Detpak has introduced inline cold foiling combined with water-based ink printing at its Heshan manufacturing site, adding a new capability for premium paper packaging.
The process integrates cold foiling into the flexographic printing process, allowing metallic decorative elements to be applied inline alongside water-based inks. According to the company, this removes the need for UV primers or offline foiling steps, reducing energy consumption and production touchpoints while producing metallic effects on paper substrates.
Detpak says the process also uses less metal and plastic than conventional metallised paper laminates, while supporting recyclability.
The capability was developed following the installation of equipment in September 2025. The Heshan technical team worked with global engineering specialists to optimise printing, drying, web tension control and foil transfer.
According to the company, the process delivers repeatable print-to-foil registration, clean foil transfer with strong visual contrast, and stable performance under commercial production conditions.
The technology has already been used on Goodman Fielder's White Wings flour packaging, which previously used a paper laminate incorporating metallised PET film. Detpak says the new structure retains the brand's metallic appearance while transitioning to a recyclable paper-based format that supports APCO kerbside recyclability.
The company says applying aluminium foil inline during printing removes the metallised PET layer and eliminates around 15 metric tonnes of single-use plastic from the waste stream each year while maintaining filling-line performance.
Detpak says the inline cold foiling process allows metallic effects to be incorporated into fibre-based packaging structures without additional downstream processing steps, enabling decorative finishes within a single flexographic production flow.
The White Wings project also involved collaboration between sales, technical and customer teams to address pack design, recyclability, manufacturability and production requirements during development. According to the company, this reduced development risks and accelerated the transition from trials to commercial production.
