I. Case Background

With the continuous improvement of requirements for packaging texture, environmental standards and production efficiency in the high-end gift and festival supplies market, traditional solvent-based/water-based inks have gradually exposed pain points such as slow drying (easy smudging), insufficient color saturation, poor scratch resistance, and excessive VOC emissions in red envelope and high-end label printing.

A well-known festival supplies printing enterprise (specializing in Spring Festival red envelopes, high-end gift labels, and brand gift box decorative labels) had problems such as long production cycle, high scrap rate, and non-compliant environmental protection with its original process. It also failed to meet customers’ diverse needs for high gloss, strong wear resistance, food-grade safety, and metallic texture. Since 2025, the enterprise has fully adopted Star Color flexographic UV ink to replace traditional inks, which are used for gilding base printing, color graphics, anti-counterfeiting labels of red envelopes, and high-grade paper/film composite label printing, achieving triple upgrades in quality, efficiency, and environmental protection.

II. Applied Products & Substrates

1. Core Printing Products

• Spring Festival gilded red envelopes, zodiac red envelopes, custom business red envelopes
• High-end gift self-adhesive labels, brand anti-counterfeiting labels, gift box decorative labels
• Gold/silver cardboard, laser paper, PET composite film, coated paper red envelopes/labels

2. Adaptable Substrates (Advantages of Star Color UV Ink)

• Absorbent substrates: Coated paper, white cardboard, kraft paper red envelopes, controllable penetration (5-8μm), no ink bleeding, and full ink layer
• Non-absorbent substrates: PET/BOPP film, gold/silver cardboard, aluminum foil paper, no need for strong corona (≥38dyn/cm), adhesion grade 4B-5B
• Special substrates: Laser film, laminated paper, gilding base materials, high adhesion, no delamination, and accurate color reproduction

Zhongzhixing Flexographic UV Ink for Red Envelope Printing: High Gloss & Excellent Gilding Effect

III. Core Advantages of Star Color Flexographic UV Ink (Red Envelope/Label Scenarios)

1. Ultra-Fast Curing, Production Efficiency Increased by 50%+

• Print and dry instantly: Fully cured in 0.01-0.1 seconds under UV-LED light, compatible with 250m/min high-speed flexographic printing machines, no need for airing, no smudging, no overprint adhesion
• Capacity data: Single-shift output increased from 30,000 pieces to 50,000+ pieces, scrap rate reduced from 8% to 1.5%
• Energy-saving advantage: Compatible with LED-UV equipment, 60% more energy-efficient than traditional mercury lamps, saving 40,000-60,000 yuan in annual electricity costs

2. Environmentally Friendly & Safe, Meeting High-End Packaging Standards

• Zero VOC emissions (≤10g/L), far lower than the national standard (GB 38507-2020) and solvent-based inks (300-500g/L)
• Passed EU REACH (236 SVHC not detected), US FDA food contact certification, and China RoHS. Red envelopes/labels can directly contact skin and meet food-grade safety requirements
• No wastewater, no waste gas, odorless and non-toxic, suitable for maternal and infant gifts, high-end food red envelopes/labels scenarios

3. Printing Effect: High Gloss + Strong Color + Super Wear Resistance

• Color saturation increased by 40%: Dot reproduction 150 lines/inch, sharp lines, clear edges, festival colors such as red/gold/silver are more vivid and non-color-shifting
• High gloss (90%+): Mirror-like texture on the surface of red envelopes, replacing part of the lamination process, improving grade and reducing costs
• Super durable: High crosslinking density after curing, scratch-resistant (4H), water-resistant, friction-resistant, fold-resistant. Red envelopes do not fade or stick after long-term storage
• Strong gilding adaptability: Excellent adhesion of gilding base ink, improved gilding fastness, no gold loss, no bubbles

High-End Labels Printed with Zhongzhixing Flexographic UV Ink: Clear Details & Super Wear Resistance

