Custom Corporate Gift Boxes
Custom corporate gift boxes built for a list of recipients rather than a shelf, from 100 units. One design, contents that change by tier, an insert that keeps a mixed set in order, and a plan for whether they ship to one address or three hundred.
A box that has to work for a list, not a shelf
- Build
- Wrapped rigid box, lift-off or magnetic lid; folding carton for lighter programs
- Inserts
- Die-cut paperboard, EVA foam or flocked tray cut to the actual items
- Tiers
- One outer size, insert changed per tier
Get a price for Corporate Gift 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.
One box, several tiers of contents
Almost every corporate program has tiers: the client list gets the full set, the team gets a smaller one, and the prospect list gets the card and one item. Ordering three box sizes triples the tooling. The better plan is one outer size with a different insert for each tier, so the box is the same and the contents scale.
It also means every recipient gets the same first impression, which is usually the point of the exercise.
| Full set | Deep insert, every cell filled, printed card in the lid |
|---|---|
| Standard | Same box, shallower insert, two items and a card |
| Card and one item | Same footprint, thin platform — the box is still the same box |
The insert is the real design job
Mixed contents are the hard part. A bottle, a notebook, a candle and a bag of coffee have nothing in common dimensionally, and a box that lets them shift arrives as a jumble. A die-cut paperboard or foam insert with a cell for each item is what turns the same components into something that looks curated.
Send us the actual items, or their dimensions, before we cut anything. Inserts are built to the objects, not guessed from a list.
If the contents might change next year, ask for the insert as a separate part. A new insert is a fraction of the cost of a new box.
Where they ship to decides the box
Three hundred boxes to one office is one pallet and an outer carton. Three hundred boxes to three hundred homes is three hundred parcels, and now the gift box needs a mailer around it or has to be tough enough to travel alone. The parcel cost is set by the box volume, and we set the sizes against carrier bands using the method in our explanation of dimensional weight and box size.
For drop-shipping, a rigid box inside a fitted corrugated mailer is the usual answer. For a single delivery, the rigid box alone in a bulk carton is enough.
Branding with restraint
For the box itself, most programs use a wrapped rigid build with a lift-off or magnetic lid — the construction we describe on our rigid box page for premium presentation. It is heavier than a folding carton and that weight is doing work here.
- A logo on the lid is expected; a logo on every panel is not, and reads as merchandising.
- Co-branded programs — your brand and the client's — need the two marks at settled sizes before artwork starts. This is where approvals stall.
- The inside lid is the place for a message. It is read once, at the right moment.
- A blind emboss or a single foil over a solid color outlasts a full-color lid, and looks more like a gift than a package.
The calendar problem
Most corporate gifting lands in the last six weeks of the year, and so does everyone else's. Rigid boxes are hand-wrapped, inserts are cut to order and the contents come from other suppliers with their own lead times. Programs that brief in September ship on time; programs that brief in November choose from what is possible.
Corporate Gift 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
- Wrapped rigid box, lift-off or magnetic lid; folding carton for lighter programs
- Inserts
- Die-cut paperboard, EVA foam or flocked tray cut to the actual items
- Tiers
- One outer size, insert changed per tier
- Shipping
- Bulk cartons to one address, or fitted corrugated mailers for drop-ship
- Branding
- Foil, blind emboss, printed inner lid, co-brand layouts
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
- Timing
- Brief by early October for December delivery
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 corporate gift 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: corporate gift 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 Corporate Gift 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 corporate gift 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.
Can one box work for different gift tiers?
Yes, and it should. Keep one outer size and change the insert depth and cell layout per tier, so the tooling is paid for once.
Do you fill the boxes?
We make the packaging and the inserts. Send the items or their dimensions and we cut the insert to fit; filling is usually done by you or a fulfillment partner.
Can you ship each box to a different address?
We ship the empty boxes in bulk to wherever the filling happens. If you need a mailer for each gift, we make a fitted corrugated outer to match.
How far ahead should I order for the holidays?
Brief by early October. Rigid boxes are hand-wrapped and the contents from other suppliers add their own lead time.
Can the box be co-branded?
Yes. Agree the two logo sizes and positions before artwork; that decision is what slows most corporate approvals.
What holds a mixed set of items still?
A die-cut insert with a cell for each item. Built to the actual objects — we do not guess from a list.
Is a rigid box necessary?
For an executive or client program, usually. A folding carton with a good insert works for larger team programs where the unit cost matters more.
Can I reuse the box design next year with new contents?
Yes, if the insert is a separate part. The box stays, the insert changes, and the second year costs much less.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes. The hand-wrapping means the set-up is in the die and print rather than a large press make-ready.
Can you print a personal message inside?
A general message inside the lid, yes. Names per box are better done on an inserted card than on the print run.
Will you send a sample before the run?
A white sample of the box and insert, with your actual items in it if you send them, so the fit is confirmed before print.
How long does production take?
It depends on the build, the insert and the quantity. We give a date with the quote, and in Q4 that date is the one to plan around.
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