By nature, flexible packages and materials can be difficult to work with. When you need flexible packaging for your labels or sachet pouch printing, things can get pretty tricky, especially if you need your packages to be shiny, made from unique materials or adorned with a specific kind of ink.

 

In many cases, printing on flexible packaging has to be done using lithography. Digital printing methods are good for folding cartons and labels, but most basic digital printers will not work well on flexible packaging. That’s because the ink that needs to be used is different, and the packaging might have qualities that make it difficult to print on.

 

Professional manufacturers and printing experts use lithography or offset printing to deal with flexible packaging. For stand up pouches and corrugated boxes, a special kind of lithographic printing is used known as flexography. This method uses a light-sensitive polymer and a 3D relief, rather than the ink rollers and water rollers used in modern lithography techniques.

 

While you can get a printer to deal with lithography or flexography, the learning curve can be tricky, and you might run into a lot of challenges before you can print retail-worthy packaging. The best alternative is to hire a professional custom label printing company that also does flexible packaging. They will be able to provide you with the speed, quality and efficiency that you need.