Some people mistakenly consider rigid a whole other category in the material section. Still, the fact is that rigid is a combination of two basic materials, such as cardstock and paper stock.
Together both materials make a solid and printable stock known as rigid stock. In this guide, we will take a look at how rigid material is made.
Process of Making Rigid Stock
As discussed above, rigid is made of two basic materials: paper stock and cardboard. Below are the details of the process.
Cardboard Compressing
Cardboard typically starts at 350 grams, and to make a rigid packaging material, you need 1200 grams.
To make your packaging rigid, you need to compress the layers of cardboard until it goes 1200 grams, and you would get to see a wood-like texture to it.
This way, you would have a rigid material, but not the one you can print on. And this calls for the paper stock.
Paper Stock Helps with the Printing Procedure
Once your cardboard material is compressed to a rigid shape, you can use the paper stock for printing as it would be pasted on your box. This will help you post-process your box manufacturing, which includes printing, foiling, embossing, and other embellishments.

In my role as a senior editor at TBP, I focus on packaging & printing technique. My research endeavors are aimed at gaining more knowledge about the packaging industry.