Here at LeKAC, we offer two types of paper base: brown and white Kraft. But what should you keep in mind when printing on Kraft? In this blog post, we’re giving you a guide for everything you need to know about printing on Kraft. Keep reading to learn more!
Brown VS White Kraft
The first question to ask is: “what kind of Kraft do I want?”. Depending on the look you want for your packaging, your options are open!
Brown Kraft is the most basic of our offerings. It has a more industrial look, and has the texture from the natural fibres. White Kraft on the other hand, has a smoother finish to it!
Kraft can be used for boxes like in the examples above, bags, and a number of other packaging materials! Besides the obvious colour difference, can you spot the biggest difference between these two boxes?
What’s The Difference?
The key difference between the brown Kraft and the white Kraft is… The print! It might be a bit hard to see in the photos above, so let’s bring it in a bit closer!
So why do these look so different from each other? Remember brown Kraft’s natural fibre texture? It’s this texture that makes the print look slightly different! The brown Kraft is naturally more absorbent, meaning the ink seeps into the material, resulting in a loss of vibrance! However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t print colour on brown Kraft.
Cooler, brighter colours will show up more clearly on brown Kraft material, whereas pastels and warm colours will blend in to the background. This helpful table from Brandable Box shows how different colours look printed in CMYK on brown Kraft.
What’s the Best Way to Print on Kraft?
When creating your design, we always recommend using the CMYK colour mode. The colours may not look as vibrant as you think they should be on your screen, but trust the process! Most digital screens use the RGB colour mode, and can display more saturated, vibrant colours.
If you have a one-colour print in mind, spot printing is your best bet for opaque coverage! This option is great for brown Kraft, as CMYK printed white would have trouble showing on the paper.
Although colour gets absorbed into the brown Kraft material, you can use it to your advantage! Take this bag from Mary’s Brigadeiro as an example.
Despite the brown Kraft, the colours in the side gusset still come through. Many of the colours are bright, cool tones, and the lighter, pastel shades add dimension to the design! Want to learn more about Kraft paper bags? Check out our blog post here, where we answer 10 common questions we get about them!
Want to print a colour design on a brown Kraft surface, but still aren’t sure if it would look the way you want? Our knowledgeable design specialists can help make custom mockups and 3D renders of your design so you can visualize the final product better. Contact us today for a free consultation!
