Paperboard printing offers

100% compliant and high-quality coding solutions for all your paperboard printing requirements    

 

Coding on Paperboard Cartons

 

YOUR CHALLENGES

In order to satisfy the demands of both manufacturers and customers, there are various requirements to be fulfilled for all successful paperboard printing applications.   

  • Coding technology suitable for the porous nature of paperboard or carton or glossy, plastic-coated varieties, plus newer recyclable substrates   
  • Durable codes that withstand transportation and storage
  • High-quality, legible, scannable codes that comply with regulations and traditional GS1 standards   
  • Technology capable of producing 2D codes on the substrate e.g. for traceability and marketing purposes 

Fortunately, we can help to find the ideal primary paperboard printing solution to meet your needs. 


OUR SOLUTIONS

Paperboard comes in multiple formats and compositions for primary packaging depending on the product and application in question. Some of the most common types include paperboard boxes or cartons, folding cartons, kraft boxes, aseptic packaging, paper pouches, paper labels, neck-thru cartons, and over-the-top cartons. Markem-Imaje offers printing technologies that are capable of marking on all paperboard printing applications no matter the shape, size or composition of the packaging.  

Manufacturers require more than just the production, expiration date and SKU numbers for paper packaging printing today.  Barcodes are increasingly complex, must usually be GS1-compliant, and can often be in 2D, for example QR and other dynamic codes, including the GS1 Digital Link.  
These codes contain detailed information about the journey of the product, ensuring advanced traceability of the product throughout the supply chain. This data set is in addition to other long-standing coding needs for all types of printed box for primary packaging data in multiple languages and the need to reproduce logos for brand protection, including in different colors. 

We have extensive experience in producing the optimum technology for paperboard printing, including a full range of compliant solutions for printing directly onto the substrate in different font sizes, colors, and resolutions. All our technologies are designed to ensure your coding operations are as seamless as possible for maximum uptime, reliability, and ease of use.  
We offer the latest innovations suitable for paper packaging printing applications: CoLOS® software, continuous inkjet (CIJ), thermal transfer overprinting (TTO), CO2 laser, large character inkjet (LCIJ), and thermal inkjet (TIJ).  

Please note, if you are looking for secondary case or corrugate printing, please visit our case coding dedicated page.

 
















Simply leave your e-mail address in the box to the right of this page to be contacted by one of our experts who can provide detailed information and can help you find the best solution for your primary paperboard printing needs.

 

What our customers say about our solutions

The topic of packaging is a perennial issue for us. There is a growing demand for better recyclability of packaging. We need strong partners who will work with us to drive innovation, to support us on how we can save more packaging material and use environmentally-friendly materials. 

Christine Breyer, Marketing Manager at Töpfer. 

 

Quick links — Jump to the right section directly!

 

 

CoLOS® Industrial Software

 

Connected Packaging and Packaging Intelligence software

Our Packaging Intelligence solutions combine our proven coding and marking expertise with our experience to deliver complete turnkey solutions for achieving the maximum packaging line efficiency, trouble-free data management, and supply chain traceability all the way to the consumer’s hands. CoLOS® will significantly enhance your productivity and quality control while also addressing the challenges of waste and costs in an ever-changing manufacturing environment, creating a smarter business.  Looking for a partner to develop your product’s digital roadmap? Markem-Imaje end-to-end solutions include leading solutions for supply chain traceability and authentication through our Systech brand and an ultimate consumer engagement experience with Blue Bite.  

 

End-to-End Line Diagram | Software | CoLOS

 

 

Continuous inkjet or CIJ printer offers

 

With more than four decades of experience in Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) innovation, Markem-Imaje has a full range of coders for printing onto glass. Our vast ink portfolio, including competitively priced MEK-free inks and reduced VOC varieties for reduced environmental impact, as well as inks for returnable bottles, makes Markem-Imaje CIJ printers  the most flexible and one of the most reliable on the market today. Designed for maximum uptime, TCO and ease-of-use, our CIJ range simplifies daily activities and makes your coding process seamless. 

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Markem-Imaje 9330

CIJ printer designed for light to medium duty production lines, the 9330 series offers versatility, cost-effectiveness and longevity, covering all your basic coding needs, with the capacity to code for more than 8,000 hours non-stop.  

View Markem-Imaje 9330 E
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Markem-Imaje 9750 +

CIJ printer designed for medium to heavy-duty production lines, the 9750+ features a revolutionary, polyvalent ink circuit for both standard marking or pigmented contrast printing, giving you the highest level of flexibility and inventory streamlining across your installed base.


