Custom packaging glossary

A custom packaging glossary translates the words on a quote, dieline and proof into what they mean for your box or bag. Below are 100 terms buyers actually meet when ordering, from board grades like SBS, grayboard and E-flute to print methods, finishes, pouch films, label parts and ordering terms like MOQ and lead time. Each definition is short and plain, and where Tria makes the thing, it links to the product or material page.

A

Adhesive

The glue layer that holds a pressure-sensitive label to its container. Permanent adhesive is the default on our product labels; a wet-strength adhesive is the upgrade for bottles that sweat in a fridge or sit in ice, and removable adhesive is available on sticker sheets.

Aqueous coating

A water-based coating laid over the print to seal the ink and resist scuffs without a plastic film. Matte aqueous coating keeps the board recyclable as paper, and it is the sensible default for mailers and cartons that ship on their own.

Auto lock bottom

A carton base made of interlocking flaps that lock into each other when the carton is opened and folded, so it carries far more weight than a tuck flap. On our auto lock bottom carton it folds by hand in one motion with no glue, and the auto lock vs crash lock guide compares the two bases.

B

B-flute

A corrugated flute about 1/8 inch thick, with roughly 47 flutes per foot. It resists crushing well and takes one or two color print, which makes it the usual board for a corrugated shipping box and for heavier mailers.

BCT

Box compression test: a lab test that squeezes a whole empty box top to bottom until it buckles, reported in pounds of force. ECT rates the board, BCT rates the finished box, and our box compression calculator estimates it from the ECT and the box size.

Bleed

Artwork extended past the cut line, usually 1/8 inch, so color still runs to the edge when the cut drifts slightly. Any background, photo or color block that touches an edge of the package has to reach the bleed line.

Blind deboss

A mark pressed into the board or wrap with a metal die and no ink or foil, so it sits below the surface and is felt before it is seen. Blind deboss reads best on matte, soft-touch or linen, and type under about 8 point fills in.

Burst test

The older corrugated strength test, also called the Mullen test, which pushes through the face of the board and is written as a rating like 200# or 275#. Carrier rules accept a burst or an ECT rating; ECT says more about how a box survives a stack.

C

C-flute

A corrugated flute about 5/32 inch thick, with roughly 39 flutes per foot. It gives more cushion and stacking strength than B-flute and is the board for plain shipping cartons that get stacked.

Caliper

The thickness of a board, film or label stock. Paperboard caliper is given in points, so 18pt board measures 0.018 inch; our paper thickness chart lines up points, inches and millimeters.

CCNB

Clay coated news back: a recycled paperboard with a white coated face and a gray back, common on cereal and dry grocery cartons. It costs less than SBS but shows gray inside and on cut edges. Our folding cartons run on SBS or kraft board, not CCNB.

Child resistant

Packaging that has passed a test showing young children cannot open it in a set time while adults can, under the protocol in 16 CFR 1700.20. Our child resistant mylar bag and the cap on our pre-roll tube are tested to it, with documentation available on request.

CMYK

The four process inks, cyan, magenta, yellow and black, printed as fine dots that blend into full color. Digital and offset presses both print CMYK; it handles photography well but only gets close to some Pantone colors.

Collapsible rigid box

A wrapped rigid box with pre-glued panels that fold flat for shipping and storage, then snap up by hand into a magnetic closure box. Our collapsible rigid box is 1200 gsm board and takes about a tenth of the storage space flat.

Corrugated board

Board made of a wavy paper medium glued between two flat liners, which gives it strength and cushion for its weight. The flute size sets the thickness; the flutes and ECT guide compares E, B, C and double wall.

Crash lock bottom

A carton base that is pre-glued during production, so the flat carton springs into shape the moment you squeeze its sides, with no flaps to fold. It is the fastest base to set up by hand; see our crash lock bottom carton.

D

Deboss

A mark pressed down into the surface with a die, often filled with foil or ink. Without fill it is called a blind deboss; with foil it combines shine and depth in one hit.