4. Wide Process Adaptability, Reducing Comprehensive Costs

• Universal for one machine: No ink change required for paper/film/gold-silver cardboard/aluminum foil, reducing ink change time by 50% and ink inventory by 30%
• Inline processing: Compatible with flexographic printing machines for integrated die-cutting, gilding, lamination, and varnishing, reducing processes and shortening cycles
• No investment in drying equipment, no airing space,workshop space utilization increased by 40%

IV. Specific Application Processes (Red Envelopes/Labels)

1. Red Envelope Printing Process (Star Color UV Flexographic Solution)

1. Substrate: 250g white cardboard, gold/silver cardboard, PET composite red envelope paper
2. Process: Flexographic 4-color + spot color (gold/red) UV printing → UV-LED curing → gilding/embossing → die-cutting
3. Key advantages:
   1. Spot color gold/red pure color, high gloss, no oxidation, strong festival texture
   2. Gilding base ink strong adhesion, gilding fastness above 3N/15mm, no gold loss, no delamination
   3. Folded red envelopes no ink layer cracking, wear-resistant and non-fading, suitable for long-distance transportation and long-term storage

2. High-End Label Printing Process

1. Substrate: Coated paper self-adhesive, PET film, gold/silver cardboard labels, laser labels
2. Process: Flexographic UV color printing → partial UV varnishing → anti-counterfeiting code printing → die-cutting and waste removal
3. Key advantages:
   1. Labels clear details, 100% barcode recognition rate, scratch-resistant, water-resistant, and alcohol-wipe resistant
   2. Composite film labels no warping, no delamination, suitable for high-end gift boxes, tobacco and alcohol, and beauty packaging
   3. Anti-counterfeiting labels stable color, not easy to counterfeit, improving brand recognition

V. Application Effects & Customer Feedback

1. Quality Improvement

• The glossiness, color vividness, and wear resistance of red envelopes are far superior to traditional processes, and customer repurchase rate increased by 35%
• High-end labels have a texture close to gilding/lamination, cost reduced by 20%, and highly recognized by brand owners
• Safety compliance: Odorless, no harmful substances, passed factory inspections of multiple international brands

2. Efficiency & Cost

• Production cycle shortened from 7 days to 3 days, quickly responding to the peak of festival orders
• Comprehensive cost reduced by 18% (ink, energy consumption, labor, scrap)
• Environmental compliance: No VOC emissions, no environmental penalties, in line with green printing policies

3. Customer Evaluation

“Zhongzhixing UV ink has solved our long-standing problems in red envelope printing, such as slow drying, smudging, fading, and non-environmental protection. The color and glossiness have directly upgraded the product to a higher level, which is highly recognized by high-end customers. Now we not only double the efficiency, but also successfully passed the food contact safety certification, expanding new businesses in maternal and infant and food packaging.”

— Production Director of the Printing Enterprise

VI. Case Summary

In the field of red envelope and label printing, Zhongzhixing flexographic UV ink, with its five core advantages of ultra-fast curing, zero VOC environmental protection, high gloss and strong color, super wear resistance, and wide substrate adaptability, perfectly meets the high quality, high efficiency, and high safety requirements of high-end festival supplies and gift labels.

Compared with traditional inks, it increases production efficiency by 50%+, reduces comprehensive costs by 18%, and achieves full compliance in quality and environmental protection. It has become the preferred environmental protection solution for red envelope and high-end label printing, helping printing enterprises upgrade their competitiveness and expand the high-end market.

Recommended Models of Star Color Flexographic UV Ink for Red Envelopes/Labels

• Universal type: SC-UV-Flexo 600 Series (compatible with paper/film/gold-silver cardboard, high gloss, strong wear resistance)
• Food-grade type: SC-UV-Food 800 Series (red envelopes/food labels, FDA certified, no migration)
• Gilding special type: SC-UV-Gilding 900 Series (gilding base printing, high adhesion, no gold loss)