View Markem-Imaje 9750+

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Markem-Imaje 9750

CIJ printer designed for medium to heavy-duty production lines, the 9750 is primed for digitalization and traceability with its unique 24-pin interface delivering clear, customizable, traceable black or colored codes, including 2D codes (QR and DotCodes), in a modular format which is easy-to-use.  

View Markem-Imaje 9750
CIJ INKS

Markem-Imaje has a complete ink portfolio including a MEK-free ink offering with a full range of colors designed to lower your TCO for paperboard printing and is one of the few manufacturers to lower volatile organic compound emissions (VOCs). Our range includes compliant inks for both direct and indirect food contact. Our range includes compliant inks for both direct and indirect food contact.   

 

 

Laser offers

 

Our SmartLase ® CO2 laser printers provide high-quality, permanent ink-free codes for printing on paperboard featuring patented Intelli’Arc® scribing, paired with on-board Intelli’Cool® for automated cooling. Our lasers deliver crisp, high-contrast, ink-free codes with greater uptime and reliability than other lasers. Markem-Imaje has a range of CO2 lasers primed to mark paper boxes - plus the expertise to help you find the best fit for your application.

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SmartLase ® C350

These Markem-Imaje CO2 laser coders set the standard for best-in-class packaging coding for either intermittent or continuous lines. They are primed to deliver permanent, crisp, clear and traceable codes in medium to high-speed packaging lines.

View SmartLase® C350
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SmartLase ® C600

This is the most advanced CO2 laser coding solution in our line-up with its exceptional performance in high-speed applications on the most demanding packaging line and complex codes—even with increasing code complexity of 1D and 2D codes

View SmartLase® C600

 

 

TTO offers

 

For more than three decades, Markem-Imaje has pioneered innovation in thermal transfer overprinting (TTO) with our comprehensive SmartDate® Series. The optional SmartDate® Detect-Plus system can check and confirm the presence, position, and quality of the code on every produced pack. 

 

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Markem-Imaje SmartDate ® X45

TTO printer designed for easy integration into medium duty equipment, the SmartDate ® X45 prints at up to 600 mm per second, allowing for 220 printed packs per minute at 300 dpi. It features a 10.1” color user interface that simplifies tracking OEE data.

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Markem-Imaje SmartDate ® X65

TTO printer designed for direct integration into heavy duty equipment and demanding applications, the SmartDate ® X65 is ideal for ultrafast, high-resolution paperboard printing. This is a combined overprinter that can offer intermittent or continuous configuration in one system.

View SmartDate® X65

 

 

TIJ offers

 

The Markem-Imaje range of Thermal inkjet (TIJ) printers offer high-quality compliant barcodes printed directly onto 3D products, contact-free. They require little maintenance and excel on intermittent or low to mid-volume production lines.

 

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Markem-Imaje 1050

Our 1050 thermal inkjet (TIJ) printer offers precision print control at exceptional value-for-money producing codes from 12.7 mm to 50.8 mm high, plus the ability to print readable 1D and 2D barcodes. The printer is low-maintenance with snap-in and snap-out cartridges.

View Markem-Imaje 1050

 

 

LCIJ offers

 

Markem-Imaje has decades of experience with our easy-to-integrate, operate, and maintain high-resolution piezo Large Character Inkjet (LCIJ) printers and our non-hazardous, solvent-free Touch Dry® hot melt ink that solidifies on contact and produces darker, high-quality codes. Our LCIJ printers with Touch Dry ink are the ideal solutions for marking and coding, including GS1-compliant 1D and 2D barcodes and logos, all with lower TCO. 

 

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Markem-Imaje 5940 G

Using Touch Dry® ink technology for consistently scannable 1D and 2D compliant barcodes with maximized uptime and great throughput thanks to its larger ink supply, the 5940 G is built to be reliable even in tough industrial environments and features Intelli’Flow® technology to keep printhead jets clear.

View Markem-Imaje 5940 G
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Markem-Imaje 5800

Offering a lower-cost solution and employing the same instantly solid Touch Dry® ink technology for medium throughput applications, the 5800 is equipped with unique printheads that use smaller ink blocks inserted directly into the printhead and allow for the use of up to 4 different colors of ink on the same line. 

