What makes food packaging different from other custom boxes?
A food box sits against something that can be oily, wet, hot or frozen, so we choose the board and the inside surface first and design the artwork around them.
A box for a candle or a T-shirt only has to hold its shape and look good. A box for food also touches what your customer is about to eat, it is folded by your staff at speed, and it is often opened and eaten from on the spot. Those conditions decide the board, the coating and the structure, so that is where we start before anyone picks colours.
We think about every food box in two layers. The first is whatever touches the food - the inner surface of the box, a liner, a tray or a sheet of greaseproof paper. The second is everything your customer sees and carries. We keep the food-facing side plain and suitable for contact, and put your branding on the outside, so each surface does the job it is best at. We confirm the board and coating are suitable for direct food contact before anything goes into production.
- We settle what touches the food first, then design the outside
- A liner or tray can take the food-contact role inside a fully printed box
- We pick styles that fold quickly in a busy kitchen
Will a food box hold up to grease and moisture?
Yes. We give food boxes a barrier on the side that faces the food - a grease-resistant board, a water-based coating, a liner or a tray - so oil and steam stay inside and the outside stays clean.
Plain board is made of fibres that soak up liquid, which is why we never send fried food, butter-rich pastry or saucy dishes out in it. Tell us what goes in the box and we choose the inside surface to suit it: a grease-resistant board or a water-based barrier coating for most hot and oily food, or a separate sheet or tray between the food and the box when you want the printed board kept completely clear.
We also plan for steam and cold. Hot food releases steam that rises into the lid, so for anything that travels we add vents or a slightly looser-fitting lid to let it out. Chilled food gathers condensation when it meets warm air, so for those boxes we use a board and finish that keep their strength and print when they get damp. Heavier or wetter orders can move up to corrugated board, which stays rigid.
Every barrier we use is chosen for the food it will meet, and we confirm it is suitable for direct contact with that food before production.
Hot, cold or frozen: does temperature change the box?
Yes. We vent boxes for hot food, choose finishes that handle condensation for chilled food, and use board and adhesives made for the freezer for frozen products.
For hot food such as pizza, burgers, fries, noodles and fish and chips, the aim is to keep the heat in without trapping the steam that makes crisp food soft. That is why our takeaway styles use vents, open tops or lids that let air out. Custom Pizza Boxes and Custom Burger Boxes are built around this balance, and we make Custom French Fry Boxes open at the top on purpose so the fries stay crisp.
Cold and chilled items like cakes, cheesecake, sushi and sandwiches come out of a fridge and gather condensation, so we choose a board and coating that keep the print sharp when the surface gets damp. Frozen products go further. Ice cream and ready meals can sit in a freezer for months, so we make Custom Frozen Food Boxes and Custom Ice Cream Boxes on board and glue meant for those temperatures, and they hold together from the freezer to the table.
- Hot: we vent the box so the steam escapes and the food stays crisp
- Chilled: we use a finish that handles condensation
- Frozen: we use board and glue made for the freezer
Takeaway, retail shelf or gift: which kind of food box do I need?
Tell us where the box will be used and we recommend the style: takeaway packaging is built for speed and handling, retail packaging for the shelf, and gift packaging for the moment it is opened.
Takeaway and delivery boxes are folded by your staff during service, filled quickly and carried a short distance. For these we recommend flat-packed styles that lock in seconds, such as Custom Chinese Takeout Boxes, Custom Gable Boxes with a built-in handle, Custom Food Trays and Custom Lunch Boxes. We keep the print simple and bold, because the box does its branding in the few minutes it is in your customer's hands.
Retail food sits on a shelf next to other brands for weeks, so we give it clear panels for product information, a stable base and, if you want it, a matching display unit for the counter. Custom Folding Cartons, Custom Snack Boxes, Custom Tea Boxes, Custom Coffee Boxes and Custom Display Boxes cover most of this ground.
