With Packly, you can customise not only the outside of your packaging, but also the inside. Inside-outside printing (sometimes also searched as "front/back printing") lets you print full four-colour process on both the outside and the inside of the pack.
Available materials
Inside-outside printing is available on a wide range of Packly materials, with a different production technique depending on the material chosen: solid paperboard or E-flute.
When using E-flute, the result is far superior to direct printing on standard corrugated board, as it is laminated with white SBS on both sides: the uniform print base enhances the four-colour process with sharper colours and significantly higher contrast.
Moisture-resistant SBS does not support printing on the inside: it is compatible with outside printing only.
How the two sides are produced, depending on the material
Solid paperboard
- Inside-outside printing is produced on the same sheet, on the front and back of the paperboard respectively.
- Pay close attention to the correct orientation of the artwork between the outside and the inside, and to the parts that remain hidden once the box is closed.
- Colour rendering may vary between the two sides, even when using the same CMYK values.
- Keep the die-cut template and the page size unchanged.
- Upload a single PDF, exactly as provided by Packly.
Note on colour rendering: SBS and FBB paperboard have a glossier, coated outside and a more natural, less coated inside surface. This difference results in different colour rendering between the outside and inside printing, even with identical CMYK values.
E-flute
- Inside-out printing is produced on two separate sheets, which are then glued to the two faces of the flute.
- For the inside artwork, favour solid colour backgrounds, patterns or textures: they reduce the perception of any registration shifts between the two sheets.
- Avoid, especially close to cuts and folds, frames, borders, lines or graphic elements that require very precise alignment.
- Keep a safety distance of 10 mm between text, logos and important graphic elements and the cutting and/or creasing lines.
Points to check before uploading your files
- Dieline and page size: leave them unchanged, without moving, resizing or altering the cut lines and crease lines.
- Artwork orientation: check that the artwork on the inside is correctly oriented relative to the outside. Take into account the parts that remain hidden when the box is closed.
- Safety distances: keep text, logos and other important elements at least 10 mm from the cut lines and crease lines, especially on E-flute.
- Register elements (E-flute): avoid frames, borders and lines close to cuts and folds. For backgrounds, prefer solid colours, patterns or textures.
- Colour rendering: for paperboard, the two sides may render differently even with the same CMYK values, due to the different surface of the material. Bear this in mind if the outside and inside need to work together chromatically.
- File to upload: upload a single PDF, structured exactly like the file provided by Packly.
Check with the 3D preview
Before confirming your order, upload your artwork and check it in the 3D preview. Rotate the model, open it and close it. This lets you verify the orientation between the outside and the inside, the position of elements relative to folds and closures, and the parts that remain visible or hidden. It's the fastest way to spot setup errors before printing.
Technical specifications for the artwork file
For the technical specifications on how to set up the artwork file correctly and make it suitable for printing, see the article Printing files: guidelines and suggestions.