Grey-board cores, wrap sheets, foil, and UV

Core first

Most folding and lid-and-base gift boxes in the catalog use 1.5–3 mm grey-board cores. MDF is a separate line at 1.5–7 mm. Do not mix the two on one RFQ without saying so. Wenzhou Taishan Printing Co., Ltd. wraps cores in Longgang — manufacturer since 2000, not a desk that treats “rigid” as one SKU.

Core millimetres change outer size and lid stiffness. Inner cavity stays what you labelled. Write core family and millimetres apart from the wrap sheet. A photo of a black box does not imply 2 mm or 3 mm.

• Grey board 1.5–3 mm (catalog typical for folding / lid-and-base).
• MDF 1.5–7 mm (catalog) only when named.
• Inner L×W×H labelled inner, because core adds to the outside.
• Do not swap grey board and MDF on a locked dieline without a new sample.

Wrap and print

Wrap can be printed coated paper, specialty paper, holographic film, kraft, or flocked paper. In-house Heidelberg offset prints carton and wrap sheets; Kodak CTP plates the job. Heidelberg 8-open 4/5-color, XL-75 4/5-color, and CDX102 4/5/6-color are the catalog press list.

Colour on a gallery photo is a photographed wrap, not a warehouse SKU and not a Pantone contract. If brand colour matters, send a coated target or ask for a Heidelberg sheet. See the Heidelberg wrap article on this site.

Flocked wrap is a wrap family, not an insert. Kraft is a sheet, not a structure. Holographic wrap is a film. Name the sheet; do not write “premium paper” alone.

Finish is a map

Foil, spot UV, and lamination are plates and passes. Write where they sit. “Make it luxury” is not a map. Each finish is a registration risk on the wrap after print.

Typical catalog path: design → materials → Kodak CTP → Heidelberg print → lamination or varnish → converting. Foil and spot UV are extra passes. Say if foil sits under or over laminate. Confirm the map on the RFQ.

Typical millimetre ranges in the catalog

Grey-board cores on folding gift boxes and many lid-and-base programs: 1.5–3 mm. MDF cores: 1.5–7 mm. Those are catalog ranges, not a promise that every millimetre in the band is on the floor for your ship date. Confirm the core on the sample and the PO.

SBS cartons, corrugated, tubes, and PVC are other families. Do not put a flute caliper on a grey-board RFQ line. One program, one core family, unless you are quoting variants on purpose.

Specialty wraps and holographic film

Mill-order specialty and holographic film stretch sample and production clocks versus a coated sheet already in the plant. Say if the wrap is still being sourced. A digital mock-up of a rainbow film is not the film.

Flocked and specialty sheets can change how foil and UV sit. Ask for a printed wrap sample with the actual stamp if those finishes are audited. Do not stack every effect on a small logo — see the finish-map article.

• Coated print wrap versus mill-order specialty.
• Holographic film named as film, not as CMYK.
• Flock as wrap, not as “insert texture”.

In-house Heidelberg and Kodak CTP

The Longgang plant at No. 187–239 Cendong Road is more than 20,000 m² production with a 3,500 m² warehouse, 200+ staff, and 50+ machines. Wrap print is in-house. Die-cut, lamination/varnish, and folder-gluer finish the box. That is converting on a named core, not a rented press story.

Plates follow the wrap file, not the core millimetres. Changing only the core still needs a structure check because outer size and wrap blank can move. Changing only the wrap print still needs a sheet check.

What to write separately on the RFQ

Core millimetres and wrap sheet on two lines. Finish map on a third. Insert on a fourth. Quantity band and destination last. Request current certificate scans if FSC or food-contact will appear. Send via taishanprint.com (EN/ZH/ES), [email protected], or WhatsApp +86 138 6598 7984.

Portfolio photos remain structure references. We will not invent a core from a JPEG. Confirm on sample. Wenzhou Taishan Printing replies as the manufacturer, not a trading desk.

• Core family + millimetres.
• Wrap sheet family (coated, kraft, holographic, flock, specialty).
• Print sides and spot colours.
• Foil / UV / lamination as a map, not a mood word.