Custom Embossed Boxes
Embossing is the only decoration on this site that works in the dark. There is no ink and no color — the board is pressed into a shape, and what you see is a shadow and what you feel is an edge. That makes it the most subtle finish available, and the easiest to specify badly.
- Processes
- Blind emboss, deboss, foil emboss, registered emboss over print
- Detail limit
- Around 0.5 mm; fine serifs and hairlines need simplifying
- Board
- 16–24pt folding, 350gsm+ uncoated, or wrapped rigid
Get a price for Embossed 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.
Emboss, deboss, and which one to use
An emboss pushes the shape up out of the surface; a deboss presses it in. Structurally they are the same operation from opposite sides, and they read completely differently.
Raised detail catches light along its top edge and feels expensive on a coated stock. Debossed detail collects shadow and works best on heavy uncoated board, where it looks like the mark was made in something solid. Deboss on thick uncoated is the current default in premium packaging, and it is the more forgiving of the two.
A deboss on the outside is an emboss on the inside. On a single-layer carton, check what the reverse looks like before committing.
What the die can and cannot hold
Logos designed for print often need simplifying for an emboss die. That is normal, it is a small piece of artwork work, and it is far better done before the die is cut than after.
- Detail below about 0.5 mm fills in and disappears.
- Fine serif type embosses poorly; the thin strokes flatten out.
- Large solid areas emboss weakly, because there is no edge to catch light.
- A shape with a clear outline and some open space inside it works best.
Board is part of the specification here
| Light board under 14pt | Will not hold dot height; the emboss flattens in transit |
|---|---|
| 16–24pt folding | The workable range for most embossed cartons |
| Heavy uncoated 350gsm+ | The best surface for deboss; holds a crisp edge |
| Wrapped rigid board | Emboss into the wrap; deep detail possible |
| Heavily coated stock | Can crack along the raised edge — test first |
Combining it with foil, and with nothing
A foil emboss puts metal leaf into a raised shape in one pass, which is the most expensive and most striking option. A blind emboss has no foil, no ink and no color, and it is the most restrained thing we make.
Blind is the harder one to get right and the one that ages best, because there is nothing on the surface to scuff. The trade-off against the other finishes is set out in our specialty finish notes.
The die, and why repeats are cheaper
A metal die is engraved to your artwork, and it belongs to your job. The first order carries that cost; every reorder carries only the pressing.
That makes an embossed box look expensive at 100 units and reasonable by the third run. If you expect to reorder, it is worth doing properly the first time rather than approximating the effect with print.
Embossed 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
- Processes
- Blind emboss, deboss, foil emboss, registered emboss over print
- Detail limit
- Around 0.5 mm; fine serifs and hairlines need simplifying
- Board
- 16–24pt folding, 350gsm+ uncoated, or wrapped rigid
- Tooling
- Engraved die made per job and reused on repeat orders
- Builds
- Folding cartons, sleeves, rigid lid and base
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- The wrap is printed offset as a flat sheet and applied to the board, so the print quality is that of a sheet rather than a box.
- Color
- CMYK on the wrap with spot colors for a brand match. A textured or soft-touch wrap mutes a solid color slightly.
- Tolerance
- Board cut plus or minus 0.5 mm. Lid fit is set on a sample and held on the run, with an allowance for the delivery climate.
- Tooling
- No cutting die on the box itself. The tooling is the wrap print and any foil or emboss die, made once and kept.
- Food contact
- A food-grade liner or an inner tray where a rigid box holds unwrapped food.
- Sustainability
- Board and paper recycle together. Magnets, ribbon and foam come out first, and the spec says which the box has.
- 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 embossed boxes on
A rigid box is two materials: the grayboard that holds the shape and the paper wrapped around it. The board decides the feel; the wrap decides everything a customer sees and touches.
Grayboard 1.2–1.5 mm
The light rigid box: jewelry, small cases, card boxes. Heavy in the hand for its size without thick walls on a small cavity.
