Laminates & Coatings: What Touch Is Right for Your Cartons?

Your folding carton design serves as a crucial touchpoint with consumers. While your products may be exceptional, the packaging that houses them must communicate that quality at first glance. Laminates and coatings are powerful finishing techniques that transform ordinary paperboard into packaging that commands attention on crowded shelves, enhances brand perception, and provides vital functional benefits.

These specialty finishing options do more than just create visual appeal; they strategically influence how consumers perceive and interact with your products.

From luxurious soft-touch finishes that invite handling to high-gloss coatings that make colors pop, the right decorative effect can significantly elevate your brand's packaging and create meaningful differentiation in the marketplace.

Key Takeaways

1. Strategic finishing choices impact brand perception. Finishes transform cartons into powerful marketing tools that communicate quality and engage senses at crucial purchase moments.
2. Laminates or coatings? Laminates add protective barriers with premium appeal; coatings modify surfaces with environmental benefits.
3. Multi-sensory engagement drives value. Tactile coatings invite handling while visual finishes create distinction, connecting consumers with brands on multiple sensory levels.
4. Sustainability no longer means compromise. Modern eco-friendly options—from recyclable coatings to biodegradable laminates—deliver performance without sacrificing impact.

The Fundamental Differences Between Laminates & Coatings

Laminates Create a Protective Barrier

Laminates consist of a thin layer of material—typically plastic film, metallic foil, or specialized paper, sometimes holographic or patterned—bonded to the paperboard substrate of your folding carton. 

This creates a physical barrier that provides:

• Enhanced structural integrity and durability
• Superior protection against moisture, oxygen, and environmental factors
• Premium aesthetic finishes including high-gloss, matte, or metallic effects
• Resistance to scuffing, tearing, and other physical damage

Laminates are frequently utilized in a variety of packaging applications such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cannabis, health and beauty, and consumer products. They are often employed with products that require high barrier protection against moisture, oxygen, light, and other factors that can degrade quality or freshness (an obvious concern for the food and beverage industry).

However, traditional laminates often contain non-recyclable materials, such as plastics and aluminum, which can be difficult to separate and recycle, leading to waste and environmental harm.

To address this issue, sustainable laminates are being developed that incorporate more environmentally friendly materials, such as paperboard, bioplastics, and other sustainable options. These materials can be recycled, composted, or biodegraded more easily, reducing your impact on the environment.

Coatings Enhance Surface Properties

Unlike laminates, coatings don't add a separate physical layer to your folding carton, making them typically more sustainable than laminates. Instead, they modify the existing paperboard surface through application of liquid substances that are then dried or cured. 

Coatings offer:

• Improved print quality and color vibrancy
• Specialized textures and tactile experiences
• Enhanced durability without significant thickness
• Water and grease resistance
• Versatile application options (spot or full coverage)

Like laminates, coatings provide fantastic barrier protection against moisture, oxygen, and other environmental factors that can affect the product's quality or freshness. They can also be used to create a non-stick surface, add durability or water resistance, or improve the printability or appearance of your packaging.

For example, barrier coatings made from biodegradable or compostable materials, can help to reduce waste and promote the so-called “circular economy.” These coatings can be applied to a range of packaging materials, including paper and plastic films, to provide a protective barrier that is also biodegradable or compostable.

Usually applied after printing, coatings can be water-based (aqueous) or rely on ultraviolet (UV) light. Aqueous coatings involve exposing substrates to inline infrared lamps and circulating hot air that evaporates the water, coating the bonded sheets. Alternatively, UV coats cure the substrate through polymerization created through exposure to UV light.

Popular Coating Options for Folding Cartons

The printing and packaging industry offers numerous coating options, each providing unique benefits for your folding carton design:

• The highly reflective finishes of gloss coatings enhance color vibrancy and create visual pop, making them ideal for vibrant packaging designs where standout shelf presence is crucial. Consumers will notice their resplendent shelf presence.
  
  
• With their non-reflective, sophisticated appearance, matte finishes convey elegance and premium quality while providing excellent readability for text-heavy designs, a sometimes welcome contrast to glossier coatings. 

• Soft-touch coatings create a velvety, tactile surface that encourages consumers to pick up and handle your products—an invaluable quality in retail environments where touch drives purchase decisions. Their hard scuff-resistant finish gives them a feel reminiscent of embossed packaging.
  
  
• The specialized coating of reticulating varnish creates textured, raised patterns when it reacts with UV coating, providing both visual and tactile interest with crisp transition lines.
  
  
• Applied selectively to highlight specific design elements, spot UV creates contrast between glossy and matte surfaces, drawing attention to logos, images, or key messaging.
  
  
• Textured and specialty coatings options include raised, relief, glitter, and pearlescent coatings, adding dimension and visual interest that differentiates your packaging from competitors.

The Sustainability Equation: Environmental Considerations

As consumers increasingly prioritize eco-friendly packaging, understanding the sustainability implications of laminates and coatings becomes essential for your folding carton design strategy.

