Custom mailer boxes and gift packaging: how to choose and brand them

The box is the first thing people see. It has to survive the post and still feel like a present when it lands on a desk or a doorstep.

01

Style

The die-cut mailer, FEFCO style 0427, has a hinged lid and locking tabs. It’s a common choice for welcome packs and gift boxes because it opens cleanly and closes again.

02

Board

Corrugated board is graded by flute. E-flute is about 1.3–1.6 mm thick with a high-quality print surface, which suits smaller boxes. B-flute is about 2.6–3.0 mm and gives good all-round performance.

03

Kraft or white

Natural brown kraft looks honest and takes a one-colour logo well. A white outer liner gives brighter, truer colours for full-colour print and illustration.

04

Size

Size the box to the contents and the inserts, not the other way round. Too deep and things slide about in the post; too tight and the lid bows. Check the finished size against the parcel sizes you’ll post it in, too.

05

Certified board

An FSC label tells you where the fibre came from. Ask for the label and the certificate code if you want the FSC mark on the box.

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Where the logo goes.

The lid is the hero: a centred logo, a pattern or a full illustration. The sides carry the logo or a line that shows when boxes are stacked. Inside the lid is the moment of reveal, the place for a welcome line or a short message. Leave the address area plain if the box goes in the post without an outer carton.

Artwork tips for boxes.

• Work on the dieline. Artwork for a box is set out on the flat cutter guide, the dieline. Keep important elements away from folds and cut edges, and add bleed where the print runs off the edge.
• Supply vector artwork. Logos and line work should be vector. Photographs and illustrations need high-resolution files at the printed size.
• Check colour on kraft. Brown board darkens ink and has no white. Light colours can disappear on kraft unless the design allows for it. We confirm the specification for every order.

Making it last.

A sturdy, well-designed box is more likely to be kept and reused, especially one that closes again without tape.

Print on the outside of a box can scuff in transit. If the box travels without an outer carton, choose a tougher board and a design that forgives a few marks.

What people see when the lid opens decides how the whole box feels. Plan it in layers, from the top down.

• A printed card on top. A welcome, a thank-you or a short note on what’s inside. It’s the first thing people read when the lid opens.
• Tissue or a wrap. Branded or plain tissue hides the contents for a moment and protects them.
• An insert. A card or board insert holds each item in place, so the box arrives as it was packed.

A plain mailer with a logo is a quick decision. Bring in Studio, our creative practice, when the box is the gift: a launch, a VIP send or a kit with a story that needs a shape, an opening or a print of its own.

• Bespoke structures. Unusual shapes, drawers, tear strips and reveals. Go Swag Studio
• Full illustration. Artwork that wraps the box and tells a story, inside and out.

Settle these, then bring the list to Studio. We’ll take it from there.