Bending Board: This type of paperboard can be scored and bent without breaking its fibers.
Boxboard: Another term for “paperboard”, i.e., substrates made of different types of paper that are used to make folding cartons.
Caliper: A measurement term, expressed in thousandths of an inch, to describe the thickness of a board.
Carton: A container or package made from paperboard that holds products. Note that a carton is not the same thing as a corrugated cardboard box or a shipping box.
Chipboard: A paperboard made entirely from recycled fibers that isn’t as high quality or robust as other types of paperboard.
Die: A wood or metal form that cuts or stamps.
Dust Flaps: A folding carton’s side flaps that remain unglued and unlocked within the box, keeping dust and particles out.
Film: The plastic that creates a window in a product box.
Flap: The panel that closes the folding carton.
Folding Carton: Paperboard that’s cut, folded, laminated, and printed in various styles to package products.
Grain: The direction of fibers in paperboard, determining how best to design the carton for strength.
Ink: A fluid with pigments, dyes, and other materials that is pressed into the paperboard.
Kraft: Light brown paperboard made from virgin, unbleached pulp.
Paperboard: A stiff, strong sheet made from wood and paper fibres pressed together.
Score: A crease in a carton that folds without breaking the paperboard.
Solid Bleached Sulfate: A boxboard made from virgin sulfate pulp that’s particularly stiff and strong.
Stock: Paperboard that hasn’t been used to make folding cartons yet.
Tear Strip: A perforated band that’s die-cut into a carton to help open a filled and sealed package.
Thumbhole: A semi-circular cut that allows for a folding carton to be opened or emptied.
Virgin Material: Fibers made from organic materials like wood chips.
Window: A film-covered die-cut opening in a carton that displays the product.
To learn more, contact your folding carton packaging specialist.