Paperboard basics
Paperboard is a natural material with many applications. As a print medium, paperboard can withstand all the strains and stresses involved in the use of advanced finishing techniques. Paperboard is also highly durable, ensuring that printed materials will last for a long time.
Paperboard in graphical and packaging applications
Typical graphical applications are book covers, cards, gift cards, point of sales displays, DVD and other media covers. Paperboard packaging is a competitive method of conveying products from the manufacturer to the consumer while also being easy to recycle. In terms of graphic design, paperboard’s excellent printing properties give brand owners great freedom to express their brand’s individuality and thereby attract the consumer’s attention.
Reliable performance with fresh fibres
Compared to other materials, paperboard made of fresh fibres has a high performance and relatively low weight. It is safe for consumers to use because it contains known substances and is made in the same way every time. All paperboard manufactured by Holmen conforms to the relevant legislation and follows applicable product safety recommendations.
Efficient transport and easy recycling
In most cases paperboard packaging remains folded or flat until the products are packed. Thanks to paperboard’s small volume and low weight, large amounts of energy are saved in the transport chain. Paperboard cartons can be dimensioned to maximise the use of loading pallets, which leads to further significant energy savings in the distribution chain. When paperboard cartons have served their purpose they can be folded and compressed before being transported to a suitable recycling station. At every step of the way, paperboard packaging saves more energy and has lower environmental impact than most other packaging solutions.
Renewable resource
Paperboard is made from timber, which is a renewable resource. Sunlight and water make the trees grow, while they also bind carbon dioxide and give off the oxygen essential to life. The forest’s closed ecological loop gives us the raw material for paperboard, while used cartons and printed matter have their own role to play in the recycling system of a sustainable society.
Choosing the right paperboard
When choosing paperboard, there are various demands to take into account which can be application specific. If you are a cosmetics manufacturer, you may have different demands on the packaging than if you are in frozen and chilled food production or in commercial print, as an example. All applications have their own specific requirements.
Matching the paperboard to your needs
To choose the right paperboard, you need to match the demands of your application with the material’s properties. Three key factors can help guide your selection:
- Promotion – Ensuring strong visual presentation with high print quality, surface finish and brand-expressive design.
- Protection – Providing the strength, stiffness and integrity needed to keep the product safe through handling and transport.
- Production – Securing reliable and efficient converting, with consistent material quality suited for printing and finishing techniques.
Invercote, Incada and Inverform
Invercote, Incada and Inverform are Holmen’s paperboard product families. Invercote is a solid bleached board and Incada is a folding box board. In both cases they have a wide range of applications, from graphical applications like brochures and covers for books and CDs to packaging. Inverform is an effective, versatile and fibre-based solution for ready-made food packaging. Which of our product families is most suitable for any particular application depends on the customer’s requirements in each specific case.
Product safety
It almost goes without saying that a company that makes paperboard for consumer use can only market products that do not pose any danger to consumers.
The use of pure virgin fibres and the meticulous monitoring of the manufacturing process mean that our products meet all product safety and hygiene requirements.
Reliable service and supply
Holmen focuses on long-term quality and dependable delivery. Production and sheeting capacity are designed to meet customer requirements today and anticipate future needs.
Choosing paperboard by application
Wine and spirits
The wine and spirits market is characterised by strong competition among branded products. The product range includes premium spirits, liqueurs and wines. In order to enhance brand image and product identity, high quality outer packaging is used; luxurious and prestigious cartons that create sales appeal.
The carton shapes are mainly functional, since the heavy bottles need to be safely protected. Their surface presentations, though, are all the more creative. When choosing paperboard for wines and spirits the main criteria are strength, together with characteristics which facilitate the most exquisite surface presentation.
Whiteness and smoothness
Luxury and elegance are always present in the design, sparklingly expressed on a glossy surface or discretely in an undertoned manner with sparse decorations on a matt and smooth surface. Use is often made of printed gold, embossed design, lamination or hot foil stamping. A special surface texture may highlight the uniqueness of the product.
Important characteristics of the paperboard are whiteness, smoothness and surface finish. Very high print quality is required, with good contrast between the surface and the print, to achieve excellent presentation of sharp half-tone illustrations or bold, strong colours in large solid areas.
Protection is key
The main purpose of the package is to provide physical protection of the expensive contents from hazards in distribution, storage and handling. Important protective characteristics of paper board for wines and spirits are compression strength, folding endurance and stiffness. Together with good creasing and gluing properties these characteristics ensure a strong carton.
Food stuff
Paperboard packaging is used for a number of food stuff: Dried milk and drinking chocolate, coffee creamer, tea and coffee, snack soup, breakfast cereals as well as pasta, rice, and potato.
Many everyday products are strongly branded and the packaging design must meet many needs. Like protecting the products against changes in moisture, flavour and aroma, providing for an efficient packaging operation, and physical protection in storage, distribution and at the point of sale. Packaging also has to inform, attract and be convenient for the consumer.
Standing out from the crowd
Beverages, mixes and cereals are usually selected from retail displays. The main promotional features of the packaging are brand image, product identity and an overall attractive shelf appeal. Visual impact makes the product stand out from the competition.
A clear and durable graphical presentation is required to display the product distinctly. The graphical design and the functional shape create an image of the product and consumer expectation. It is vital to achieve a clear presentation of printed information about the use and ingredients. To enhance the use, tear-strips for easy opening may be incorporated.
Graphics
Media packaging, for software, photographic products, audio cassettes, CD’s and DVD’s, needs to be light and strong with visual impact. The products are often sensitive to handling and need good protection. And the package can’t add significantly to the weight of the content.
