The corrugated box manufacturing industry is a service-oriented sector, where user satisfaction serves as the reliable benchmark. Consequently, a significant portion of the printing content on corrugated boxes is produced exactly as per the layouts provided by customers without any modifications.
As users, most lack packaging knowledge and often make requests that do not comply with industry standards. Therefore, corrugated box manufacturers need to actively guide users and improve their layout design skills. In the layout design of corrugated boxes, the following key issues should be prioritized:
1. The printing of graphic logos should adhere to standardization
The standard printing quality of graphics is not limited to being clear and easily distinguishable in the auditorium. The most important criterion is whether it complies with the relevant national standards or legal regulations.
National standards have been established for graphic symbols:  
GB191-85 "Graphic Symbols for Packing, Storage and Handling" specifies 10 categories of corresponding symbols, including "Handle with Care" and "No Hooks."  
GB190-85 "Packaging Symbols for Dangerous Goods" defines 16 categories and their corresponding 18 graphic symbols, such as "Explosives" and "Flammable Gases.".
GB5892-86 "Illustrative Marking for Transport Packaging of Radiation-Sensitive Photographic Materials" specifies two types of printed graphical markings; GB6388-86 "Transport Packaging Handling and Shipping Markings" outlines corresponding graphical markings for 12 categories such as general merchandise and cultural supplies. These four national standards also stipulate the dimensions, colors, positions, and text of the graphical markings.
2. The layout design should consider print suitability
The printing of corrugated cartons is typically limited to three-color printing. For corrugated cartons requiring overprinting, the layout position and dimensions must be strictly designed to ensure accurate color registration. If one color requires overprinting with another color without leaving gaps between them, the design must account for the precision of the printing machine. This involves overlapping the two color plates, with the width of the overlapping area equal to the printing machine's deviation. In such cases, the printing sequence must also be specified, generally requiring printing from the lowest hue to the highest. This ensures that the higher-hued color can cover the lower-hued color in the overlapping area.
When designing the layout of corrugated cartons, to prevent ink smearing during printing, it is advisable to make the strokes of raised characters thinner and the strokes of recessed characters thicker while meeting user requirements. This increases the spacing between strokes, reducing the likelihood of blurred printing.
3. Strengthen proofreading efforts
The layout of corrugated cardboard boxes often involves text printing, which is highly prone to errors. If design layout issues arise and go uncorrected, the consequences could be unimaginable. Typically, errors in corrugated cardboard box layouts are easily overlooked, such as an extra word, a missing word, or a misprinted word. During proofreading, each error must be meticulously checked and corrected to ensure strict quality control. Otherwise, minor mistakes could lead to the entire batch of corrugated cardboard boxes being scrapped. All production enterprises must prioritize the proofreading of corrugated cardboard box layouts and never take it lightly.
4. The overall layout should be reasonable
Most enterprises lack a comprehensive understanding of the printing quality of corrugated cartons, to some extent neglecting the aesthetic and marketability functions of packaging. Issues such as inappropriate font selection, disproportionate sizing, and chaotic layout compromise visual appeal.
The overall layout of the corrugated cardboard box should be reasonable, avoiding top heavy and bottom light. The font size should be moderate, the proportion should be coordinated, the printing parts should be appropriate, and the distance from the edge of the corrugated cardboard box should be preferably greater than 20mm.