View Markem-Imaje 5800

 

 

2D code solutions

 

2D codes have already become an indispensable method of connecting your products to the Internet, facilitating vast amounts of product data and customization possibilities. They are also simultaneously becoming essential to comply with new regulations and standards, especially concerning traceability, including for the GS1 Digital Link, Digital Product Passport, and the US FDA’s FSMA regulations. The advantages of 2D codes for boosting brand loyalty through the supply chain are unrivaled. The possibilities for promoting sustainability efforts, packaging design efficiencies, and retail process optimization are enviable.

With the GS1 set to begin phasing out 1D barcodes in favor of 2D codes like the QR and DataMatrix from 2027, at Markem-Imaje, we have GS1 Digital Link-compliant 2D codes at the heart of our innovations from our coding hardware to software solutions supporting leading brands and retailers around the world to define and implement their connected product roadmap. Connect with us to talk to an expert or read more on our 2D solutions dedicated page!

 

Simply leave your e-mail address in the box to be contacted by one of our experts who can provide detailed information and can help you find the best solution for your requirements for primary paperboard printing.

 

 

Food traceability @ Nutrition & Santé
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL
Nutrition & Santé | The demand for perfection
Nutrition & Santé has stepped up its traceability needs to deliver “zero marking error” products. Markem-Imaje provided the solution with its Mark & Read system to achieve it.
Ambassador of the Italian way of life @ Sanpellegrino
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL
Sanpellegrino | Ambassador of the Italian way of life
For Sanpellegrino, the goal is product excellence and guaranteed consumer safety. See how Markem-Imaje coding solutions help the largest Italian beverage company.
Food traceability @ Sabarot Wassner
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL
Sabarot Wassner | When tradition meets modernity
Save time, reduce the risk of errors, clearly identify products and guarantee technical
reliability: these were the specifications defined by Sabarot for its identification
purposes.

 

 

You may also be interested in discovering more about...

In case you are looking for a solution for your secondary paperboard or corrugated case, kindly click through to the printed corrugated boxes page.

Consumables and supplies

Find our genuine CIJ, DOD, TIJ, and Touch Dry Hot melt inks adapted to each marking need:
Inks and additives.

Find the thermal printing ribbon products:
Ribbons and labels.

Software

Find options to digitalize your packaging operations easily:
CoLOS software solutions.

Solutions

Packaging Intelligence Solution to enhance and achieve traceability: CoLOS traceability solutions.

 Industry hot topics that benefit from using 2D barcodes for connected products: Connected and compliant 2D barcodes.

Optimal solution for Late stage box printing.

Unique in the market solutions that help you throughout the supply chain: End-to-End Supply Chain Solutions.

 Packaging Intelligence Solution to enhance and achieve traceability: traceability solutions.

 CoLOS can increase your pallet labeling process: SSCC Pallet Labeling.

 Real-world case studies demonstrating the benefits that GS1-128 brings: Compliant GS1-128 barcodes.

 


 

Toepfer Babywelt CIJ Coding Markem-Imaje
Andreas Wehl – Head of Packaging Innovation and Cosmetics @ Töpfer

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“In conjunction with our system, we ensure that we can send brand, item number, batch number, and more to our marking systems without errors.
 
#CIJ

Read the case study
IMA Ilapak Film Coding Markem-Imaje
Andrea Boccolini – VFFS Technical Sales Support Manager @ IMA Ilapak

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“Our machines are exported around the globe: IMA IIapak has always found Markem-Imaje to be an excellent partner capable of supporting our clients in every part of the world with widespread support and prompt service in the supply of spare parts”.
 
#TTO #OEM

Read the case study
Bioplants Hot Melt Coding Cardboard Markem-Imaje
Xavier Bossard – Operations, Digital and Logistics Project Manager at Bioplants @ Bioplants

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“The Markem-Imaje solution proposed to Bioplants was interesting because we could choose the criteria we needed: Before that, we were using a labeler, so one consumable item was created every time we labeled a package. Today we use hot melt ink directly projected on the cardboard allows us to add traceability to the packages, which we did not have before.”
 
#TouchDry #HighResolutionInkjet

Read the case study
Mebra Plastik Software CoLOS Markem-Imaje
Nicola Marchesin – IT Manager @ Mebra Plastik
 

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“This (CoLOS) has allowed us to be much more efficient, reducing line equipment times and making it possible to implement new solutions such as automated metrics, fewer ink types, and less waste thanks to more ecological containers and less energy consumption.”
 
#CoLOS #SoftwareSolutions

Read the case study
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