Key Imposition Techniques for Packaging Box Printing

Imposition plays a crucial role in packaging production. A well-planned layout improves material efficiency, ensures accurate finishing, and maintains design consistency throughout the printing process.Below is a practical guide summarizing imposition techniques widely used in professional printing in China.

1. Single-Page Printed Materials

For single-page layouts:

• Leave 6 mm bleed at the center joining area (3 mm on each side)

• This typically requires two trimming passes

If the artwork contains no full-bleed images or patterns, you may use the standard layout and trim only once along the center. This approach is more efficient and reduces production time.

2. Folder Covers with Flaps

Folder covers with flaps can be imposed using two main methods:

Method A — Cover and Flap Together

• Higher material usage

• Better visual alignment and color consistency

Method B — Cover and Flap Separately

• Saves paper

• Requires one additional gluing step during finishing

Choose the method based on your design priority: appearance or material efficiency.

3. Packaging Box Imposition

Large Boxes

Boxes larger than 8K size are usually printed directly on large-format sheets, without the need for special imposition.

Small and Medium Boxes

For smaller boxes:

• Position dielines as compactly as possible

• Maintain at least 3 mm spacing between cutting and scoring lines

• Tight spacing may cause issues when creating die-cut plates or reduce product accuracy

After the layout is approved, it is best to provide a full-size dieline film to ensure precise die-cutting during production.

4. Business Card Imposition

Many digital shops impose only eight cards per sheet, which leads to unnecessary waste.In practice, one sheet can fit ten business cards without affecting cutting accuracy.

• Small quantities can be trimmed manually

• Large quantities should be cut with a machine

• Extra space from other jobs (such as folders) can also be used to impose business cards

  
  

5. Hang Tags, Labels & Stickers

These items involve various finishing methods, but accurate size calculation makes imposition simple. Common types include:

1. Single-cut (no bleed)

2. Double-cut (with bleed)

3. Die-cut / Hole punching / Rounded corners

4. Mixed imposition for proportional multi-item production

Explore our book printing services on the printing in China page.

6. Corner Marks in CorelDRAW (Beginner-Friendly Method)

A simple method for creating neat crop marks:

1. Draw a 3 mm hairline using Freehand Tool + Ctrl

2. Select all → Align Top and Left

3. Set x = 3 mm, duplicate with +

4. Set the second line to x = 6 mm, then group

5. Duplicate → Rotate 90°

6. Adjust x and y by −3 mm for alignment

7. Duplicate and mirror to complete all four corners

8. Add CMYK color bars to ensure accurate color control during printing