Custom Kraft Pillow Boxes
A pillow box is one piece of board with two curved die-cuts. Flat it is a rectangle; closed it becomes a soft-cornered shape with no square edges anywhere — which is why it reads as a gift rather than a carton, and why it holds less than people expect.
- Build
- One-piece pillow box with curved die-cut ends
- Board
- 250–350gsm; kraft, kraft-look coated or white
- Sizing
- Built to the actual item — internal volume is smaller than the flat suggests
Get a price for Kraft 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.
The curve costs you the corners
Because the ends arc inward, the usable internal volume is noticeably smaller than the flat dimensions suggest — the space near each end tapers away to nothing. Anything rigid and rectangular will not fit the way the outline implies.
Pillow boxes suit soft, thin or small contents: jewelry, a scarf, a bar of soap, an accessory, a gift card. For a rigid box-shaped object they are the wrong build and it will not close flat.
Send the item rather than its dimensions. Whether a pillow box closes over something is not obvious from length and width alone.
Where kraft helps and where it does not
A brand color on kraft comes out warmer and duller than the proof. Design in one or two flat colors and it looks superb; ask it to carry a precise brand color and it will need a white underbase, which removes most of the reason for choosing kraft.
| Appearance | Natural, unfussy, and the current default for handmade and gift |
|---|---|
| Absorbs ink; flat colors excellent, photographic images poor | |
| Marks | Hides handling and scuffs far better than white board |
| Strength | The same as any board of that weight — brown is not stronger |
It ships flat and stays flat
- The blank is completely flat until closed, so postage and storage are minimal.
- It closes by hand in about two seconds with no glue.
- It also springs back open if the board is too heavy for the size.
- Above about 350gsm a small pillow box fights being closed at all.
Windows and ribbon slots
A die-cut window in the front panel shows the contents and is the commonest addition here. It weakens the panel a little, and on a pillow box the panel is already curved, so keep the window central and away from the arcs.
A pair of slots for a ribbon lets the box be tied without adhesive, which suits a gift build and holds the closure shut at the same time.
It is a gift box, so it gets given
Almost every pillow box ends up handed to somebody. That means the closure has to still work after being opened, the print has to survive a bag, and nothing about the pack should need scissors.
It also means the inside of the panel is briefly visible when it opens — a printed inner costs a second pass and is seen at the one moment that matters, the same argument as across our gift box range.
Kraft 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
- Build
- One-piece pillow box with curved die-cut ends
- Board
- 250–350gsm; kraft, kraft-look coated or white
- Sizing
- Built to the actual item — internal volume is smaller than the flat suggests
- Options
- Die-cut windows, ribbon slots, hang holes
- Outer and inner; flat colors on kraft
- 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 kraft 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: kraft 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 Kraft 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 kraft 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.
Why will my product not fit?
The curved ends taper the internal space away. A pillow box holds less than its flat dimensions suggest.
What board weight?
250–350gsm. Heavier than that and a small pillow box fights being closed and springs back open.
Will my logo print accurately on kraft?
Not in full color — it sinks in and comes out warmer. Flat colors look excellent.
Can it be tied with ribbon?
Yes, through a pair of die-cut slots. It holds the closure shut and needs no adhesive.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes, supplied flat.
Does the window weaken the curved panel?
A little — keep it central and away from the arcs, and it holds fine.
Why will my product not fit?
The curved ends taper the internal space away. A pillow box holds less than its flat dimensions suggest, and nothing rigid and rectangular sits well in one.
What board weight?
250–350gsm. Heavier than that and a small pillow box fights being closed and springs back open.
Will my logo print accurately on kraft?
Not in full color — it sinks in and comes out warmer. Flat colors look excellent.
Can it be tied with ribbon?
Yes, through a pair of die-cut slots. It holds the closure shut and needs no adhesive.
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