What is FFG Friendly Art?
What is FFG Friendly Art?
Let’s face it, if you’re not a packaging industry expert, getting started with custom packaging for your brand can be confusing. But, there are some insider tips that can save you thousands, and creating FFG friendly artwork is one of them! Here’s what you need to know:
What Does FFG Mean?
FFG stands for flexo folder gluer - a specialized machine for making regular slotted cartons.
FFG stands for Flexo Folder Gluer, and it’s one of the most cost effective options in custom packaging. This is an all in one machine that cuts, prints, folds and glues shipping boxes in one fell swoop. It eliminates the need for multiple set ups.
If you’re a fan of How It’s Made, or need a soothing monotone voice to help you get your power nap in today, check out this video to see exactly how a FFG works.
What Kind of Boxes Are Made on an FFG?
The term “RSC” in packaging stands for “regular slotted container”.
FFGs make Regular Slotted Cartons (RSCs) exclusively. These are the most common shipping boxes out there. They’re the ones with four panels on the top and bottom and are intended to be taped closed on both sides. They arrive to your 3PL or fulfillment center already glued at the seam and flattened or KDF (knocked down flat).
If you’re new to developing your packaging SKUs, here are some of the other names this box often goes by:
Shipper
Master Case
Carton
Outer box
Special designs like auto-bottoms, ear-lock mailers, and tuck top boxes can’t be made on an FFG.
FFGs are almost entirely designed for flexo printed boxes and using this method is subject to a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) that depends on the square footage of your box to meet a minimum material purchase.
However, an FFG can create almost every variety of RSC. That means nearly every custom size and all available board grades and paper types.
How Can FFG Friendly Proofs Save Me Money?
FFG friendly designs do not require purchasing a cutting die
Manufacturing your custom packaging on an FFG save you money in a few ways:
They’re Fast - In manufacturing, time is money. The faster your boxes can be created and shipped to you, the cheaper your production run will be.
No Cutting Die - FFGs are designed to accommodate almost any size RSC without a cutting die. Without an FFG, you’ll need to purchase both a print plate and cutting die to manufacture your custom boxes. Depending on the size of your box, cutting dies can cost up to a couple of thousand dollars.
Less Labor Costs - Manufacturing RSCs without an FFG requires 3 setups: printing, die cutting, and folding/glueing. Combining each of these into a single setup with an FFG keeps costs lower.
How Should I Adjust My Graphic Design to be FFG Friendly?
This all sounds great. So what’s the catch? FFGs have some rules about print. They can’t print 100% coverage and the print areas must be .5” away from the boxes folds.
Sometimes these areas are called scores or creases. The photo below shows you these areas on an assembled RSC.
No Print Areas
The area inside the red lines must be totally free of print graphics to be FFG friendly.
Let’s look at an example on a proof:
Slate Milk’s branding team wanted their image of freshly poured milk to wrap around the outside of the box. The original design below is not compatible on a FFG. So alongside Slate’s team, we made some adjustments to save them loads on their COGs.
Slate’s graphic design team broke the design up into panels to move any print away from the folds.
The final FFG friendly proof is shown on the dieline below. As you can see, the freshly poured look still makes you crave an ice cold glass of Slate Milk.
If you’re looking for more ways to save money or solve your packaging supply chain problems, out team of experts is here to help!
