Welcome to Tilsner Carton


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HOME ABOUT US BOXES packaging DISPLAYS PRINTING FULFILLMENT PALLETS SHIPPING SUPPLIES
PRINTING OPTIONS:

Flexo

Litho Offset

Digital Printing

Screen Printing

Submit Artwork

Art Preparation Guidelines

PRINTING

Tilsner Carton Company utilizes several printing techniques to meet the requirements of the job and your budget. Please use the menu to the left to read about our various techniques.

Gopfert Rotary Diecutter
View the Gopfert Rotary Diecutter in action.
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Gopfert Rotary Diecutter handles large sheets of corrugated, up to 66”x126”, and prints high end graphics with 360 lines per inch.


Flexo Printing

Flexography is the most common process used to print packaging. The corrugated is pulled through a series of stations, or print units. Each print unit is printing a single color. The various tones and shading are achieved by overlaying basic shades of ink.

This technology employs plates with raised images (relief) and only the raised images come in contact with the corrugated during printing.

Our flexo presses accommodate sheets up to 66”x170”, have high-end printing up to 360 line screen, and shorten production time by slotting, scoring, folding and gluing.

Our onsite ink kitchen saves time and ensures consistency.


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Litho Offset Printing

Litho Offset Printing

Tilsner Carton Company was the first converter in the United States to purchase the Gopfert Rotary Die Cutter, which has an unusually large capacity of 66”x126” and provides high end graphics with a 360 line screen. In addition, the Gopfert streamlines printing and diecutting.

As an alternative to printing directly on corrugated, the lithographic process offers crisper images and enhanced color flexibility by printing onto large or small labels that are then mounted onto corrugated.

The basic principle of offset printing is that oil and water do not mix. A litho printing plate has non-image areas which absorb water. The plate is kept moist throughout so that ink only adheres to image areas.

During every cycle of the press the ink image is first transferred to a rubber surfaced offset cylinder and from there to the paper.

The offset cylinder’s flexibility preserves the delicate plates and conforms to the surface of textured papers.


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Litho Offset Printing

Tilsner Carton Company has several laminating machines that apply the litho labels to corrugated. We have the capability to do full or spot label mounting up to 60” x 78.” Our maximum sheet size is 65” x 100.”

Digital Printing

Digital printing is ideal for short run needs as well as prototyping and proofing.

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digital printing example

Screen Printing

Screen printing is a process of forcing ink through a tight screen which is mounted on a frame. The screen carries a stencil which defines the image area and is made of porous material which allows for full ink coverage on corrugated board. The board is generally screen printed prior to its conversion into a box or display. This method is ideal for those who desire a higher resolution image than flexo-printing provides. Full color graphics are available using screen printing.

We work with sheet sizes of up to 60” x 120.” Utilizing up to 6 colors.

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Litho Offset Printing

Art Preparation Guidelines

Please consider the following when setting up art files for cartons and displays:

How will your artwork be printed?
Each process involves different design specifications. The most common processes are shown below. Silkscreen and digital printing are also available.

Lithographic Label Files:
  • Digital art may be supplied as Illustrator, InDesign, Quark and/or Photoshop files. PDFs are acceptable in some cases. No low-resolution jpegs, please.
  • Photographic images should be high-resolution (300dpi) images at full size.
  • Please outline text whenever possible, or provide all fonts needed.
  • Critical text/artwork should be a minimum of 1/4” away from the dieline edge and/or scores.
  • Minimum bleed is 1/2” out from the dieline. NOTE: If we supply a dieline with label trim included, please bleed the art 1/8” out from the label trim area (green lines).
Flexographic/Direct Print Files:
  • Digital line art should preferably be vector-based (i.e., Adobe Illustrator) images. Photoshop line art should be 600dpi minimum.
  • Photographic image resolution should be at least 150dpi at full size.
  • Touching colors will be trapped (overlapped about 3/32”) to allow for press movement during printing.
  • Text size minimum is 8 points, if possible.
  • Line weight minimum is 1 point.
  • Critical text/artwork should be a minimum of 1/2’ away from the dieline edge and/or scores.
  • Minimum bleed is 3/8” out from the dieline.

Dielines or Templates:
Dielines are necessary to assure the proper size and placement of art. Your Sales Representative can obtain one for you in your preferred format (i.e. PDF, eps, etc.).

File transfers:
FTP Files

If you're using FTP: ftp://ftp.tilsnercarton.com/
Talk to your sales representative about obtaining a username and password before attempting to use the site.

Files can be received and sent via CD to:
Tilsner Carton Company
162 York Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55117

Email Art Files:
Email Files

If your file is 5mb or smaller

You can also send files via yousendit.com to graphics@tilsner-carton.com

Current Applications/Version:

The art department is Macintosh-based. Available programs include the Adobe CS4 Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign) and QuarkXPress 7.3.

Please supply the following:
  • Complete, workable CMYK files; preferably in their native file format.
  • A color printout of the file (when sending art by mail).
  • All supporting files: Linked files and fonts.
  • Appropriate Pantone or GCMI spot colors (if applicable) – indicate coated or uncoated for Pantone. If you need a specific custom color, please provide a sample for color matching.
  • Name of company, project and contact person for any questions related to the project.

Any questions? Contact your sales representative at:

Phone: 651-227-8261
Fax: 651-227-6861



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CALL TODAY 651-227-8261
Tilsner Carton Company • 162 York Avenue • Saint Paul, MN 55117