Custom Cardboard Pillow Boxes
Custom cardboard pillow boxes — one piece, curved ends, closed by hand — printed and sized to your item from 100. Dieline and price the same working day.
The box that closes without glue, tape or a tuck
- Board
- 250–350 gsm or 16pt; kraft or coated white
- Builds
- One-piece pillow with curved ends; window optional
- Sizing
- Flat length and width; depth about a fifth of the width
Get a price for Cardboard Pillow 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.
What fits in a pillow box
What does not fit: anything rigid and deep. A pillow box is flat by nature and holds its shape by curving; a tall rigid item flattens the curve and opens the ends.
| Sachets, samples, single doses | The pharmacy and cosmetics sample format |
|---|---|
| Small soft goods | Socks, scarves, hair accessories, a folded tee |
| Sweets, cookies, favors | Wedding and party tables |
| Cards, vouchers, small flat gifts | Gift cards, jewelry on a card, USB drives |
Sizing a curve
A pillow box is specified flat — length and width — and its depth comes from the curve, roughly a fifth of the width. A 100 × 60 mm box holds about 15 mm at the middle and nothing at the ends. Size the flat to the item plus 20 mm on the length and 10 mm on the width, and send the item; the dieline shows the curve at true size.
Board, and why it matters more here
Our pharmaceutical boxes for samples and doses use the pillow box for single-dose and sample packs.
- 250–300 gsm for a small favor box — folds cleanly, closes with a soft click.
- 350 gsm or 16pt for boxes over 150 mm or holding anything with weight.
- Kraft for a natural look with one color; coated white for full color.
- Board that is too heavy will not curve; too light will not hold the ends closed.
Print and finish on a curved surface
The two faces of a pillow box are gently curved and print as a flat sheet, so a pattern, a color and a centered logo all work. Foil and spot UV take well; a window can be cut in one face. Lamination is kept thin so the curve still forms. A ribbon or a sticker seal is added for a gift.
The ends are unglued and can be opened and reclosed. For a tamper-evident pack, a sticker seal over one end is the usual answer.
Flat delivery and the fastest assembly
Pillow boxes ship as glued flat tubes. To fill: squeeze, drop the item in, fold one end in, then the other. A packer does a few hundred an hour without training, which is why the format is chosen for favors and samples in volume.
Cardboard Pillow 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
- Board
- 250–350 gsm or 16pt; kraft or coated white
- Builds
- One-piece pillow with curved ends; window optional
- Sizing
- Flat length and width; depth about a fifth of the width
- Full color or 1 color on kraft; foil, spot UV
- Closure
- Hand-folded ends; sticker seal or ribbon optional
- Supply
- Glued flat tubes
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. One side or both, with spot colors where a match has to hold.
- Color
- CMYK as standard. Uncoated and kraft stocks print lighter and warmer; a spot color is the only exact match.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, creasing plus or minus 0.5 mm, confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, made once and kept. Foil and emboss dies per artwork, also kept.
- Food contact
- Food-grade board and inks where the carton touches food, with the interior left plain.
- Sustainability
- Mono-material board wherever the product allows; recycled-content and FSC stocks; no claim printed the pack does not earn.
- 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 cardboard pillow boxes on
A folding carton is one sheet of board, so the board is the product. These are the stocks we run for cartons, what each is good at, and where it lets you down.
Natural kraft
Unbleached folding board. Warm, hides marks, costs least. Mutes color — one or two flat colors print well, photographs do not.
250–350gsm sleeves; 14–24pt cartonsWhite SBS
Solid bleached sulfate: bright, coated, the retail carton standard. Takes accurate color and every finish. Shows scuffs sooner than kraft.
14–24ptWhite lined chipboard
A recycled gray core under a white printing face. Cheaper than SBS and slightly duller; the back of the sheet stays gray.
16–24ptKraft-look coated
A kraft face over a coated inner. The natural look with a barrier behind it — the answer where oil, grease or moisture would mark plain kraft.
14–20ptRecycled-content board
Post-consumer fiber with a gray-brown cast. Right for outers and inner components; poor for bright whites and photography.
16–22ptMicro-flute E and F
A fine corrugated layer where a carton needs structure it cannot get from board — a large panel, a heavy product, a box that ships alone.
E 1.5 mm; F 0.8 mmUncoated and textured
No clay coat, or a linen or laid grain. Print reads softer and warmer; a deboss goes deeper. Photographs do not sit well on it.
280–350gsmMetallised and pearlescent
A metallic or pearl face for a shelf that needs to catch light. Costly, and it fights a photograph — a mark or a pattern suits it better.
16–20ptNot 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.
Every finish here is a decision about light on a shelf, not about luxury.
Matte lamination
Reads considered, hides marks, takes a ballpoint.
Gloss lamination
Lifts color; glares under shop lighting.
Soft-touch
Velvet in the hand; shows fingerprints in a bag.
Hot foil
Real metal leaf — the most reliable premium signal.
Emboss / deboss
Shape with no ink; works in the dark.
Spot UV
Gloss shapes on a matte field.
Uncoated kraft
Warm, natural, mutes color.
Textured stock
Texture in the paper; cannot scuff off.
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 folding carton so the die comes out right: cardboard pillow boxes
Measure the product, not the box it is in now. A carton is built around what has to fit inside it, assembled — cap on, lid fitted, folded if it folds — at its widest point in each direction. Send those three numbers and say which is which.
- Length x width x height
- Internal, always. External dimensions include the board and are what the carrier measures, not what the product needs.
- Clearance
- 2–3 mm a side for a snug fit; more where an insert or void fill goes in. A carton cut exactly to the product is slow to pack and transmits every knock.
- Board thickness
- Heavier board takes internal space from the product. It matters most on small boxes, where four walls of 24pt is a real share of the cavity.
- Varies between batches?
- Glass, textiles, molded parts and cured soap all do. Measure several and build to the largest.
- Cutting tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm on folding board. Confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Units
- Metric or imperial, as long as you say which. Mixing them in one spec is where mistakes happen.
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 Cardboard Pillow 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 cardboard pillow 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.
How much does a pillow box hold?
Its depth at the middle is about a fifth of its width and nothing at the ends, so it suits flat and soft items. A 100 × 60 mm box holds about 15 mm at the center.
Does it need glue or tape to close?
No. The curved ends fold in against each other and hold. A sticker or ribbon is added only for a gift or a tamper seal.
What board do you use?
250–300 gsm for small boxes, 350 gsm or 16pt for larger ones. Too heavy will not curve; too light will not stay closed.
Can I have a window?
Yes, cut in one face.
Can it be printed in full color?
Yes, on coated white. Kraft with one color suits a natural look.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Do they ship flat?
Yes, as glued flat tubes that squeeze open.
Can I use them for pharmacy samples?
Yes, they are a standard format for sachets and single doses, with a sticker seal for tamper evidence.
How fast can they be filled?
A few hundred an hour by hand without training: squeeze, fill, fold one end, fold the other.
Can the box be reclosed?
Yes, the ends open and close repeatedly.
Can I have foil?
Yes, and spot UV. Lamination is kept thin so the curve still forms.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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