Custom Makeup Boxes
Most packaging problems are about a single box. Makeup is about a wall of them. A foundation range is one dieline printed thirty ways, and the thing that makes it look like a brand rather than a jumble is the discipline in what stays identical.
- Builds
- Reverse tuck, straight tuck, seal end, two-piece for palettes
- Board
- 14–18pt for single units, 18–24pt for palettes and sets
- Range handling
- One dieline and tool across all shades; print file changes per SKU
Get a price for Makeup 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.
Fix what never changes, then let the shade change
Doing it this way also cuts the cost. One tool, one setup, one board order across the whole range, with only the print file changing per shade — which is exactly what digital print is good at, and why a thirty-SKU range at 100 units each is a normal order rather than an awkward one.
- The dieline: one size across the range, even where a shade sells in half the volume.
- The board and the finish: a matte SKU next to a gloss SKU reads as an error.
- The layout grid: logo, name and panel in the same place on every carton.
- The shade block: the only element allowed to move, and only in color.
Printing a shade is not the same as printing a color
A shade name on a carton implies the carton shows the shade. It rarely does accurately. Skin tones sit in the part of the color space where four-color print is weakest, and a swatch printed CMYK will read warmer under shop light than the product looks on skin.
The two honest answers are a spot color per shade, which is expensive across a range, or a printed swatch that is clearly a graphic device rather than a color match. Brands that pretend the printed swatch is accurate generate returns.
If the shade must match, match it on a sticker or a sealed sample card, not on the printed carton.
Small cartons, big information load
A mascara carton can be 20 mm across and still has to carry all of that. Reserve the panel on the dieline before design begins; the approach and the reasoning are the same as in our cosmetic carton guidance, and skipping it is the single commonest cause of a full-range reprint.
| INCI list | Full ingredient list, descending order, non-negotiable space |
|---|---|
| Net weight | Prominent, in the market's units |
| Batch and PAO | Applied at fill; needs a clear unvarnished patch |
| Responsible person | Address for UK and EU sale |
| Barcode | Unique per shade — thirty shades is thirty codes |
What the box has to survive in a handbag
Makeup packaging is unusual in that a lot of it is carried around after purchase. A palette carton is opened and closed daily; a lipstick carton is normally binned on day one. Be clear about which yours is, because it decides whether you are buying a durable box or a presentation box.
Soft-touch matte laminate looks superb in a photograph and picks up grease marks from fingers faster than any other finish. On anything that lives in a bag, a matte varnish with a spot gloss holds up considerably better.
Makeup 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
- Builds
- Reverse tuck, straight tuck, seal end, two-piece for palettes
- Board
- 14–18pt for single units, 18–24pt for palettes and sets
- Range handling
- One dieline and tool across all shades; print file changes per SKU
- Reserved panel
- INCI, net weight, PAO and batch window marked on the dieline
- Finishes
- Matte, gloss, soft-touch, foil, emboss, spot UV
- Minimum
- 100 cartons per shade
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 makeup 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: makeup 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 Makeup 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 makeup 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 per shade?
100 cartons per shade, sharing one dieline and one board across the range.
Can I add shades later without new tooling?
Yes. The die is kept, so a new shade is a new print file and nothing else.
Why will the printed swatch not match?
Skin tones sit where four-color print is weakest. A spot color matches; CMYK drifts warmer under shop light.
Where does the PAO symbol go?
In the reserved panel with the INCI list and net weight, marked on the dieline before design begins.
Is soft-touch worth it on a lipstick carton?
Only if the carton is kept. On something binned on day one, the money is better spent on the print.
Can you print inside a palette box?
Yes, and on a palette it is in view every time it is opened — a second pass and no extra board.
Can I order 100 of each shade rather than 3,000 of one?
Yes, and that is how most ranges are made here. Same tool, same board, a different print file per shade.
Will the printed swatch match the product?
Not reliably in four-color print, particularly in skin tones. We will tell you where it will drift and offer a spot color if the match has to hold.
Do I need a separate barcode for every shade?
Yes — each shade is a separate saleable item. Send the list and we will place them all on the same panel position.
Is soft-touch a bad idea?
Only where the carton is carried and handled daily. On a boxed gift set it is the best-feeling finish we offer.
Same range
