Optical Stability of Printed Cardboard Packaging to the Influence of Electromagnetic Radiation

Due to increasing consumer awareness of environmentally friendly products, the packaging
industry is undergoing major changes. Packaging should reflect the product’s intentions by
selecting appropriate materials and emphasizing the environmental aspects of production and
biodegradability through explicit design. Cardboard is a material used for various types of
packaging and has the potential to replace materials such as plastic, because ofits biodegradability
and recyclability. Since aging is an inevitable process for both the printing substrate and the print,
and the durability and stability of printed packaging are important factors in product selection,
the optical stability of the packaging should not change significantly before sale or during use. The
aim of this research was to determine the optical stability of printed cardboard substrates after
exposure to electromagnetic radiation for a period of 24 and 48 hours. In the research, printing
was performed on a KBA offset press using the most used cardboard substrates on the market.
The results showed that all analysed cardboard packaging provided good optical stability after 24
hours of accelerated aging, while after 48 hours the greatest changes were observed in yellow
prints, with offset cardboard being the most stable substrate for both multi-tone and mono-tone
prints.