What We Run.
Press, die-cutting, and gluing specifications for custom folding cartons. Send a dieline or a sample and we'll tell you how your carton runs here.
Graph-Pak is a custom folding carton manufacturer in the Chicago area, producing in Franklin Park and Island Lake, Illinois. Structural design, prepress, diemaking, sheeting, printing, die cutting, and folding and gluing run on our own equipment. We make cartons for food and beverage, frozen, health and wellness, household, hardware, and consumer goods brands, and for the co-manufacturers and contract packagers who fill them.
- Printing — Koenig & Bauer sheetfed offset: 41" at 6 colors plus coater, 57" at 7 colors plus coater
- Sheet range — 14.17" x 20.47" up to 41.73" x 57.09"
- Board — 10 pt to 36 pt in SBS, CUK (SUS), and CRB
- Die cutting — Bobst flatbed with stripping and blanking in both formats
- Gluing — Standard and custom structures, with in-line windowing, Videojet coding, peel-and-stick strips, and tear tape
- Micro-flute — 10 pt printed top sheet on E, F, N, or B flute for club store packs
- Warehousing — Finished cartons held and released against your schedule
- Quality — ISO 9001:2015; closed-loop color control on all presses; barcode and glue inspection on every folder-gluer
Structural Design & Dieline Engineering
Our structural designers work in Esko ArtiosCAD, from first concept to a sample you can put on your line. When you share your filling equipment specs, the dieline is checked against them before any tooling is built.
Engineered for your product dimensions, fill weight, and retail environment.
Free white CAD samples cut to your size, style, and board, so you can fit-test before committing to tooling. Printed mockups with your art are also available.
Scores, flaps, and glue areas set for the machine that will run the carton. For end-load lines, see what a horizontal cartoner needs from a carton.
Standard ECMA styles, plus custom configurations when a standard style will not do the job. See common carton styles.
Not sure a structure will run on your line? Send us the dimensions or an existing carton and we will cut a free white CAD sample, usually in a couple of days.
Request Samples →Kodak Prinergy Workflow
Our prepress team runs Kodak Prinergy to preflight, trap, impose, and proof the files you supply, and to output plates for our presses.
Closed-loop color control on all presses: inline spectrophotometers measure the sheet as it prints, and the press adjusts ink automatically to hold brand colors to spec through the run and from one run to the next.
Supplied files are checked against the die and the press and trapped before plates are made, so problems in the art surface at the proof stage.
Layouts built for the press and substrate to get the most cartons from each sheet.
Digital proofs for quick approvals; contract proofs for critical color sign-off.
Koenig & Bauer Sheetfed Offset
Graph-Pak prints on Koenig & Bauer sheetfed offset presses with in-line coating, running paperboard from 10 pt to 36 pt on sheets from 14.17" up to 57.09".
Koenig & Bauer 41" Sheetfed Offset
| Maximum sheet | 28.35" x 41.34" |
|---|---|
| Minimum sheet | 14.17" x 20.47" |
| Maximum print area | 27.95" x 40.94" |
| Caliper range | 10 pt – 36 pt (0.010" – 0.036") |
Koenig & Bauer 57" Sheetfed Offset
| Maximum sheet | 41.73" x 57.09" |
|---|---|
| Minimum sheet | 19.69" x 23.62" |
| Maximum print area | 41.34" x 57.09" |
| Caliper range | 10 pt – 36 pt (0.010" – 0.036") |
The right press format can improve carton economics.
With 41" and 57" press formats, Graph-Pak can match the format to your carton structure, order volume, and production requirements. Fitting more cartons on each sheet can reduce the number of production sheets required and help lower conversion costs, especially on larger runs.
Depending on the job, the 41" format may be the better economic fit.
Illustrative order: 100,000 cartons
In this example: 50% fewer production sheets.
Actual yield depends on carton structure and production requirements. Sheet counts exclude setup and spoilage. Fewer production sheets do not represent an equivalent percentage reduction in total carton cost.
Bobst Flatbed Die Cutting
Die cutting runs on Bobst flatbed equipment in both formats, with stripping and blanking so cartons come off separated and stacked. Both formats die cut solid board up to 36 pt as well as laminated corrugated, including micro-flute.
Bobst 41" Die Cutting
| Maximum sheet | 41.73" x 29.92" |
|---|---|
| Minimum sheet | 15.75" x 13.78" |
| Maximum cutting area | 41.73" x 29.37" |
| Solid board caliper | up to 36 pt (0.036") |
| Corrugated caliper | up to 0.157" |
Bobst 57" Die Cutting
| Maximum sheet | 57.08" x 41.33" |
|---|---|
| Minimum sheet | 22.83" x 17.71" |
| Maximum cutting area | 57.08" x 40.74" |
| Solid board caliper | up to 36 pt (0.036") |
| Corrugated caliper | up to 0.197" |
Diemaking & Tooling
Cutting dies, counter plates, and stripping and blanking tools are built here, usually in days. When a structure changes, the die is revised here too. Tooling covers cuts, creases, perforations, and partial cuts, including tear strips and zip openings, and embossing can be built into the cutting die.
Folding & Gluing
Nine folding and gluing formats:
- Straight-line
- Crash-lock / auto-bottom
- 4-corner
- 6-corner
- Double wall
- Sleeves
- Simplex tray
- Frameview tray
- Insert and partition gluing
Coatings & Specialty Finishes
Aqueous coating runs in-line on our presses, with UV, soft-touch, and specialty effects available for cartons that need them.
