Foil or digital printing: Which one’s best for off the shelf packaging?

When it comes to branded packaging, there are a variety of printing options to choose from, including foil, digital, and litho. Foil and digital printing are both available at Tiny Box Company for a variety of products, here we take a look at both options and what products they best suit: 

Why choose foil printing?

Foil printing offers the widest choice from the product options available on the Tiny Box Company website, including boxes, bags, and ribbons. Foiling gives the focal point of your packaging a brilliant finished look, with our hot foil print available with a gloss, metallic foil, satin, or matte finish.

There are many benefits to using foil printing on your packaging, as it adds a sense of luxury and prestige to your products. It’s for this reason it’s commonly used in high-end products like cosmetics, chocolates, and spirits.

Foil printing is also resistant to smudging and wear, which is crucial for packaging that will be handled frequently. Its unique appearance can also help a brand stand out from competitors, especially when in a crowded retail space.

Why choose digital printing?

Digital printing is a great alternative to foil printing if you only need a one-off sample for your business. It allows the flexibility of full colour print and is ideal if you’re looking to print full colour logos, photos, or designs.

Digital printing can offer faster production times and as it supports full colour prints and complex designs, it can allow for greater creativity and personalisation. However it can be more expensive, with foiling one of the cheaper options we offer here at Tiny Box Company.

We also have a new bag printing machine we’re launching - it’s big, it’s called Bertha, and it can print 3,000 bags an hour in full colour. It uses water-based inks, meaning it’s eco-friendly as it doesn’t contain any toxic chemicals.

Tiny Box Company in-house printing - what are the key differences between foil and digital printing?

As shown in the table, there are several key differences to be aware of when choosing your printing from Tiny Box Company. Foil printing offers a metallic finish, but is limited to one colour. Digital printing however allows full colour and photo printing, but can be more expensive:

The minimum order for foil printing is 100 units, and the set up fee for your print plate will be between £30 and £80, plus VAT. While digital printing allows for small runs, prices are better when 26 units or more are ordered. Digital printing also has a matt finish as standard, or we can do gloss at an extra charge. 

What Tiny Box Company products can be branded in-house?

At Tiny Box Company we have an array of gift boxes and gift bags suitable for any occasion, alongside postal boxes and ribbon too, much of which can be branded. Simply check the branding filter on our category pages to see your options, and if you’re not sure where to start, we offer free consultations with our skilled team to discuss what you need!