RAW MATERIAL COSTS, UP AGAIN
Before the price rise, subtract.
Is a busier design a better one?
The pack’s face stays the same; only the cost comes back. In one minute, AI shows you where you can cut.
How you cut is up to you.
Three levels of subtraction.
From a light trim (level 1) to maximum reduction (level 3). The brand stays; only the ink you don’t need disappears.
See the simulation
The verdict
is not reached in a room.
It happens on the shelf.
Shall we go and ask the people who buy it?
“This looks odd” is a comment from inside the building. What Lessō changes is the noise, nothing else: the logo, the base colour and the skeleton of the layout all stay. The judge is not the meeting room; it is the customer standing at the shelf.
Be prepared,
and never worry.
Find where you can cut, while there is still time.
Spot colours and mid-tones, the ones packaging uses most, are seeing the steepest increases. Major ink manufacturers announced successive price rises through 2026, driven by crude oil and naphtha, and prices look set to stay high. Absorbing that with your own price rises is close to its limit. Find the design that gives the cost back, now.
SUBTRACTION · FAQ
Questions
we get a lot.
If something is missing here, just get in touch.
Why reduce ink?
Most packaging carries more ink than it needs. We reduce in three levels. Taken to level 3, worked examples suggest a 55–75% reduction in ink usage (varying with plate count, printing method and run length). A reduction in ink usage does not translate one-to-one into a reduction in print cost: plates, finishing and other elements sit in that cost too. Confirm the real figure with your printer’s quote. The brand stays where it was.
Will my brand stay recognizable?
Yes. Each level is built around your brand mark, key icon and color hierarchy. Your DNA stays, the ink and the clutter go, not the brand.
How do the three levels work?
One line, three levels of ink reduction, from a light trim to full monochrome. You pick how far to take it; the studio refines the chosen level with you.
Do you store my files?
Images you upload on the Try page are processed inside your browser only, and never sent to or stored on our servers. If you share a file with us to discuss a project, we use it solely to answer you and never share it with a third party. To have it deleted, write to hello@archeco.studio.
Can I get production files?
Yes. Automatic generation of print-ready data is still in development, so for now the studio prepares your print file individually from what you send us (early beta). You can register on the Try page to hear when automatic generation opens.
Will it print well?
Previews are directional. The studio produces the final press files with you once a direction is chosen.
Is it web only?
Beyond the preview on the web, we take it through to the print-ready file. Automatic generation is still in development, so the studio finishes that file and delivers it directly.