Dieline cutting table
Structural sample cutter
Cuts a white sample from the dieline so the product can be test-fitted before print.
What it means for youYou test-fit your product in a real box before you pay for plates.
Home How we print
How we print
The machines behind your box
Our print house runs more than 50 machines and 16 inspection devices across six stages, from the white sample to the camera check. Here is what each one does and what it means for the box you receive.
01Pre-press02Printing03Surface04Cutting, mounting and creasing05Gluing and forming06Coding and inspection
50+Production machines
16Inspection devices
3Heidelberg offset presses
15,000Sheets an hour on the CD 102
Stage 01
Pre-press: structure and plates
A box is proven as a white sample before anything is printed. Structure first, artwork second, plates last.
Epson
Digital proofing printer
Short-run colour proofs for artwork and copy sign-off.
What it means for youYou check colour and copy on paper before the press runs.
Kodak Trendsetter
Computer-to-plate
Outputs the approved file to printing plates.
What it means for youPlates come straight from your approved file, so nothing gets retyped or redrawn.
Stage 02
Printing: sheet-fed offset
Three Heidelberg presses carry the brand colour, the fine type and the spot work. The 7+1 UV unit is what makes one-pass UV finishing possible.
CD-102 · sheet-fed offset
Heidelberg CD-102
The workhorse for cartons: brand colour, fine text and spot colours at production speed.
What it means for youYour brand colour and small type print sharp at up to 15,000 sheets an hour.
XL705 · 5-colour
Heidelberg XL705
Larger format press used for gift-box wrap paper and series cartons.
What it means for youBig sheets mean fewer joins on gift-box wraps and one colour standard across a series.
Heidelberg console
Press control desk
Operator station where sheets are checked against the approved standard during the run.
What it means for youAn operator checks sheets against your approved standard during the run, not after it.
Stage 03
Surface: lamination, varnish, foil
The finish is chosen with the paper, not after it. Lamination, varnish and foil all change how a fold behaves.
PROSPER-102 · Shanghai
Film laminator
Bonds BOPP film to the printed sheet for gloss, matte or soft-touch.
What it means for youGloss, matte or soft-touch film protects the print and sets how the box feels in the hand.
Aqueous coating
Varnishing line
Applies an aqueous varnish for surface protection and sheen control.
What it means for youA clear coat protects food and pharma cartons without changing the look.
ZHIV-110C · 3-head UV
UV coating
Spot or full UV on heavy stock; the effect is proved on the target paper first.
What it means for youSpot UV makes your logo shine in gloss against a matte box.
Stage 04
Cutting, mounting and creasing
Greyboard becomes a box here: the printed sheet is mounted to board, then cut and creased on the die line.
Sheet-to-board laminator
Automatic paper mounting
Mounts printed wrap paper onto greyboard for rigid boxes and heavy cartons.
What it means for youThe printed wrap bonds flat to the board, with no bubbles or lifting corners.
1050 · automatic platen
Automatic die-cutter
Cuts the blank and presses the crease lines in one pass.
What it means for youEvery blank is cut and creased in one pass, so cartons fold square.
Stage 05
Gluing and forming
Folding cartons run on folder-gluers. Rigid lid-and-base boxes run on a forming line, then are assembled by hand where the structure needs it.
XinChenShun · HeRui · ChengMing
Automatic folder-gluer
Folds, glues and presses the side seam on folding cartons.
What it means for youSide seams glue straight, so cartons open cleanly on your packing line.
JinDian · ZhongKe
Rigid box forming line
Wraps and forms lid-and-base boxes, with corner wrapping and pressing stations.
What it means for youLid-and-base boxes come out with square corners and tight wraps.
Hand assembly line
Gift box assembly
Insert fitting, ribbon, magnets and multi-part assembly for gift structures.
What it means for youInserts, ribbons and magnets are fitted by hand and checked before packing.
Stage 06
Coding and inspection
Variable data and inspection sit where the job needs them, not always at the end of the line.
ZW-6000 · Shanghai Juanda
Variable-data coder
Prints a different code on every carton for traceability and serialisation.
What it means for youEach carton carries its own serial, batch or QR code.
Multi-head inkjet array
Coding printheads
The print bar that lays down the changing data as sheets pass.
What it means for youCodes land in the right place on every sheet as it passes.
Daheng DH-HJP550
Print inspection
Compares every sheet against the approved standard and flags defects.
What it means for youFaulty sheets get flagged before they become boxes.
Daheng vision software
Inspection interface
The operator screen where the reference and the live sheet are compared.
What it means for youEvery reject is logged, so a fault gets traced and fixed instead of repeated.
Full list
Every machine, by stage
Stages follow the route a box takes through the building. We confirm the route for your job when we quote.
| Stage | Machine, model and job |
|---|---|
| Pre-press | Digital proofing printer Epson Colour and copy proofs |
| Pre-press | Computer-to-plate Kodak Trendsetter Plate output |
| Pre-press | Structural sample cutter Dieline cutting table White samples for test fitting |
| Pre-press | Sheet cutter (full) TB115.1-2000 Cuts stock to press size |
| Pre-press | Sheet cutter (large) YBW1300B Cuts large-format stock |
| Printing | Sheet-fed offset Heidelberg CD-102 Cartons, brand colour, fine text |
| Printing | Sheet-fed offset Heidelberg XL705 · 5-colour Gift wrap, series cartons |
| Printing | Multi-colour + UV Heidelberg 7+1 UV UV work in one pass |
| Printing | Two-colour press Two-colour and text work |
| Surface | Film laminator PROSPER-102 · Shanghai Gloss / matte / soft-touch |
| Surface | Varnishing line Aqueous coating Surface protection |
| Surface | UV coater ZHIV-110C · 3-head Spot and full UV |
| Surface | Foil + die-cutting TYMK930 / TYMK1100 · Zhejiang Hot foil, emboss |
| Surface | Screen printing JB-1020 · Shenzhen Shuangying Rotary screen, spot varnish |
| Finishing | Paper mounting Sheet-to-board laminator Wrap paper onto greyboard |
| Finishing | Automatic die-cutter 1050 · automatic platen Cut and crease |
| Finishing | Folder-gluer XinChenShun · HeRui · ChengMing Fold, glue, press |
| Finishing | Rigid box forming JinDian · ZhongKe Lid-and-base forming |
| Coding | Variable-data coder ZW-6000 · Shanghai Juanda Codes and serials |
| Inspection | Print inspection Daheng DH-HJP550 100% sheet comparison |
Pricing
What the machines mean for your quote
Plates
Small runs still need plates
Offset printing needs plates and set-up. Below a few hundred boxes that set-up dominates the price, and we will tell you when a stock box is the cheaper answer.
Finish
Each finish adds a pass
Lamination, spot UV and foil each send the sheet through another machine. That adds cost and time, and your quote shows both.
Inspection
Camera checks where they count
Our Daheng camera check runs as standard on pharma and multi-version work. On a short single-design run you can choose to skip its set-up.