High print quality
Important characteristics of paperboard for media covers are whiteness, smoothness and surface finish, often on both sides. Very high print quality, with good contrast between the surface and the print, is required to achieve excellent presentation of sharp half-tone illustrations or bold, strong colours in large solid areas.
Accurate registration of printed text is also necessary. Embossing, lamination and hot foil stamping require surface strength. The choice of a special surface finish is part of the visual impact - high gloss or a smooth, silky surface. The structural shape of the cover calls for a strong and tough multiply paperboard.
Confectionery
Chocolate bars, boiled sweets, jellies, toffees, and chewing gums. And of course pastilles, countlines and Easter eggs. Confectionery covers a very broad variety of products, such as novelty products, moulded bars and sugar confectionery. These products are sold singly or in multipacks from printed display cartons or special retail counter displays.
Different roles of packaging
The role of the packaging differs widely for different types of products, depending on how and by whom they are bought. Novelty products, often bought as presents, require more complex packages than sweets, such as pastilles and candies that are bought for regular consumption; products positioned for children need a more playful appeal than those aimed for adults.
For chocolate assortments the brand identity and the package's display of its contents are vital for the customer's choice at the point of sale. Elegance and luxury are always present in the package design. The surface presentation may be emphasised with gloss or silky smoothness. Use is often made of embossed designs and hot foil stamping, and also reverse side printing. A complex creative shape may highlight the uniqueness of the product.
Eye-catching graphics
Overall confectionery packaging needs to be hygienic, attractive, and preserve aroma and flavour. Characteristics relating to physical protection need to be in accordance with the contents. Since they are mainly purchased from self-service displays, the identity and the appearance of the package at the point of sale are crucial for the customer's choice. The eye-catching graphical design is usually topical, informative and creative, characterised by playfulness or life-style depending on the target group.
Beauty & cosmetics
Perfumes are sophisticated and artistic in concept, and their packaging reflects these features. The primary container is often an exclusively designed glass bottle. This combination of fragrance and fragility demands secondary packaging which keeps its expensive contents in perfect condition - and expresses the beauty of its essences.
When choosing paperboard for perfume cartons, the main criteria are strength, together with characteristics which facilitate the design of luxurious and beautiful packages.
Elegance and luxury
The visual impact is achieved by the shape of the package and its surface decoration. Elegance and luxury are always present in the design, sparklingly expressed on a glossy surface or discretely in an undertoned manner with sparse decorations on a matt and smooth surface. Use can also be made of an embossed design, lamination or hot foil stamping.
Cosmetic products are sometimes very exclusive. They require cartons which keep their expensive contents in perfect condition and communicate glamour, beauty and personal care. The main criteria when choosing the paperboard for cosmetics and hair colourants are strength, together with characteristics which allow for the design of elegant packages with attractive shapes and beautiful surface decoration.
Toiletries
For toiletries a clean and fresh appeal and an image of personal care is needed. Expensive soaps, exclusive lotions, shampoos, balms and bath oils, often come in elegant gift packages. Since brand image and shelf appeal are highly important, toiletries require attractive packages which distinguish them from competitive brands. Strength, together with characteristics that allow for the design of attractive packages with a hygienic appeal are the main criteria when choosing paperboard for toiletry cartons.
Strength and endurance
The paperboard should allow for a multitude of designs. At the same time a strong paperboard is critically important. It is also important that the carton is in excellent condition at the point of sale, and that some form of tamper evidence is incorporated in the package design, to ensure the integrity of the product.
Healthcare
This area covers everything from proprietary pharma, over-the-counter products like vitamins, first aid products and health foods. But all of them must convey a sense of reliability, confidence and well-being, qualities which also have to be expressed by the packages containing them.
Overall protection
The products are often packed in primary containers, with a paperboard carton providing the overall protection. The basic purpose of the package is to ensure that the product reaches the consumer in perfect condition and, where appropriate, to incorporate safety features. The carton may also play an important promotional role. Durability, strength and overall a hygienic and attractive appeal, are the main criteria when choosing paperboard for proprietary pharmaceuticals and health care products.
Shape and integrity
A hygienic and attractive appeal is achieved through the package shape and its surface graphics. To keep the product secure from physical hazards in distribution, storage and handling a strong paperboard is required. The integrity of the product can be ensured by incorporating a tamper evident feature in the package design. Important protective characteristics of the paperboard are folding endurance and compression strength. Good creasing and gluing properties ensure a strong carton.
International standards
Product safety, where the product is packed in contact with, or in close proximity to, the paperboard is achieved by the use of pure virgin fibres and validated by meeting internationally accepted standards of safety, e. g. BGVV approval and good manufacturing practice standards like ISO 9000 and RAL-pharm.
General merchandise
General merchandise incorporates a variety of products such as clothing and textiles, games and toys, glassware and gifts, electrical and gardening products, many of which are displayed in attractive cartons, often incorporating a window. The packaging communicates product benefits and highlights the most appropriate characteristics of the product, whether this is for luxury, leisure or everyday usefulness.
These packages are designed to meet the branding strategy of the different manufacturers for effective presentation of their products at the point of sale. The packaging has to communicate the benefits of the product, to display the product and, indirectly, the measures taken to protect the product.
From storage to consumer
The choice of paperboard is determined by the appearance and performance needs of each product and its packaging in printing, distribution and storage, at the point of sale, and in consumer use. The products are purchased over the counter, from shelf displays or by mail order vending. The main promotional aspect in general is shelf appeal, achieved by the visual impact of shape and surface decoration.
Ensuring an extended lifespan
Important protective characteristics of the paperboard are compression strength and folding endurance which, together with good creasing and gluing properties, ensure a strong carton. Many cartons are disposed of immediately when first opened, others are utilised for storage at home. In those circumstances the packages must withstand frequent opening and closing without deteriorating in shape or function.