Traditional Laminates

Conventional plastic-based laminates present recycling challenges due to their multi-material composition. The bonded layers of plastic and paperboard often require specialized recycling processes that aren't universally available, potentially limiting their recyclability in standard municipal programs.

Sustainable Laminate Alternatives

The packaging industry has responded with innovative alternatives:

• Biodegradable laminate films made from plant-based materials
• Paper-based laminates that maintain the single-material advantage
• Compostable options that break down in industrial composting facilities
• Water-dispersible laminates that separate during the recycling process

Coatings & Environmental Impact

Coatings generally offer advantages from a sustainability perspective:

• Water-based (aqueous) coatings are typically more environmentally friendly, containing fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and integrating well with paperboard recycling systems.
• UV coatings, while providing superior protection and visual appeal, contain no solvents and cure instantly, reducing energy consumption during manufacturing.
• Many modern coatings effectively replace plastic films while maintaining necessary barrier properties, creating more readily recyclable packaging solutions.

Strategic Benefits of Laminates & Coatings

Beyond aesthetics, these finishing techniques deliver significant functional advantages that enhance your folding cartons' performance throughout the supply chain and at the point of sale.

Enhanced Product Protection

• Barrier Properties: Both laminates and certain coatings create resistance to moisture, oxygen, and other environmental factors that could compromise product integrity.
• Structural Reinforcement: Laminates significantly strengthen paperboard, reducing damage during shipping and handling.
• Scuff Resistance: High-quality finishes maintain your packaging's pristine appearance from manufacturing to consumer.

Brand Differentiation Through Tactile Engagement

The sensory experience of your packaging creates powerful consumer connections:

• Soft-touch finishes invite consumers to handle products longer, increasing the likelihood of purchase.
• Textured surfaces create memorable brand associations and perceived value. 
• Specialty finishes such as reticulating varnish or raised spot UV create distinctive packaging that stands out among competitors.

Print Enhancement & Color Management

Both laminates and coatings significantly impact how your printed designs appear:

• High-gloss finishes intensify colors and create visual depth.
• Matte options enhance the readability of text and reduce glare.
• Specialty coatings can create contrast and highlight key design elements.
• Extended gamut printing paired with the right finish maximizes color impact.

Overall, laminates and coatings can provide a range of decorative benefits that help to enhance the overall design of the packaging, while also providing important functional benefits such as protection and printing capabilities.

Making the Right Choice for Your Brand

When used thoughtfully and sustainably, laminates and coatings can be an effective tool for creating folding cartons that are both visually appealing and environmentally responsible.

However, given their similarities, it can be a challenge deciding which is the right packaging solution for your brand. When determining whether laminates or coatings are appropriate for your folding carton design, consider these key factors. 

Performance Requirements

Evaluate what your packaging needs to accomplish functionally:

• What level of protection does your product require?
• Will it face challenging environmental conditions?
• How important is shelf life extension?

For maximum barrier protection against moisture and oxygen, laminates typically provide superior performance, while coatings offer adequate protection for less demanding applications and are often more sustainable. 

Sustainability Goals

Consider your brand's environmental commitments:

• Is recyclability a core brand value?
• Are you working toward plastic reduction targets?
• What messaging does your packaging need to communicate about sustainability?

If environmental impact is a primary concern, water-based coatings and newer sustainable laminate alternatives may better align with your objectives.

Aesthetic & Brand Considerations

Your packaging finish significantly impacts brand perception:

• Does your brand position itself as premium or luxury?
• What tactile experience do you want consumers to have?
• How important is color vibrancy to your design strategy?

High-end products often benefit from the substantial look and feel that laminates provide, while coatings offer tremendous versatility for creating distinctive visual and tactile effects.

Production & Cost Factors

Practical considerations also influence your decision:

• Laminates generally add more to production costs than coatings.
• Coating application can often be completed inline during the printing process.
• Different finishing options may affect your printing timeline.

You Need Expert Guidance for Optimal Folding Carton Design

So, let’s review. The finishing touch you select for your folding cartons plays a crucial role in both product protection and consumer perception. While coatings generally offer more cost-effective and environmentally friendly options with excellent decorative capabilities, laminates provide superior protection and a distinctly premium feel that certain products demand.

Rather than approaching this decision based solely on cost, consider how these finishing techniques align with your brand strategy, sustainability goals, and product requirements. The right choice elevates your packaging from merely functional to truly exceptional, creating memorable consumer experiences that drive brand loyalty and repeat purchases.

For brands seeking to navigate these options effectively, partnering with a customer-centric and experienced packaging partner offers invaluable expertise. Oliver Inc. specializes in helping brands identify the optimal finishing techniques for their folding carton designs, balancing performance requirements, sustainability objectives, and brand aesthetics to create packaging that truly stands out in today's competitive marketplace.

Contact Oliver Inc. today to explore how the right laminate or coating can transform your folding cartons into powerful brand ambassadors that protect your products while driving consumer engagement.