02Finishes

What the hand finds first.

A box is judged by touch before anything is read. These are the finishes we apply most, and the board, paper and inserts underneath them.

01Four finishes, up close

Each is proofed on a printed sample before production, so you see the foil colour, the depth of an emboss and the weight of a seal on your own artwork.

Gold script lettering on a dark green card — Fig. 1. Hot foil stamping

Hot foil stamping

Gold, copper, rose, silver and matt foils pressed with a heated brass die. Fine lines down to roughly 0.3 mm hold well.

Raised floral relief with gilded edges on a white card — Fig. 2. Embossing and debossing

Embossing and debossing

Raised or pressed artwork made with a matched pair of dies. Debossing without foil, called blind deboss, is the quietest finish we offer.

Bronze wax seal on cream tissue inside a green box — Fig. 3. Wax seals and tissue

Wax seals and tissue

Custom-cast seals with your monogram over printed or plain tissue. Small, but it is what people photograph.

Kraft box tied with a cream ribbon and dried flowers — Fig. 4. Pulls and hardware

Pulls and hardware

Ribbon pulls, leather tabs, metal studs and concealed magnets, fitted by hand.

02Also on the list

Combined, layered, or used alone.

Most boxes carry two or three of these together. Foil over soft-touch lamination is a common pairing; a plain textured paper with a blind deboss is often the quieter, better one.

05Soft-touch lamination
06Spot UV
07Textured specialty papers
08Linen and buckram cloth
09Screen printing on dark stock
10Edge painting
11Window patching
12Velvet and EVA inserts

03Materials

Under the finish.

A rigid box is greyboard wrapped in paper or cloth, with an insert to hold the product still. Board thickness follows the size and weight of what goes inside.

Board, wrap papers and inserts used in our boxes
A. Board
Greyboard, 1.5 mm	Small, light boxes: jewellery, cards, a single bottle.
Greyboard, 2 mm	The everyday rigid board. Holds a crisp corner on most formats.
Greyboard, 2.5 mm	Heavier products and wider lids that must not flex.
Greyboard, 3 mm	Large apparel and hamper boxes, where long walls would otherwise bow.
B. Wrap papers
Art paper	Smooth and fully printable. Usually laminated in matt, gloss or soft-touch.
Textured specialty paper	Felt-marked, embossed and pearlescent stocks, often left unprinted and finished with foil alone.
Kraft	Natural brown or black. Sturdy, honest, and takes foil and screen print well.
Linen cloth	Woven bookcloth backed with paper. Wears well and softens with handling.
C. Inserts
Card	Die-cut and folded board, wrapped to match the box or left plain.
EVA foam	Cut to the product's outline. A firm hold for bottles, glass and devices.
Velvet-flocked	Flocked trays and cushions for rings, pendants and watches.
Moulded pulp	Formed from paper fibre. The plastic-free choice when foam is not wanted.

Not sure which board or insert your product needs? We decide it together at the white sample stage.

See the process

Fanned swatches of coloured and textured wrap papers — Papers & swatches. Wrap stocks are chosen from physical swatches, never from a screen.

Stack of board and paper sheets, edges in view — Board. Greyboard is cut to size before it is wrapped.

Tell us the feel you want.

Soft and matt, bright and printed, heavy and plain. Describe it, or send a box you like, and we suggest the paper, finish and board to match.

Request a quote