1.2–1.5 mmGrayboard 2–3 mm
The full rigid box. Resists crushing, bends poorly — thickness is chosen from box size so a wide lid does not sag.
2–3 mmArt paper wrap
Printed coated paper, matte or gloss laminated. Full color, photographs, any design. The most flexible wrap and the least tactile.
128–157gsmSoft-touch wrap
A velvet-feel laminate over printed paper. Reads expensive, shows fingerprints on white, and scuffs at the corners before anywhere else.
128–157gsm laminatedLinen and textured wrap
Texture woven into the paper, so it cannot scuff off. Takes foil and deboss beautifully; breaks up a solid print.
120–140gsmLeather-grain and specialty
Embossed grain papers, metallics and colored stocks. One color and a foil mark, not a photograph.
120–160gsmFlocked and velvet liners
A short-fiber or woven pile for the interior and the insert. Holds a product without marking it and sets the color the piece is seen against.
Applied to board or foamMagnets and hardware
Neodymium magnets under the wrap, ribbon pulls, and hinges built from the wrap itself. Each is a line on the quote.
Per closureNot 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.
On a rigid box the wrap is the finish, and the corners are where it is judged.
Soft-touch wrap
Velvet in the hand. The category default, and it scuffs at the corners first.
Linen and laid
Texture woven into the paper; hides marks and cannot rub off.
Hot foil
Stamped into the wrap. Small block, cheap die, large effect on a lid.
Blind deboss
Shape with no ink. On a textured wrap it is the quietest premium mark there is.
Spot UV on matte
A gloss shape on a matte field; a pattern that only shows at an angle.
Colored liner
A wrap on the inside face, seen for a second as the lid lifts. The cheapest thing that changes an opening.
Leather-grain
Embossed grain paper. One color and a foil mark, never a photograph.
Ribbon and hardware
A pull under the product, magnets under the wrap, a hinge built from the paper.
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 rigid box, where the wrap is part of the wall: embossed boxes
A rigid box is built up rather than folded, so the internal size is set first and the board and wrap are added outside it. The lid is then made to fit the base, and that fit is the thing people judge.
- Internal dimensions
- The product plus its insert, at the widest point. Everything else is built outward from this number.
- Wall build-up
- Each wall is the grayboard plus the wrap on both faces — roughly 2.5 mm on a 2 mm board. A small box gains noticeably in outside size.
- Lid clearance
- A few tenths of a millimeter. Set on a plain sample: a slow, air-cushioned lift, not a lid that drops off or has to be prised.
- Insert depth
- The tallest item plus 2 mm. On a two-layer box, this sets the total height and the ribbon lift.
- Humidity
- Board takes up moisture and a lid set snug in a dry factory can bind in a damp shop. We allow for the delivery market.
- Tolerance
- Plus or minus 0.5 mm on a rigid box, tighter than folding board because nothing springs back.
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 Embossed 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 embossed 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 boxes, with the die engraved to your artwork.
Emboss or deboss?
Deboss on heavy uncoated board is the more forgiving and the more current. Emboss on coated stock catches light better.
Will my logo work as an emboss?
If it has a clear outline and nothing thinner than about 0.5 mm. Fine type usually needs simplifying first.
Do I pay for the die again on a reorder?
No. It is engraved once for your artwork and reused.
Can the board crack?
Heavily coated stock can crack along a raised edge. We test the board before running the full job.
Foil emboss or blind emboss?
Foil emboss puts metal leaf into the shape in one pass — the most striking option. Blind emboss has no color at all and ages best.
Emboss or deboss?
Deboss on heavy uncoated board is the more forgiving and the more current. Emboss on coated stock catches light better.
Will my logo work as an emboss?
If it has a clear outline and nothing thinner than about 0.5 mm. Fine type usually needs simplifying first.
Do I pay for the die again on a reorder?
No. It is engraved once for your artwork and reused.
Can the board crack?
Heavily coated stock can crack along a raised edge. We test the board before running the full job.
Same range
