Print Ready Materials Technical Support & FAQ

  • Flexible packaging is packaging made from materials like film, foil, paper, or laminations that can bend or flex. It is commonly used for pouches, stick packs, sachets, flow wraps, lidding, and roll stock. Flexible packaging is popular because it can offer good barrier, lower material use, efficient shipping, and strong shelf appeal.

  • Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form or schedule a call—we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.

  • Roll stock is flexible packaging material supplied in a roll rather than as a preformed pouch or bag. The customer runs that material on their packaging equipment to form, fill, and seal the final package. Roll stock is common in stick pack, sachet, flow wrap, pouch, and other horizontal or vertical form fill seal applications.

  • Roll stock is run on a machine that forms the package during production. Preformed pouches are already made into a pouch shape before they arrive at the filling line. Roll stock is often a better fit for high-speed production and certain package formats. Preformed pouches can be useful when a brand wants a specific pouch style or does not have equipment to form the package on site.

  • Common materials include PET, BOPP, PE, CPP, nylon, foil, metallized films, and paper. These materials are often combined into a laminate so the package can deliver the right mix of printability, barrier, stiffness, puncture resistance, seal performance, and machinability.

  • The right structure depends on the product, required shelf life, fill process, package format, sealing conditions, and how the package will move through shipping and storage. A powder product may need a very different sealant and barrier package than a dry snack or a liquid. The best place to start is with the application, not just the material name.

  • The most helpful information includes the product type, package format, target shelf life, filling method, machine type, package size, width, whether there is contamination in the seal area, barrier needs, and any issues you are having today. The more we understand about the product and line, the better the recommendation will be.

Corona Treatment FAQ

  • Corona treatment is a surface modification process that uses a high-frequency electrical discharge to increase the surface energy, or dyne level, of plastic films.

    Why it is Important for Digital Printing Polymer films like BOPP, PE, and PET naturally have non-porous, smooth surfaces with low surface energy. If you try to print directly onto an untreated film, the ink will bead up and easily scratch off or fail to adhere properly.

    When a film passes through a corona treater, the electrical discharge microscopically oxidizes the surface. This raises the dyne level and transforms the film into a highly receptive canvas. This allows digital inks, coatings, and adhesives to "wet out" evenly and bond securely to the substrate.

    Key Benefits of Proper Treatment:

    • Stronger Ink Adhesion: Ensures digital inks lock onto the film without flaking, picking, or scratching during production.

    • Higher Print Quality: Prevents ink from beading or mottling, resulting in sharper and more vibrant graphics.

    • Better Downstream Processing: Improves the bond strength for any laminations, varnishes, or coatings applied after the printing stage.

    Not sure how much power you need to reach your target dyne? Use our free Corona Treatment Power Calculator here.

  • Corona treatment is not permanent. The dyne level of a film will naturally decay over time. How fast it drops depends on the material, the storage conditions, and the amount of slip additives in the resin. Slip additives naturally migrate to the surface of the film over time and can cover up the treated surface. This is why we always recommend a "bump treat" on your digital press immediately before printing. It restores the surface energy to its peak level right when you need it.

  • The most common and practical way to measure surface energy on the shop floor is by using dyne pens or dyne solutions. You apply a swipe of the liquid across the film. If the liquid stays in a solid line for at least two seconds without beading up or breaking apart, your film is at or above that dyne level. If it shrinks or beads up immediately, the dyne level of the film is lower than the pen you used. We recommend keeping a fresh set of dyne pens near the press for quick quality checks.

  • Yes, more power is not always better. Over-treating a film can cause several issues. It can create "backside treatment" where the energy wraps around and treats the side of the web you do not want treated, which can cause the film to stick to itself in a roll (blocking). Excessive heat from over-treating can also distort heat-sensitive films, warp the web, or degrade the film's structural integrity, making it brittle. Always use the minimum power necessary to reach your target dyne.

  • Different polymer structures respond differently to corona discharge. Polypropylene (BOPP) has a highly non-polar, dense molecular structure and often contains slip additives, making it very resistant to surface modification. Polyester (PET) naturally has a slightly higher surface energy and is more receptive to the oxidation process. Our power calculator accounts for these material differences automatically.

  • Yes, our films are treated at the time of manufacture so they arrive with a strong baseline dyne level. However, because of the natural dyne decay that happens during transit and storage, running the film through an inline corona treater on your digital press is the best practice to ensure flawless ink adhesion and high-quality graphics.

Pre-Lams & Raw Materials

  • A prelam is a film structure that has already been laminated before it gets to the converter. Instead of the converter having to build the full laminate from separate webs, they receive a film that already includes the base structure they need. In this case, the converter prints on the prelam and then thermal laminates a top web over the print to protect it and complete the package structure.

  • Printing on a prelam can simplify the process for converters that want to get into flexible packaging without having to manage every part of adhesive lamination on their own. The base laminate is already built, which reduces process complexity and shortens the path to running finished structures. The converter can focus on print quality and then apply a thermal top web to protect the print and finish the package. Using a prelam in combination with thermal lamination also eliminates cure time and increases the speed to market considerably.

  • In a traditional print-and-laminate process, the converter prints a surface web and then laminates it to another web using adhesive lamination. With this approach, the converter prints on a prelam and then thermal laminates a top web over the print. That can simplify the workflow because the converter is not building the full laminate structure from separate materials after printing. It can also reduce the learning curve for converters getting started in digital flexible packaging.

  • The thermal laminated top web helps protect the printed surface and becomes part of the final package structure. It can improve durability, help protect the print from scuffing or damage, and allow the converter to create a finished structure without having to run a full adhesive lamination process after printing. For many digital converters, this can be a simpler and more controlled way to move into flexible packaging.

  • The biggest advantages are simplicity, speed, and a lower learning curve. The base laminate is already built, so the converter does not have to manage that part of the process. After printing, a thermal top web can be applied to protect the print and complete the structure. This can make it easier for a converter to get started in flexible packaging, reduce process steps, and avoid some of the complexity that comes with building laminates from scratch.

  • It can. Because the base laminate is already built, the converter can avoid some of the setup and process variation that comes with building the entire laminate in-house. Thermal lamination of the top web can also simplify the finishing step after print. For converters getting started in flexible packaging, a simpler workflow can often mean less trial and error, less wasted material, and a faster path to a repeatable process.

  • Yes, in many cases it is. Converters that are new to flexible packaging often want a way to enter the market without taking on the full complexity of adhesive lamination, cure windows, and process development all at once. Printing on a prelam and then thermal laminating a top web can be a more approachable starting point while still producing a structure that is built for flexible packaging.

  • The main things to watch are print adhesion, surface treatment, proper handling of the web, and making sure the thermal top web is matched correctly to the application. Like any flexible packaging structure, success depends on using the right materials and running them under controlled conditions. Good print quality, proper treatment levels, and a well-matched top web all matter.

    For help with corona treatment use our Corona Treatment Calculator

  • The top web is the protective layer over the print in this process. Once it is thermally laminated over the printed prelam, it helps protect the graphics and becomes part of the final structure. The exact performance still depends on the materials selected and the needs of the application, but the purpose of the top web is to protect the print and help complete the package.

  • Not always. The best structure depends on the product, barrier needs, package format, line conditions, and end-use requirements. This approach can be a strong fit for converters looking for a simpler entry into digital flexible packaging, but the right answer always depends on the application. The goal is to use the right structure and process for the job, not force the same approach on every package.