Degassing valve

A one-way valve heat sealed into a bag that lets carbon dioxide escape from fresh roasted coffee without letting oxygen back in. It is standard on our coffee bag with valve.

Die

The tool that cuts and creases the package, usually a steel rule die: sharpened steel rules bent to the dieline and set in a board. Standard styles often run on existing dies, while a new shape needs a new one.

Die-cut

Cut to a custom outline by a die rather than trimmed square. A die-cut insert holds a product in place, and a die-cut mylar bag takes the silhouette of whatever shape you draw.

Dieline

The flat, full-size drawing of a package before it is folded, showing cut lines, creases, glue flap, bleed and safe area. Your artwork sits on it, and we send one free with every quote; the dieline guide shows how to check yours, and our free dieline library has standard styles.

Digital printing

Printing straight from the file onto the board, film or label with no plates, so a short run costs little to set up and every version can differ. It prints CMYK only, close to but not exactly on Pantone; the digital vs offset guide shows where the crossover sits.

Double wall

Corrugated board with two flute layers and three liners, most often a B and a C flute glued together, about 1/4 inch thick. It is for heavy, bulky or fragile loads and anything that travels on a pallet.

Drawer box

A rigid box made of a sleeve and a tray that slides out of it, usually on a ribbon pull. Our drawer box is 1200 gsm board, used for jewelry, watches and small fragrance.

Dust flap

The small side flaps on a tuck end carton that fold in under the tuck flap and keep the product from sliding out at the corners. They run about a third of the carton depth, or they collide.

E

E-flute

A thin corrugated flute about 1/16 inch thick, with roughly 90 flutes per foot. It folds tight and prints almost like a carton, which is why it is the board on our mailer boxes and on the E-flute corrugated material page.

ECT

Edge crush test: how much load a strip of corrugated board stood on edge carries before it buckles, rated in pounds per inch. A 32 ECT single wall box is the everyday grade, and 44 ECT is the heavier single wall.

Emboss

A design raised up from the surface by pressing the board between a male and female die. It works best on coated board or paper wraps and is often paired with foil; the foil, spot UV and embossing guide compares the options.

F

Face stock

The printed top layer of a label, sitting on the adhesive and liner. Our roll labels use matte art paper as the face stock, and white or clear vinyl is available on our sticker and label sheets; we do not offer BOPP, polyester or metallized film label stocks.

Flexo

Flexographic printing: flexible rubber or polymer plates carry fast-drying ink onto the surface, one plate per color. It is the usual way corrugated mailers and shippers print one or two colors, and it runs economically at long lengths.

Foil laminate

A flexible film with a continuous layer of aluminum foil bonded between an outer film and a sealant layer, close to impermeable to oxygen, moisture, light and odor. Our foil laminate is the film for roasted coffee, supplements and true smell proof bags; it is fully opaque, so no window.

Foil stamping

A heated die presses a thin metallic film onto the surface, leaving a mark that catches light the way ink cannot. We offer gold foil and the quieter champagne foil, at their best on one small mark.

Folding carton

A box cut and creased from a single sheet of paperboard such as 18pt or 24pt SBS, glued along one seam and shipped flat. It covers tuck ends, auto lock and crash lock bases, sleeves and seal ends; see our folding cartons.

G

Glue flap

The narrow flap along one edge of a carton or mailer dieline that is glued to the opposite panel to form the body. It should stay unprinted, because ink stops the glue from bonding.

Gravure

A printing method that engraves the image into metal cylinders, one per color, and is used for long runs of flexible film. We can quote gravure on film up to 10 colors; most short pouch runs print digitally instead, because the cylinders only pay off at volume.

Grayboard

Dense recycled board, also called chipboard, used as the rigid structure under the printed wrap of a rigid box. It is specified by weight: 1200 gsm grayboard is our standard, with 1000 and 1500 gsm on some rigid styles.

gsm

Grams per square meter, the weight of one square meter of paper or board. It describes weight, not thickness, so two boards with the same gsm can caliper differently; 18pt SBS lands close to 300 gsm.

