As the label and package printing industry prepares for LOUPE Americas 2026, folding cartons are emerging as a potential diversification opportunity for label converters seeking to expand beyond their traditional markets.

The connection between the two sectors is increasingly relevant. Label printers already work closely with consumer brands, manage complex artwork and operate printing and finishing technologies that can, in some cases, be adapted to paperboard packaging.

For New York Label & Box Works, customer demand helped drive its expansion into folding cartons. Brands already using the company for labels were also supplying artwork for their carton packaging, creating an opportunity to bring both products under one supplier.

Customers Drive Expansion from Labels into Cartons

Diversification into folding cartons does not necessarily mean starting with an entirely new customer base.

For established label converters, existing relationships with food, beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and other consumer-product companies can provide a starting point for carton business.

New York Label & Box Works said its customers increasingly wanted a supplier capable of managing both labels and folding cartons.

Combining these capabilities can simplify sourcing while helping brands maintain greater consistency across different packaging formats.

For converters, it can also increase the range of work produced for an existing customer rather than relying entirely on acquiring new accounts.

Paperboard Packaging Responds to Changing Brand Requirements

Consumer expectations are also influencing folding carton development.

Packaging increasingly serves several functions simultaneously: protecting the product, presenting information, supporting brand identity and creating a recognizable experience in stores or through e-commerce.

The growth of online retail has added another dimension because packaging may represent a consumer’s first physical interaction with a product purchased digitally.

At the same time, brands continue to evaluate ways of reducing plastic packaging.

Paperboard’s established collection and recycling infrastructure makes folding cartons relevant to this transition, although the environmental performance of an individual package still depends on factors including material sourcing, coatings, inks, adhesives and its overall design.

Developments in recycled fibre and barrier-coated paperboard are also expanding the applications where fibre-based packaging can potentially replace certain plastic structures.

Automation Addresses Labour and Cost Pressures

Moving into folding cartons brings its own manufacturing challenges.

Carton production can involve multiple processes across prepress, printing, die-cutting, folding, gluing, inspection and packing. Labour availability, material costs and production scheduling can therefore have a substantial influence on profitability.

Automation is becoming increasingly important in managing this complexity.

Technologies being adopted across folding carton plants include:

• Automated die-cutting
• Automated folder-gluing
• Robotic material feeding
• Integrated MIS and ERP workflows
• In-line quality inspection
• Automated finishing

Connecting these processes can reduce manual handling and help converters manage shorter production runs without allowing setup and changeover times to consume too much of the production schedule.

Digital Printing Changes Folding Carton Economics

Digital printing is another factor lowering some of the barriers between label and carton production.

Shorter runs, rapid artwork changes and variable data capabilities can make digital production suitable for brands that do not require the high minimum order quantities traditionally associated with long conventional carton runs.

This is particularly relevant for smaller brands, product launches, seasonal packaging and applications requiring multiple designs.

For label converters already experienced with short-run and variable-data workflows, these production requirements may be familiar even though the substrate, converting and structural requirements of folding cartons differ.

In-Line Production Combines Multiple Processes

New York Label & Box Works has invested in an Edale in-line folding carton press as part of its carton strategy.

According to the company, the equipment can handle eight-color printing on the front and back, along with foil stamping, lamination, embossing and die-cutting within a single production pass.

Combining printing and finishing operations can reduce the number of separate manufacturing stages required for certain carton jobs.

The company says this helps shorten production times and control costs.

For converters evaluating folding cartons, this type of in-line production illustrates how technologies traditionally associated with labels and narrow-web printing are being extended into paperboard packaging.

Smart Packaging Adds Another Connection Between Labels and Cartons

The overlap is also increasing through connected packaging technologies.

QR codes, NFC, RFID and anti-counterfeit features are being incorporated into packaging to support traceability, authentication and consumer interaction.

Some of these technologies have strong roots in the label industry.

RFID labels, for example, can be integrated into folding cartons during automated production, creating another area where existing label converting expertise can transfer into carton manufacturing.

Folding Cartons Take Larger Role at LOUPE Americas 2026

LOUPE Americas 2026 will bring together companies from across the label and package printing industry at a time when the boundaries between individual packaging formats are becoming less rigid.

For label converters, folding cartons offer a closely related market rather than an entirely unrelated diversification strategy.

However, entering the sector requires more than installing a press. Converters need to understand paperboard behavior, structural design, creasing, die-cutting, folding and gluing, as well as the quality requirements associated with finished cartons.

The opportunity is strongest where existing customer relationships, suitable production technology and carton converting expertise come together.

As brands seek shorter runs, more paper-based packaging and increasingly integrated sourcing, folding cartons could become a more significant growth path for label converters looking beyond their traditional pressure-sensitive and flexible label businesses.

Last Updated on 12/08/2026 by Jota Machinery