Coatings
Aqueous in gloss and matte, applied in-line. Soft-touch for a tactile finish and reticulating for texture. UV where a higher gloss or a spot treatment is called for.
Specialty Effects
Foil stamping, embossing, and debossing for structures where the graphic needs dimension as well as color.
Applied Components
Fugitive glue for coupons, samples, and inserts that need to peel off clean, and hook-and-loop closures or magnets on premium and reusable formats.
Micro-Flute for Club Store Packs
A club store pack has to carry retail-quality print and survive palletized shipping well enough to stand up on a warehouse floor. Standard paperboard struggles with the second; conventional corrugated with the first. Micro-flute handles both. The top sheet is printed on 10 pt board, laminated to single-face corrugated, and die cut on our equipment.
Warehousing & Scheduled Release
Finished cartons can stay in our warehouse and ship against your production schedule, so you can order the quantity that prices well without giving up floor space to store it.
Inline Inspection
Inspection runs on the folder-gluers at production speed, so a problem surfaces while the job is still on the floor.
Barcode Verification
Scanners read each carton and eject a mismatched SKU from the line. It matters most on multi-SKU programs and regional or seasonal variations, where two cartons can look nearly identical.
Glue Inspection
Glue application is monitored through the run, and a carton outside the glue spec is ejected before it reaches a case.
Window Detection
A carton missing its window is flagged before it leaves the line. In a sealed case the defect is invisible; on a retail shelf it is obvious.
Substrate Traceability
Finished cartons trace back through our ERP to the paperboard they were made from, so an issue found downstream can be contained to the affected material.
Certifications & Ratings
The quality and food-safety frameworks we run to, plus the supplier-diversity certification and sustainability rating procurement teams ask about.
ISO 9001:2015
Internationally recognized quality management system, audited annually.
HACCP / GMP
Govern how materials are handled and jobs are run for cartons that go into food and beverage programs.
EcoVadis Bronze Medal
Independent assessment covering environment, labor, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
Minority Business Enterprise
Certified MBE through the National Minority Supplier Development Council, for buyers with supplier diversity requirements.
Equipment, Answered.
What sheet sizes can Graph-Pak print?
Graph-Pak prints on Koenig & Bauer sheetfed offset presses in 41" and 57" formats. The 41" format takes sheets from 14.17" x 20.47" up to 28.35" x 41.34". The 57" format takes sheets from 19.69" x 23.62" up to 41.73" x 57.09" (1,060 x 1,450 mm).
Does Graph-Pak run 41-inch and 57-inch presses?
Yes. The 41" format prints six colors plus a coater and the 57" format prints seven colors plus a coater. Small and mid-size cartons generally run on the 41". Large cartons and high-volume SKUs run on the 57", where a carton that fits four to a 41" sheet can fit eight, halving the sheets needed for the same quantity.
What is the largest folding carton Graph-Pak can produce?
The limit is set by die cutting: up to 57.08" x 40.74" in the 57" format, with printing up to 41.34" x 57.09". Whether a specific carton fits depends on its flat blank size and layout, so send the dieline and we will confirm.
Can Graph-Pak print several carton components on the same sheet?
Yes. The components of a multi-piece package, such as an insert, a tray, and an outer carton, can be ganged on a 57" sheet and run as one job. The pieces share a single make-ready and are printed together, so their color matches.
What board calipers can Graph-Pak run?
Our presses print paperboard from 10 pt to 36 pt, and both die-cutting formats handle printed board across that full range. Laminated corrugated, including micro-flute, is die cut up to 0.157" in the 41" format and up to 0.197" in the 57" format.
What folding and gluing formats does Graph-Pak produce?
Straight-line, crash-lock and auto-bottom, 4-corner, 6-corner, double wall, sleeves, simplex trays, frameview trays, and insert and partition gluing. Window patching and Videojet inkjet coding run in-line during gluing, and peel-and-stick adhesive strips (T-Tak) and tear tape for easy opening are applied on the gluer.
Does Graph-Pak make its own cutting dies?
Yes. Cutting dies, stripping and blanking tools, and counter plates are built in our plant, and die revisions are made there as well.
What coatings and specialty finishes does Graph-Pak offer?
Aqueous coating in gloss or matte, applied in-line on our presses, plus UV, soft-touch, and reticulating coatings. Specialty options include foil stamping, embossing and debossing, fugitive glue, and hook-and-loop or magnetic closures; raise any of them when you request a quote.
What prepress work does Graph-Pak do?
On a Kodak Prinergy workflow, Graph-Pak preflights and traps the art files you supply, builds the imposition for the press and board, provides soft proofs for quick approvals and contract proofs for critical color, and outputs plates for our presses.
What is the difference between litho label and micro-flute?
Both put a printed graphic on corrugated board. Litho label laminates a thin printed label to corrugated; it costs less, but the flute channels usually show through and the printed face looks washboarded. Micro-flute laminates a heavier 10 pt printed top sheet to single-face corrugated, which hides the flute and gives a flat, premium face at a somewhat higher cost. The right choice depends on where the pack sits in the store and how much work the graphic has to do.
Does Graph-Pak make club store and retail-ready packaging?
Yes, as micro-flute. A 10 pt printed top sheet is laminated to E, F, N, or B flute and die cut into the finished pack. The result carries offset print quality with the strength to survive palletized shipping and stand on a warehouse floor.
Does Your Carton Fit?
Send us a dieline, a sample, or a photo of the carton you run today. We will tell you what it would take to run it here, and we will tell you if it is not a fit.