We print in two ways, and which one is right for you depends almost entirely on one question: How much do you need? For smaller and medium quantities, digital printing is cheaper; from several thousand pieces onward, the balance shifts in favor of flexographic printing.
Digital Printing
Here, your design goes directly from the file onto the carton, similar to a very large office printer. Nothing needs to be prepared, there are no one-time setup costs, and production can start immediately.
This has two consequences for you. First, even a small quantity is worthwhile because you don’t have to spread any upfront costs. Second, a colorful design doesn’t cost more than a single-color one—the machine prints using four basic colors anyway. So you can design whatever you want and even run multiple designs in parallel.
However, the price per piece remains roughly the same whether you order 300 or 3,000. It hardly decreases with quantity because the same amount of ink is applied to each individual carton.
Flexographic Printing
In flexographic printing, a separate printing plate—a kind of stamp—is made for each color in your design. These plates cost money and time once—but after that, the machine runs very fast and very cheaply.
This means the one-time costs are spread over your print run. For 500 pieces, this would be absurdly expensive; for several thousand pieces, it barely matters, and the unit price drops significantly below that of digital printing. The larger the quantity, the stronger the effect.
Unlike digital printing, the number of colors matters here because each color requires its own plate. A two-color design is therefore cheaper than a five-color one. And if you change your design later, the plates have to be remade—so flexographic printing is suitable for a design that will stay the same for a while.
What you can use as a guideline
Digital Printing: smaller quantities, changing or colorful designs, fast delivery, no upfront costs
Flexographic Printing: large print runs, fixed design, few colors, best unit price
The exact quantity limit is listed with each product because it varies depending on the item. If you like, just tell us approximately how much you use per month. Then we’ll calculate both options for you and honestly tell you when switching makes sense for you.