Gusset

A fold of film or paper that expands to give a bag depth. A bottom gusset lets a stand up pouch stand, side gussets make a flat bottom pouch or a gusseted paper bag open into a box shape.

H

Hard proof

A printed proof on paper or the actual stock, made to check color and finish before the run. Every Tria order gets a complimentary digital proof, and printed proofs are available on request; see proofs and dielines.

Heat seal

A seal made by pressing the sealant layer of a film between heated jaws until it melts and fuses. It is how pouch edges are closed, and how you close the open top after filling.

I

Insert

Anything inside the box that holds, separates or presents the product, from die-cut paperboard to foam and molded pulp. Our inserts range covers each, and the paperboard vs foam insert guide helps you choose.

K

Kiss cut

A cut through the label face stock and adhesive but not the liner, so the label peels off a sheet or roll. A die cut, by contrast, goes through every layer and leaves a free-standing sticker.

Knife line

Another name for the cut line on a dieline: the solid line where the die will cut through the board. Artwork that touches the edge has to run past it into the bleed.

Kraft board

Paperboard made from unbleached brown fiber, so it keeps a natural, recycled look. Our kraft folding cartons run on 18pt kraft board; ink sinks into the fiber, so bright colors print duller than on white.

Kraft PE laminate

Natural kraft paper laminated to a polyethylene seal layer, used for pouches that should look like paper. Kraft PE laminate holds moisture out reasonably well but passes more oxygen than foil, so it suits short-shelf-life goods.

L

Laminate

In flexible packaging, a film built from two or more layers bonded together: a printed outer layer, sometimes a barrier, and a sealant inside. The pouch material guide explains which laminate fits which product.

Lamination

On cartons, mailers and rigid wraps, a thin clear plastic film bonded over the print. Gloss lamination makes color pop and wipes clean, and soft-touch lamination gives a velvet matte feel.

Lead time

The time from proof approval to finished packaging ready to ship. At Tria each product page states its own: labels run 5 to 7 business days, most products 10 to 14, and rigid boxes 10 to 18; transit is on top, and the lead time guide walks through the full schedule.

Linen wrap

Textured paper embossed with a fine linen weave and glued over rigid board, so the box reads as fabric in the hand. Linen wrap takes foil and blind deboss well but fights full-bleed photography.

Liner (corrugated)

The flat paper facings glued to each side of the corrugated flute. A white top liner, as on our white mailer box, gives bright print; a kraft liner keeps the natural brown look.

Liner (label)

The release-coated backing paper that carries labels until they are peeled and applied. It is what feeds through a labeling machine, so roll labels need the right core size and wind direction for it.

Litho-laminate

Litho-lam for short: a sheet printed offset on paper, then laminated onto corrugated board, which gives a mailer or display carton-quality print on a corrugated body. It is one way to get offset color on corrugated; whether a given run prints this way or direct is confirmed on the quote.

M

Magnetic closure

A rigid box with a magnet hidden under the wrap of the lid flap, so it closes with a soft click and opens flat. Our magnetic closure box is 1000 to 1500 gsm board; the magnetic closure guide covers when it is worth it.

Mailer box

A one-piece corrugated box with a tuck-in lid and locking side tabs, usually in E-flute, that ships flat and folds without tape. It is the box the customer opens; see our mailer boxes and the mailer vs shipping box guide.

Matte barrier laminate

A matte PET and PE pouch film with a moderate barrier, soft to look at and able to take a clear window. Matte barrier laminate suits tea, bath salts, pet treats and dry snacks.

Metallized PET

PET film carrying a coating of aluminum many times thinner than foil, deposited in a vacuum. It blocks most light and gives a strong barrier at lower weight than foil, but it lets more oxygen and moisture through and only reduces odor.

Mil

A thousandth of an inch, the usual unit for film thickness on bags and pouches. Our die-cut mylar bags run on 3.5 mil laminate, for example.

