a color print by overlaying the colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black onto a printed surface. Four color printing is widely used in the packaging industry, reproducing various colors of the original manuscript through different proportions of CMYK four colors.

Knowledge Point (2)

Advantages and disadvantages of four-color printing

The advantage of four-color printing is that it can reduce the color difference with the display, but its color expression and ink limitations make it difficult to expand its color gamut. Due to ink defects, the color rendering effect of the C, M, Y, and K base color inks used in four-color printing is significantly different from the ideal color rendering effect, especially for blue and green.

What is spot color printing

Spot color printing refers to the use of ink other than the four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black to reproduce the original color

The printing process. It does not synthesize colors through the four colors of C, M, Y, and K, but rather uses a specific ink to print that color.

The difference between spot color printing and four-color printing

The main difference between spot color printing and four-color printing lies in the use of different inks. Four color printing refers to the use of yellow, magenta, cyan primary color inks and black ink to replicate various colors of color originals, while spot color printing uses inks of colors other than four for printing. Spot color printing is suitable for situations that require high-precision color reproduction, while four-color printing is suitable for color photos or images containing multiple colors.

paper box packaging printing

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Sample production: Based on the customer's needs and design drawings, make samples, including both manual and machine production methods. Complex box shapes require manual production, while simple Italian shapes can be assisted by machines.

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Material selection: Familiar with using different types of paper and interior materials, such as ordinary double copper clay, special paper, etc., to meet the packaging needs of different products.

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Process flow: Understand the production process of packaging boxes, including design, plate making, printing, die-cutting, and gold penetration, to ensure the quality and efficiency of sampling.

Difference in color richness

The difference between spot color printing and four-color printing

Four color printing is based on CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color adjustment, and can present over 16 million colors. Spot color printing adds one or more hues, such as gold, silver, fluorescent, etc., in addition to the four colors, which can present a richer range of colors.

How are spot colors modulated

The modulation methods of spot color ink include traditional empirical blending, blending based on printing color cards, and instrument blending. The traditional empirical blending method relies on the experience and subjective judgment of the blending personnel, while the blending method based on printing color cards compares the original color with the color on the color card for color matching. You can also use instrument blending rules and instruments such as spectrophotometers to improve color matching efficiency and quality.

paper box packaging printing

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matters needing attention:

Avoid mixing and blending inks from different manufacturers, especially for surface printing inks and composite inks, to prevent resin precipitation and ink loss.

Mixing oil-based phases with similar colors produces ink with brighter colors; However, when ink with significant color difference is mixed, the resulting color is darker and not bright enough.

Difference in application scope

The difference between spot color printing and four-color printing

Due to its relatively low cost, rich colors, and mature printing technology, four-color printing is widely used in common printed materials such as packaging printing and brochures. Spot color printing is suitable for high-end products with high color requirements and printing difficulties due to its relatively high color selection and printing difficulty! Often used in packaging printing!

Why do packaging printing often use spot colors

Each spot color has its own fixed hue, which can ensure the accuracy of colors in printing, thus greatly solving the problem of color transmission accuracy. This is particularly important for packaging printing, as packaging design often requires specific colors to convey brand information and image, and spot color printing can ensure that these colors remain consistent during the printing process!

customized paper box printing

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Wide color gamut:

The color gamut in the color library is very wide, exceeding the representation gamut of RGB, not to mention the CMYK color space. This means that spot color printing can present a wider variety of colors, especially those that cannot be presented using CMYK four-color printing inks. This is crucial for packaging designs that require unique visual effects.

Difference between cost and effectiveness

The difference between spot color printing and four-color printing

Although spot color printing has a high cost, it usually achieves better printing results due to its uniqueness and high color accuracy, making it suitable for high-end products that require high cost investment to achieve the best printing effect. Four color printing, on the other hand, is more suitable for large-scale production and conventional color printing needs due to its lower cost and wide range of applications!

Why is spot color printing more expensive

The main difference in cost between spot color printing and four-color printing is that spot color printing requires the use of one or more specific colored inks for printing, which usually need to be purchased separately, resulting in relatively higher costs. In contrast, four-color printing uses the CMYK color model, which consists of four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Its cost is relatively low because only these four colors of ink need to be used for printing.

customized paper packaging printing

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The advantages of spot color printing: Obviously, spot color printing has a higher cost, but it can provide higher color accuracy and special effects, suitable for the printing needs of high-end products. Four color printing, on the other hand, is widely used in the production of common printed materials due to its low cost and mature technology.

Difference in production cycle

The difference between spot color printing and four-color printing

The production cycle of spot color printing is usually longer than that of four-color printing. This is because spot color printing not only involves basic CMYK four-color printing, but also adds special colors such as gold, silver, fluorescent, etc., which require more time and schedule arrangement.

How to make digital samples without so much cost

Printing machine sampling generally costs 

1. 20 yuan to 150 USD for ordinary customized paper boxes (white cards and whiteboard paper are cheaper, gold and silver cards and corrugated cardboard boxes are more expensive). 

2. 100 to 400 USD for high-end gift box sampling (mainly depending on the material and surface technology and structure). 

3. Starting from 300 yuan for flexible packaging color film samples, with a construction period of about 3 days. 

4. Around 200USD for flexible packaging composite roll film.

5. Composite flexible packaging bag 100-300 USD

Knowledge Point (1)

Digital proofing: Using digital technology for proofing, common methods include laser printing and inkjet printing, which can quickly provide samples and have relatively low costs.

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Sample making machine: Printing is done through a specialized sample making machine, which produces samples that are visually similar to the final printed product and have relatively low costs, making them easily accepted by customers and printing manufacturers.

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Screen soft sampling: By using color correction on the monitor, pre check the color on the monitor, which is a low-cost and efficient sampling method.

In summary, both four-color printing and spot color printing have their different advantages. After we have a clear understanding of the differences between the two, we can better apply color design in the design of customized cardboard packaging without causing color errors or unnecessary cost waste. Of course, as a custom paper packaging factory with over 20 years of experience, we are professional and our business is also professional. Every customer who comes into contact with us will receive not only color support, but also more standardized support for customized paper box packaging.


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