Custom Accordion Paper Shred
Custom accordion paper shred — crinkle-cut kraft, white or colored, with a printed strip if you want it — sized to your box count, from 100 units. Quoted by weight the same working day.
Void fill that people photograph instead of throwing away
- Stock
- Kraft, white or colored paper 60–80 gsm, crinkle-cut 3–4 mm
- Formats
- Loose in bales or bags by weight; printed strip on request
- Coverage
- About 25–30 liters per kilogram
Get a price for Accordion Paper Shred
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
What it is, and how much a box needs
Strips 3–4 mm wide, crimped in an accordion fold, supplied loose by the kilogram in bales or bags. It is dense for its weight: a kilogram fills roughly 25–30 liters, or about a dozen gift boxes of 250 × 200 × 80 mm with a lining and a top layer. We quote by weight against your box size and count.
| Small box (150 × 100 × 50 mm) | About 20–25 g |
|---|---|
| Gift box (250 × 200 × 80 mm) | About 60–80 g |
| Hamper (400 × 300 × 150 mm) | About 200–300 g |
Kraft, white, colored, or printed
Colored and printed shred are a small share of the parcel cost and a large share of the photograph. Our inserts that hold items in place are the structural alternative when the product must not move at all.
- Natural kraft — the default, recycled content, reads as considered.
- White — cleaner, brighter, shows the product; slightly more per kilo.
- Colored — stock colors from a set; matched colors on larger runs.
- Printed — a repeating logo or pattern on the strip before it is cut; the brand in the fill itself.
Protection: what shred does and does not do
Shred cushions light impacts and stops items sliding. It does not hold a heavy or glass item still under a drop — the strips compress and the item reaches the wall. For candles, cosmetics, small goods and food gifts it is enough on its own; for glass and anything over about a kilogram, shred goes around an insert, not instead of one.
Dust, and how it is avoided
Cheap shred sheds paper dust that settles on the product. Ours is cut from a heavier paper and de-dusted after crimping, which is the difference between a clean unboxing and a customer brushing off a candle. It is one of the reasons to buy shred from the same place as the box.
Shred compresses in shipping. Fluff it out of the bale before use, or it packs flat in the box and looks mean.
Recycling and food contact
Paper shred recycles as paper and composts. Kraft and white are food-contact safe for dry goods in a wrapped or boxed state; colored and printed shred should not touch unwrapped food. Say what it is packing and we specify accordingly.
Accordion Paper Shred — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Stock
- Kraft, white or colored paper 60–80 gsm, crinkle-cut 3–4 mm
- Formats
- Loose in bales or bags by weight; printed strip on request
- Coverage
- About 25–30 liters per kilogram
- Colors
- Natural kraft, white, stock colors; matched on larger runs
- Dust
- De-dusted after cutting
- End of life
- Recyclable and compostable
- Minimum
- 100 units (quoted by weight)
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo on a roll for volume, digital for short runs and for variable data such as batch codes and names.
- Color
- CMYK plus spot colors. On clear film a white underprint is needed wherever a color must read against the product.
- Tolerance
- Die-cut plus or minus 0.5 mm, and the label drawn 3 mm inside the panel so a slightly crooked application still looks square.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per shape and size, made once and kept. A change of artwork on the same shape needs no new tooling.
- Food contact
- Food-safe adhesives and inks where a label goes onto food packaging or a food-contact surface.
- Sustainability
- Paper labels recycle with a paper pack. Synthetic labels come off first, and the spec says which yours is.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build accordion paper shred on
A label is a face stock, an adhesive and a liner, and each is chosen from where the label lands. The face decides how it prints; the adhesive decides whether it stays there.
Matte paper face
The everyday label. Writable, recyclable with a paper pack, and the right ground for a barcode. Not waterproof.
80–90gsmGloss paper face
Brighter color and a sharper photograph, at the cost of glare and fingerprints. Never put a barcode under a gloss finish.
80–90gsmKraft paper face
Unbleached and tan. One or two colors and white ink; the artisan seal. Colors print warm and muted on it.
70–90gsmClear polypropylene
The no-label look on glass and clear packaging. Needs a white underprint wherever a color has to read against a dark product.
50–60 micronWhite synthetic
PP or PE film: waterproof, tear-proof and dishwasher-tolerant. For bottles, jars, chilled and frozen goods and anything outdoors.
50–80 micronDirect thermal
Prints black with heat and no ink, for shipping and batch labels. It darkens in heat and fades in sunlight, so it is not for retail.
60–80gsmAdhesives
Permanent for corrugated and long-stay labels; removable for a clean peel; freezer-grade for anything applied cold or stored below zero.
Water- or solvent-basedLaminate and varnish
A film or a coat over the print for scuff and moisture resistance. It also stops a pen working, which matters on a label meant to be written on.
Matte, gloss or noneNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
A label is finished for what will rub against it and whether anyone writes on it.
Matte laminate
Scuff and moisture resistance. Stops a pen working, so not for a label meant to be filled in.
Gloss laminate
Deeper color and a wipeable face. Never over a barcode.
Varnish only
A thin coat instead of a film, so a paper label still recycles with the pack.
Hot foil
On a small label the block is tiny and the effect is out of proportion to the cost.
Embossed label
Raised shape on a face stock, usually on a bottle or a jar where it is felt.
Textured face
Felt, laid or cotton label stock for wine and spirits. Prints softly and tears with a fiber edge.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a label to the panel it sits on: accordion paper shred
A label is cut to the surface, not to a standard size. Send the container or the box — or its dimensions and the panel you want covered — and the label is drawn to fit with the tolerance an applicator needs.
- Flat panel
- The panel less 3 mm each way, so a slightly crooked application still looks square. Rounded corners resist lifting.
- Wrap-around
- The circumference less 5 mm, so the ends butt rather than overlap. A wrap that overlaps its own print reads as a mistake.
- Corner radius
- 2–4 mm. A square corner lifts first and, on a shipping label, jams a sorter.
- Barcode area
- A white matte area with the quiet zone clear on both sides. Verified on the printed label, not on screen.
- Roll direction and core
- Set to your applicator: the wind direction, the core size and the number of labels per roll. Send the machine model.
- Application temperature
- Cold or damp surfaces need a specific adhesive. A standard permanent applied at 2°C often does not stay on.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Accordion Paper Shred
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a face stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about accordion paper shred? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
How much shred do I need per box?
About 20–25 g for a small box, 60–80 g for a gift box, 200–300 g for a hamper. We quote by weight against your box size and count.
Is it recyclable?
Yes, as paper, and it composts.
Can I have it in my brand color?
Stock colors are available on any run; a matched color needs a larger quantity. A printed strip puts the logo in the fill itself.
Does it protect glass?
Only against light knocks. For glass or heavy items use an insert and shred around it, not shred alone.
Does it make dust?
Ours is cut from heavier paper and de-dusted, which is what stops paper dust settling on the product.
What is the minimum order?
100 units, quoted by weight.
Is it food safe?
Kraft and white are fine around wrapped or boxed dry goods. Keep colored and printed shred away from unwrapped food.
How is it supplied?
Loose in compressed bales or bags by the kilogram. Fluff it out before use; it packs down in transit.
Can the shred be printed?
Yes. A repeating logo or pattern is printed on the paper before it is cut into strip.
Kraft or white?
Kraft reads natural and hides marks; white shows the product brighter and costs a little more. Both are in stock.
Can I get a sample?
Yes, a small bag in the color you are considering, so you can pack a box and photograph it.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
Same range