MOQ

Minimum order quantity, the smallest run a supplier will produce. At Tria it is 200 units on most styles, specialty products start higher, and each product page states its own; the minimum order guide explains why.

MVTR

Moisture vapor transmission rate: how much water vapor passes through a film over a set area and time under set test conditions. Lower is better; foil laminates sit near zero, and clear films let far more through.

Mylar

A trade name for PET film that has become shorthand for any metallized or foil barrier bag. When a supplier says mylar bag, ask whether the barrier is foil or metallized, because they protect very differently; see our custom mylar bags.

O

Offset printing

Also called litho: artwork is split into plates, one per color, and ink transfers from plate to rubber blanket to sheet. It costs more to set up than digital and less per sheet after, prints true Pantone and metallic inks, and is how most of our cartons and rigid wraps print.

OTR

Oxygen transmission rate: how much oxygen passes through a film over a set area and time under set test conditions. Products that go stale or rancid, like roasted coffee and nuts, need a low OTR, which means foil or metallized film rather than clear.

P

Pantone

The Pantone Matching System, a numbered library of spot ink colors used to specify brand colors exactly. Offset can print a true Pantone ink; digital matches it from CMYK, which gets close but not exact on bright oranges, some blues and metallics.

PE

Polyethylene, the plastic used as the inner sealant layer of most pouch laminates. It is the food-contact surface and the layer that melts to make the heat seals.

Perforation

A line of small cuts that lets the board or film tear cleanly along a set path, used for tear strips, pull tabs and tear-open dispensers. It shows on a dieline as a dotted line, and artwork should not put a logo across it.

PET

Polyethylene terephthalate, a clear, stiff polyester film used as the printed outer layer of pouch laminates and as the clear window on cartons such as our window carton. It resists scuffs and punctures and holds print well.

Points

The thickness unit for paperboard, where one point equals one thousandth of an inch, so 18pt board is 0.018 inch thick. It is written pt; see SBS: 18pt vs 24pt for what the extra points buy.

Polypropylene

PP for short, a plastic common in BOPP label films and in plastic tubes and containers. We do not offer BOPP labels or PP tubes; our closest options are paper tubes and laminated paper or vinyl labels.

Pressure-sensitive label

A label that bonds when pressed on, with no heat or water, made of a face stock, adhesive and liner. Our labels are pressure-sensitive and ship 5 to 7 business days after proof.

Proof

The preview of your artwork on the dieline that you approve before production, and the reference the finished run is checked against. Every Tria order includes a complimentary digital proof, usually within one business day of the artwork; see proofs and dielines.

Prototype

A physical sample of the actual structure, built to check fit, function and feel before the full run. At Tria physical prototypes are available on request, with timing confirmed in the quote.

R

Registration

How precisely each color, foil, emboss or cut lines up with the others. Tight artwork, like a foil logo sitting inside a printed outline, needs a little tolerance built in, because every pass can shift slightly.

Reorder

A repeat run of approved artwork on an approved dieline. At Tria reorders carry the same 200 unit minimum as the first run; the saving is time, since nothing needs to be redrawn or reproofed unless you change it.

Reverse tuck end

A folding carton where the top flap tucks toward the back and the bottom flap toward the front, which suits fast filling and opens from either end. See our reverse tuck end carton and the tuck end guide.

Rigid box

A box made of thick grayboard wrapped in printed or textured paper that arrives assembled and does not fold flat. It is the keepsake box for gifting, fragrance and jewelry; see our rigid boxes and the rigid box construction guide.

Rollstock

Printed flexible packaging film supplied on a roll instead of as finished bags, made to run on your own form-fill-seal line. Our rollstock film is a multi-layer barrier laminate quoted by the roll.

RSC

Regular slotted container, the standard corrugated shipping box with four flaps top and bottom that meet in the middle and are taped shut. It is what our corrugated shipping box is, in B-flute or C-flute.

Run

One production order of a single design, also called a print run. Run length drives the unit cost more than almost anything else, because setup is spread over every piece.

