Litho-lam versus direct print on corrugated gift and mailer boxes

Two print paths in one plant

Litho-lam means we print a sheet — typically on in-house Heidelberg offset after Kodak CTP — then mount that sheet to flute. Direct print means ink hits the corrugated board. Colour gamut, washboard show-through, and set-off risk are not the same.

Both paths can exist in a Longgang converting conversation. The RFQ must pick one, or ask us to propose one after a structure lock. Saying “printed corrugated” without a path is two quotes.

What litho-lam is for

Litho-lam is the path when the buyer wants a fine offset image, tight type, or a wrap-like face on a mailer or gift corrugated. The printed liner is a sheet job first. Mounting quality, flute choice, and whether the print wraps a panel or a full wrap-around all change converting.

Do not assume litho-lam is “the luxury version of B-flute” as a nickname. It is a process: print, then mount. Spot colours live on the sheet. A digital mock-up of the liner is not the mounted production board.

• Litho-lam: print, then mount to flute.
• Direct print: print on the corrugated.
• Flute type and inner size still come first.

What direct print is for

Direct print is often the path for shipper graphics, simple brand panels, and mailers where flute texture is acceptable. It skips a mount step. Fine screens and large solids behave differently than on a coated litho sheet.

If last year’s audit was a direct-print supplier, say so. If it was a litho-lam house, say so. We will not guess which press story the buyer’s QC team expects.

Handles, fruit, and burst notes

Handled gift packs and fruit mailers need flute and burst notes, not only a pretty top sheet. Write produce or bottle weight, whether the handle is die-cut or a separate fitting, and whether the pack is a gift face or a transit mailer.

A fruit mailer that must vent or carry moisture is a structure conversation. Print path does not replace board grade. Catalog photos of handled packs are families, not locked burst ratings.

Not a rigid gift box

Corrugated is converting line eight in the catalog. Grey-board wrap, magnet closures, and lid-and-base fit belong to rigid gift boxes. Do not paste a grey-board wrap spec onto B-flute and call it the same SKU.

If the program is a rigid gift inside a printed mailer, that is two items: the gift box and the corrugated. Quantity, cube, and print path for the mailer stay on the mailer line.

Flute, size, and finish

Name flute family if you know it, or describe crush and print face and let us propose. Inner L×W×H of the product or of the folded mailer must be labelled inner or outer. Kraft versus white top is a face choice, not a print path.

Varnish or lamination, if any, sits on the printed face — sheet or board — as a finish line. Foil on corrugated is unusual and must be called out; do not assume gift-box foil maps onto flute.

Colour and set-off are path-specific

Litho-lam colour lives on the offset sheet before mount. Direct-print colour lives on the board. A digital mock-up of either is not a production sheet. Approve the path you will actually run.

Set-off, crush of the flute under a heavy solid, and washboard show-through should be discussed on the sample, not invented as a number in this article. If last year’s QC used a mounted liner, do not switch to direct print without saying so.

Spot colours on a litho liner follow the same Heidelberg catalog presses as wrap sheets: 8-open 4/5, XL-75 4/5, CDX102 4/5/6 as names only. Direct print is not those sheetfed units by default — write the path.

What to put on the RFQ

Print path (litho-lam or direct), flute or board note, inner size, handle yes/no, mailer versus gift corrugated, quantity band, destination. If you only have a retail photo of a handled fruit pack, say so.

No prices, MOQ, or guaranteed lead times live in this article. Colour approval still means a printed sheet or a printed board — not a screen JPEG.