Rigid Gift Boxes

Greyboard, wrap and a hand-formed lid

Stiff board is cut, grooved and wrapped in printed paper, then formed by hand into a separate lid and base.

The core is dense greyboard, usually 1.5 to 3mm thick. It is cut to size, grooved at the corners and covered with paper that folds over the edges and into the inside, so nothing is printed on the board itself.

Lid and base are made as two pieces and each is wrapped on its own. The inside is then lined with a thinner paper that hides the raw board edges, which is why the inside colour can differ from the outside.

• Greyboard core, typically 1.5-3mm
• Printed wrap carries all colour and texture
• Inside lining hides the board edges

Lift-off lid, shoulder neck, flap or drawer?

The lid style decides how the box opens, how it stacks and how much hand work goes into every unit.

A lift-off lid is the simplest: two parts, one wrap each, and the easiest to stack. A shoulder-neck box adds a recessed neck to the base so the lid slides over it and closes slowly, at the cost of extra material and labour.

A hinged flap stays attached and opens like a book, which suits boxes that get reopened. A drawer or slide box suits flat, wide items such as jewellery and cards, but the tray has to be built tightly enough to slide without catching.

• Lift-off: simplest and stacks best
• Shoulder neck: slow, snug close, more material
• Hinged flap: the lid cannot be lost
• Drawer: flat items, needs a precise fit

Measuring for a fitted insert

Product, insert and board all take space, so measure the real product rather than trusting a figure from a spec sheet.

A fitted insert is cut or moulded to the item. It is usually foam, wrapped board or a pulp tray, and each wall takes a few millimetres from the interior. The wrapped board then adds more to the outside of every dimension.

Fit is a trade-off. Too tight and the product scuffs as it goes in and out. Too loose and it rattles. Send us the real item's measurements and we draw the insert around them with a small clearance, so you can check the fit on the dieline and digital proof. Depth needs the same care, because a product standing proud of the insert will press on the lid.

Rigid box or a printed mailer?

A rigid box presents a gift. A mailer carries one. Most rigid boxes are posted inside something else.

Rigid board resists crushing but not knocks. Corners dent and the wrap scuffs or tears at the edges when a box is dropped, so a rigid box sent on its own usually needs an outer carton or a snug shipper around it.

A mailer ships flat, weighs far less and survives the post better, which is why it often wins for single orders. The rigid box earns its place where the box is part of the gift, and a common pairing is a rigid box packed inside a plain shipper.

Foil, embossing and soft-touch on wrapped paper

Finishes go onto the paper before it is wrapped, so the paper, not the board, sets what is possible.

Hot foil and embossing are applied to the flat sheet. Embossing needs a paper that can stretch: a heavy coated stock holds a crisp edge, while thin or deeply textured paper cracks or loses the detail. Foil breaks up across a rough grain, so fine lines and small type belong on smooth stock.

Soft-touch lamination feels velvety and shows fingerprints, especially on dark colours. Wrapped corners and edges are where any paper wears first. Tell us how often the box will be handled and we suggest a paper and finish that wear well there.

Rigid box or folding carton?

A rigid box is the pick when the box itself stays on the shelf or the desk. A folding carton is the pick for a product that is opened once, posted in volume or thrown away.

Most rigid boxes ship assembled, so they take up the freight space of the finished box, and they weigh many times more than a folding carton of the same size. Both facts are paid for again on every parcel. Where freight is the worry, a collapsible rigid box folds flat for delivery and keeps the wrapped finish.

If the box will not be kept, the board and the wrap are bought only to be discarded. A folding carton or a mailer is the better fit for a product that is opened once, and the rigid box earns its cost where the box is part of what is kept.