S

Safe area

The zone inside the cut line, usually 1/8 inch in, that text and logos should stay within. Anything past it risks being trimmed or wrapping round a fold.

SBS

Solid bleached sulfate, a white virgin-fiber paperboard with a clay-coated face that prints sharp and takes lamination, foil and spot UV cleanly. 18pt SBS is our default carton board and 24pt SBS the heavier option.

Score

A crease pressed into the board so it folds cleanly along a set line. It shows as a dashed line on a dieline, and fine text across a score can crack or distort on the fold.

Seal end

A folding carton closed with glue flaps at both ends instead of tucks, so it cannot be opened without tearing once sealed. It is the cereal box style; see our seal end carton.

Shoulder box

A three-part rigid box with a base, a lid and a raised inner neck the lid sits down onto, leaving a band of the neck visible when closed. Our shoulder box is 1500 gsm board.

Shrink sleeve

A printed tube of heat-shrink film that slides over a container and shrinks tight to its shape in a heat tunnel. Our shrink sleeves run on PVC-free film from 500 units; the shrink sleeve vs label guide covers when one is worth it.

Sleeve and tray

A two-piece package: a tray that holds the product and a printed sleeve that slides over it. Our sleeve and tray carton on 24pt SBS feels close to a rigid box but ships flat.

Soft-touch lamination

A velvet-matte film bonded over the print that feels warm and slightly grippy and deepens dark colors. Soft-touch lamination marks more easily than other finishes, so it suits boxes that are handled gently or ship inside an outer.

Spot color

A single premixed ink printed as a solid, usually a Pantone, rather than built from CMYK dots. It gives a flat, exact brand color and is printed offset or flexo, not on a digital press.

Spot UV

A clear gloss varnish applied only to chosen areas and cured with ultraviolet light, so a logo or pattern shines against a matte base. Spot UV needs a matte or soft-touch surface under it and does not work on uncoated kraft.

Stand up pouch

A flexible bag with a gusseted bottom that stands on a shelf, usually with a zipper and a tear notch. Our stand up pouch prints digitally from 200 units; the stand up vs flat bottom guide compares the two shapes.

Straight tuck end

A folding carton where both end flaps tuck in the same direction, so the front panel stays clean and the carton opens from the top. It is our standard cosmetics carton; see the straight tuck end carton.

T

Tear notch

A small cut in the seal of a pouch that starts a clean tear across the top, so the bag opens without scissors. It sits above the zipper on our pouches.

Three side seal

A flat pouch sealed on three edges and filled through the fourth, with no gusset and no standing base. Our three side seal pouch runs from sachet size to an 8 by 10 inch flat pack.

Trim

The final cut that brings a sheet or label to its finished size, and the line where it happens. Trim size is the finished size, before folding.

Tuck end

A carton closure where a flap with a curved tongue tucks into the body to close it. Straight and reverse tuck end are the two common layouts, and the tuck end guide compares them.

Two piece box

A rigid box with a lift-off lid over a separate base, the oldest form of gift box and still the strongest. Our two piece box is 1200 or 1500 gsm board, with a full-depth or shallow lid.

V

Vector artwork

Artwork drawn as paths rather than pixels, in AI, EPS, SVG or PDF, so it scales without blurring. Logos, type, foil and spot UV layers should be vector; photographs can be raster at 300 dpi at final size.

W

Window patch

A clear film glued behind a die-cut opening in a carton so the product shows and the carton stays closed. Our window carton uses clear PET, with the window cut to any shape you draw.

Wrap

The printed or textured paper glued over the grayboard of a rigid box. Matte art paper is our standard printed wrap, with kraft wrap and linen as alternatives.

Wraparound label

A label that runs all the way around a bottle or jar, with the print aligned at the overlap. Our bottle labels come as a front panel or a full wraparound.

Z

Zipper

A press-to-close track heat sealed inside a pouch so it can be reopened and reclosed. Our pouches use a standard press zipper, and our child resistant bags a certified child resistant zipper; a reclosed zipper is not airtight the way the original seal is.

Questions people ask