Print the design on standard proofing stock, and approval turns into a guessing game, because nobody can see how the final product will look in production. Printing the mockup on the real substrate changes that.
MP31 multi-purpose ink from MUTOH adheres directly to the material going out for production, so the mockup behaves like the finished packaging, and you will not have to imagine the color and the feel of the final product before you approve it.
MP31 ink bonds directly to the substrate surface, maintaining the look, texture, and characteristics of the material underneath. It dries with low-temperature warm air, so the material still looks and feels like itself under the print.
It prints on coated and uncoated stock, flexible packaging, white and clear materials, and roll and rigid media. That flexibility doesn't come at the cost of durability. For abrasion resistance, weather resistance, and color development, it performs as well as eco-solvent ink.
MP31 ink resists bending and stretching and does not crack when a printed panel folds, so the mockup can be cut and assembled instead of being reviewed flat on a table. The same flexibility applies in vacuum forming and shrink applications, where the film changes shape after the ink is down.
That matters because printing is only the first step. A carton for packaging still has to be creased, folded, and glued, and every one of those steps puts stress on the printed surface.
Printed sheets also accept foil stamping and lamination, so a mockup can carry the same finishing as the production run and get judged on the same terms.
MP31 ink isn't limited to one category of packaging material. It runs on paperboard, corrugated board, polypropylene, clear PET, textured stocks, magnetic rigid boxes, acrylic, aluminum, PVC coated or uncoated, and more, which covers most of what a packaging job is likely to call for.
Folding carton stock is what comes up most often. SBS board and similar coated boards take the ink directly, with no primer, and still fold cleanly once the print is down.
For corrugated packaging, the ink prints onto the liner, whether that liner is white or kraft. Fold the mockup into the actual box and you can see the flutes under the print and how the ink holds up along the creases, which is the part a flat proof will never tell you
Flexible packaging runs from stand-up pouches and sachets to lidding film and laminated wraps, and it's where substituting the substrate shows most. Metallized and holographic films reflect light back through the ink, an interaction that cannot be reproduced on paper, and matte and gloss non-metallic films each shift the result again in their own direction.
That's why printing on the actual film matters, including the thin flexibles used for pouches and lidding. You get to see how much of the metallic shine comes through the color while there's still time to change it, instead of finding out once the job is already in production.
Shrink packaging presents the greatest challenge because the film changes shape once the ink is applied. MP31 ink stretches and shrinks along with the film, avoiding cracking. The other challenge lies in the design, since a graphic that appears correct flat can distort when the sleeve shrinks. The only reliable method to determine the extent of this distortion is to shrink a printed sleeve onto the actual package.
A 24-inch multi-purpose printer that handles a wide range of roll media. Its space-saving footprint makes it ideal for small shops producing short-run packaging mockups.
It supports up to eight colors. Light inks give you smoother blends and better grays. Spot colors like orange, blue and green raise saturation, so colors come out richer and more vivid than four-color printing alone.
Typical output includes labels, pouches, shrink proofs, packaging prototypes, stickers, and more.
A 64-inch multipurpose hybrid wide format printer for roll and rigid media up to 0.62 inches thick. Full-size carton layouts, corrugated and POP displays all fit on the table. It runs in CMYK×2 or CMYKWhWh, with high-opacity white ink that makes printing on clear film and colored board possible by creating an opaque base so the color reads at full strength.
Features include a blower heater that accelerates drying, a built-in ink circulation system that maintains consistent white and magenta output, and independently adjustable roller pressure to protect delicate media.
A snack bag concept, printed on white metallized film from JetComp on the ValueJet 628MP.
The white metallized film gives the color an opaque base to sit on, so the reds and yellows come out at full strength. The bag was sealed into a finished pouch. Watch the bag come together.
A custom mist spray packaging set featuring an outer box and four individual product cartons, all printed with vibrant graphics and specialty effects. See the full build.
The ValueJet 628MP printed the outer box artwork, while the ValueJet 1628MH produced the smaller bottle cartons. The ValueJet 1638UH Mark II, a 2025 Pinnacle Award winner, added a spot varnish over the Phoenix illustration, so the feathers catch the light against the matte background.
The project was printed on substrates from the Ecological Fibers Rainbow Design Collection, including Galaxy and Lumina, along with FlexPak folding board.
Packaging prototypes are more than just a printed image; they’re a preview of the final product. With a test print on your actual substrate, you can evaluate color, detail, texture, and finish before production.
Fold it, shape it, and see how your packaging design comes together. Request a sample print featuring MP31 ink or visit your nearest dealer to learn more about the Value 628MP and ValueJet 1628MH.