Ward & Kennedy supplies businesses nationwide with traditionally die-cut and high-precision digitally cut paperboard. From milk cartons to product boxes and everything in between, you can trust Ward & Kennedy’s nearly 100-year history for fast turnaround times and dedicated service and support.
Paperboard is a thick, paper-based material made from layered pulp fibers, offering more rigidity than standard paper while remaining lighter and thinner than corrugated cardboard. It's widely used across packaging, printing, and retail industries, particularly for folding cartons, product boxes, and display materials.
Common products made from paperboard include:
Paperboard's thickness, coating, and grain direction directly affect how it performs during cutting, from blade pressure to fold quality.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Thickness (caliper) | Measured in points, with thicker board requiring more cutting pressure for clean edges |
| Coating | Coated board can dull blades faster but holds print detail better after cutting |
| Grain direction | Cutting or folding against the grain can cause cracking along score lines |
| Rigidity | Stiffer than standard paper but less than corrugated cardboard, requiring moderate cutting force |
| Printability | Registration accuracy matters when cutting around pre-printed designs or branding |
| Lamination | Laminated paperboard adds a coating layer that must cut evenly with the base sheet |
slices completely through the material, and both digital cutters and traditional dies can perform it depending on thickness and volume.
Perforation creates a line of small cuts for easy hand separation, achievable by both die cutting and digital cutting.
Creasing forms a fold line without cutting through the material, handled well by digital cutters through adjustable pressure and by dies fitted with the right rule type.
Digital cutting works well for prototyping paperboard packaging, such as testing new folding carton structures or box designs, since it requires no tooling and allows quick adjustments before finalizing a layout.
For production runs, die cutting is the standard in paperboard packaging, using rotary or flatbed steel rule dies to cut and score cartons at high speed. The upfront tooling cost is offset by faster cutting speeds and lower per-unit costs once the design is finalized and moving into large-scale print and packaging runs.
At our facility in Milwaukee, WI, our team of designers and fabricators can help bring your vision to life. Whether you have existing design files or assistance with their creation, we’re here every step of the way.
Along with fabrics, we die cut materials like:
Ward & Kennedy has been designing, fabricating, and supplying industries all over the world since we were founded in 1928. Whether you’re in our Wisconsin backyard or located across the world in Asia, we can supply your die cut materials.
Along with fabricating parts for businesses across America, we supply them with the necessary tools, supplies, and gear to keep them running at full capacity. We stock abrasives, adhesives, PPE, and more from major brands like 3M, Dynablade, Superior Glove, Wendt and Mirka.