Gifting is where presentation leads. Chocolates, truffles, macarons, baklava and boxed sweets are often bought for someone else, so the opening matters as much as the contents. Our Custom Chocolate Boxes, Custom Truffle Boxes, Custom Ballotin Boxes and Custom Rigid Bakery Boxes give a heavier, more lasting feel that suits a present.
Should a bakery box have a window?
Yes, when your bakes sell on looks. We recommend a window for cupcakes, donuts and decorated cakes, and a solid box for bread, bagels and croissants, where a little air matters more than a view.
A window is a clear film panel glued behind a die-cut opening. It lets your customer check they have the right cake, and it lets a counter display work without opening every box. We make Custom Bakery Boxes, Custom Cupcake Boxes, Custom Donut Boxes, Custom Cake Boxes and Custom Pastry Boxes with or without one.
We place the window over the most decorated part of the product and keep a band of board around the opening so the box stays strong. Your print goes on the board around it, so we lay out the logo and wording on the dieline to frame the window rather than compete with it. For warm bakes, we recommend letting them cool before boxing so the film stays clear. For bread and other plain bakes, a solid box or a paper bag keeps things simple and gives you the whole surface for print.
- We place the window over the most decorated part of the bake
- We keep a margin of board around the opening for strength
- Solid boxes or paper bags suit bread and plain bakes
How much space do I need for labels and food information?
We set aside a clear panel for your product information before placing logos and images, so everything your food has to carry fits at a readable size.
Pre-packed food usually carries details such as the product name, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, storage instructions, a date mark and your business name and address. Tell us what your label must include and we leave room for it on the panel and lay it out on the proof, so you can see exactly how it reads before anything is printed.
Many food brands print one shared design on the box and add a small label for the details that change between flavours or batches, such as ingredients and dates. This keeps one printed box working across your whole range. If you go this way, we leave a flat, uncoated area where the label will stick well and size it around a standard label shape, and we can print the labels too.
For takeaway food made to order, we can print a simple panel or leave a sticker area on the box so allergen information reaches your customer with the meal.
Which food box styles suit which products?
We match the structure to the food's shape, weight and serving style: tuck-end cartons for light dry goods, trays and clamshells for meals, gable and handle boxes for carrying, and rigid boxes for premium gifts.
Light, dry and regularly shaped products such as tea, coffee, pasta, snacks and candy suit folding cartons. They print well, pack flat and sit neatly on a shelf. Our Custom Pasta Boxes, Custom Candy Boxes and Custom Popcorn Boxes are variations on this idea, each shaped for its product.
Meals and street food need a firm base and a way to eat straight from the box. For these we make trays, clamshells and wrap-around sleeves such as Custom Sandwich Boxes, Custom Sushi Boxes, Custom Taco Boxes, Custom Hot Dog Boxes and Custom Shawarma Boxes. Heavier or shared orders move up to corrugated board, as with our Custom Catering Boxes.
Fragile or individually portioned items get an insert. Cupcakes, macarons, cake pops and chocolates each sit in their own cavity, sized to the piece, so they arrive exactly as you packed them. For drinks, Custom Drink Carriers take care of carrying and branding at the counter.
- Dry and light: folding carton
- Meals and street food: tray, clamshell or sleeve
- Fragile or portioned: a fitted cavity insert
- Heavy or shared: corrugated board
Is paper food packaging recyclable?
Yes. We make our food boxes from paperboard, which goes in with paper recycling as long as it is not heavily soiled with food, and we keep it that way by choosing the barrier carefully.
Paperboard starts out recyclable, and the choices made after that decide how easy it stays. For the grease barrier we can use a water-based coating instead of a plastic laminate, which keeps the board easy to recycle. We can keep windows small or leave them out, and we can make the whole box from a single material so your customer has nothing to separate.
We can also print a short line on the box telling your customer how to dispose of it, and we help you word any environmental message so it says exactly what the box does - no more, no less. If keeping the packaging simple to recycle matters to you, tell us when you send your brief and we build it into the specification from the start.
- Water-based barrier coatings instead of plastic laminates
- Small windows, or none
- One material throughout, with disposal wording printed on the box
