The Skill of Designing Cardboard Packaging

Packaging Die lines

GSM takes a look at how cardboard packaging formes are designed and prototyped. Plus die-making and how stamping is done... Cardboard packaging is everywhere and in a time when we are becoming increasingly aware of the need for sustainability carton board is an unsung hero. Recyclable, renewable and bio-degradable, pretty much everything plastic isn’t. Designing formes and constructing packaging using cardboard is a real skill. Even at it’s most basic, cardboard packaging is very complex. Developing a packaging forme often requires significant time in prototyping to ensure it constructs correctly. Once the forme is proven to work, the operator makes...

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Case Binding – how are hard-backed books made?

case binding

At GSM, we've written a few articles on the various methods of binding. In this article we look specifically at the craft of case binding... Case binding is the method of binding ‘hardback’ books or documents. Unlike ‘softback’ binding methods, such as Perfect / PUR / Burst or saddle stitching, Case binding involves a significant amount of manual work. This extra work reflects the higher cost of this binding method. There are, however, many advantages with Case binding over the softback methods. Hardback documents can often be opened flat—which is not possible with a large Perfect / PUR or Burst...

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Offset Printing – What happens to your Artwork File?

Offset printing

Offset printing is more than a touch of a button. It takes skilled trades people, with years of experience, to transform an artwork file into a finished printed job. GSM takes a tour of Spectrum Print, in Christchurch, to see how it is done... So, what actually happens when you send an artwork file to an offset print house? We sent designer and photographer, Marty Anderson, along to Spectrum Print in Christchurch to find out. Marty shadowed a number of projects going through the printery so we could see the various stages of offset printing. The first thing that can...

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