Custom Cake Slice Boxes
A wedge of cake is cut on two sides and iced on the third. The cut faces are what make it look fresh and the iced face is what makes it look expensive, and a box that lets any of them meet board has spoiled the thing it was carrying.
- Build
- Wedge carton with lid; base insert with a shallow recess
- Board
- Grease-resistant food-grade; base a grade heavier than the walls
- Height
- Built to the tallest decoration, with lid deflection allowed for
Get a price for Cake Slice Boxes
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.
Upright, not lying down
A slice laid flat rests on a cut face, and the crumb transfers to the board and stays there. It also loses the profile — the layers, the filling, the height — which is exactly what was being sold.
A wedge box stands the slice on its base with the point forward, so nothing touches the cut faces and the layers are visible through a window. That is the whole reason the format is shaped the way it is.
A single decorated portion has the same lid problem in a box built around one cupcake.
The point of the wedge is where it topples. A base insert with a shallow recess holds it and costs almost nothing.
Height is set by the tallest thing on top
Then allow for lid deflection. A wide flat lid bows in the middle when carried, and on a wedge box the middle is directly above the decoration.
| Plain layer slice | Standard wedge height |
|---|---|
| With a swirl or rosette | Add real clearance; buttercream records every touch |
| With a topper or shard | Measure to the tip, not the sponge |
| Cheesecake or dense slice | Shorter and heavier; base grade matters more than height |
Windows, and where the fog comes from
- A window on the long side shows the layers, which is the strongest thing about a slice.
- A filmed window fogs on anything boxed warm or moved straight from a fridge.
- Fogging is a temperature mistake rather than a materials one — cool fully before boxing.
- A clear lid shows the top decoration and costs more than a side window.
Frosting is fat, and fat travels
Buttercream, ganache and cream cheese frosting are all fat, and fat wicks into uncoated board within hours, showing through as a dark patch that reads as a leak.
Grease-resistant food-grade board handles it, and a die-cut base pad handles the crumb as well — the board and clearance reasoning is set out across our cake packaging range.
It is usually carried one-handed, badly
A single slice is bought on the way somewhere and carried in one hand, often alongside a coffee. It gets tilted, swung and set down heavily, which is a harder journey than a whole cake in two hands ever takes.
That argues for a base grade heavier than the size suggests, and against a tuck closure that can spring open when the box is squeezed.
Cake Slice Boxes — 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
- Build
- Wedge carton with lid; base insert with a shallow recess
- Board
- Grease-resistant food-grade; base a grade heavier than the walls
- Height
- Built to the tallest decoration, with lid deflection allowed for
- Windows
- Side window or clear lid; filmed as standard
- Closure
- Locking rather than plain tuck
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo in one to six colors, printed on the outer face only and before any lining goes on.
- Color
- Food-safe inks throughout. Kraft mutes color; a white board or liner is needed for anything photographic.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, and fit confirmed by filling a plain sample from your own kitchen or line.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, kept. Molded pulp needs a tool per shape, which is a longer lead and a larger one-off.
- Food contact
- Every board food-contact grade, with grease resistance built into the sheet and never a PFAS treatment.
- Sustainability
- Aqueous linings and unlined boards repulp with ordinary paper. PE-lined cups need cup collection, and we say which you have.
- 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 cake slice boxes on
Food packaging is chosen for what the food does to it: grease, steam, heat and time. Every board here is food-contact grade, and none of them uses a PFAS treatment for grease resistance.
Food-grade virgin board
Bleached board made for direct food contact. Clean, bright, no recycled fiber and no mineral-oil risk from recovered paper.
14–24ptGrease-resistant board
Resistance built into the sheet rather than sprayed on. Holds fries, pastry and butter without darkening. PFAS-free.
16–24ptPE-lined cupstock
Board with a polyethylene film for hot and cold liquid. Microwave-safe for reheating; recycled only where cup collection exists.
260–350gsmAqueous-lined cupstock
A water-based lining instead of PE. Repulpable in ordinary paper recycling in more places, and compostable; a slightly shorter hold time.
260–320gsmGreaseproof and glassine
Dense, calendered paper that resists fat through the fiber. Wraps, liners and interleaves; breathable, so pastry stays crisp.
30–55gsmFood-grade corrugated
E and B flute with a food-contact liner, vented where steam has to leave. Pizza, catering and anything hot and heavy.
E and B fluteMolded pulp and bagasse
Fiber pressed into a shape. Holds heat, resists grease with no lining, composts, and takes only an embossed or one-color mark.
Molded to shapeRecycled board
Post-consumer fiber. Used for outers, sleeves and anything that does not touch food directly — not for direct contact.
Non-contact onlyNot 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.
Food finishes are limited by what may touch food, and that is the point.
Food-safe inks
Printed on the outer face only. Every food pack we make uses them, laminated or not.
Uncoated kraft
No coating at all. Breathable, so pastry stays crisp, and it takes one or two colors.
Aqueous varnish
Scuff resistance without a plastic film, so the pack still repulps.
Molded emboss
A logo pressed into pulp or bagasse. No ink, nothing to rub off, and it survives grease.
Grease-resistant face
Not a finish you can see. It is in the sheet, it is PFAS-free, and it is why the print stays clean.
Matte lamination
Available on outers and sleeves that never touch food — a cake box lid, a carrier, a gift sleeve.
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 food packaging around a portion, hot: cake slice boxes
Food is sized by serving, not by dimensions, and it is served hot, heaped and in a hurry. Send us the portion — or better, the box you use now with the food in it — and we size to how it is actually filled.
- Portion, heaped
- Fries, popcorn and salad are served above the rim. A box sized to a level fill looks mean and spills in a bag.
- Lid clearance
- Enough that a loaded burger or a topped cake does not touch the lid. This is the single most common complaint about a food box.
- Venting
- Hot food steams. Vents in the lid keep pastry and fries crisp; a sealed box is right only for cold food.
- Grease path
- Where the fat sits decides the board. Say if the food is fried, buttered or sauced, and whether it is held for minutes or an hour.
- Stacking in a bag
- Delivery boxes are stacked five high on a bike. The lid has to hold the box above it off the food below.
- Sample fill
- A plain box filled from your kitchen settles the size in one try, and we send one before the run.
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
Build your Cake Slice Boxes in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board 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 cake slice boxes? 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.
What is the minimum order?
100 wedge boxes, printed and windowed to your spec.
Why does the icing smear?
Not enough headroom, or the lid bowing in the middle. Measure to the tallest point and allow for deflection on a wide lid.
Should the slice lie flat?
No. Flat rests on a cut face, transfers crumb and hides the layers, which is what you are selling.
Why does my window fog?
The cake was boxed warm or came straight from the fridge. Cool it fully and a filmed window stays clear.
Why is there a dark patch on the box?
Fat wicking into uncoated board. Grease-resistant stock and a base pad prevent it.
Does it need a locking closure?
For a slice carried one-handed with a coffee, yes. A plain tuck springs open when the box is squeezed.
Why does the icing smear?
Not enough headroom, or the lid bowing in the middle. Measure to the tallest point and allow for deflection on a wide lid.
Should the slice lie flat?
No. Flat rests on a cut face, transfers crumb and hides the layers — which is what you are selling.
Why does my window fog?
The cake was boxed warm or came straight from the fridge. Cool it fully and filmed windows stay clear.
Why is there a dark patch on the box?
Fat wicking into uncoated board. Grease-resistant stock and a base pad prevent it.
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