Custom Rigid Shirt Boxes
Custom rigid shirt boxes from 100 — a two-piece lid and base in wrapped grayboard, deep enough for a boxed dress shirt with its collar intact, in contrast colors inside and out, and solid enough that the customer keeps the box after the shirt is worn.
A shirt box that is still in the wardrobe a year later
- Board
- 2 mm grayboard wrapped in printed or colored paper
- Construction
- Two-piece lid and base; shallow or full-depth lid
- Inside
- Tissue, folding board, collar stay or a card insert
Get a price for Rigid Shirt 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.
Why a dress shirt suits a rigid build
Rigid walls do not flex when the lid is lifted, so a pressed collar and a folded front arrive exactly as they left the packing table. The base can be deeper than a carton allows without bowing, which leaves room for a collar stay, a folding board and a layer of tissue. If the shirt is a casual one folded by hand, the sizing logic in our folded shirt boxes and their sizing is the better starting point; this page is for the shirt sold as a gift or a made-to-measure piece.
Contrast inside the base
- Black lid over a white base, the look in most tailoring boxes.
- White lid over a bright base (orange, cobalt, red) so the color shows only when the lid comes off.
- Base wrap and lid wrap ordered as two papers, so the contrast costs a second paper, not a second print.
- A printed band or message on the inside of the lid, seen the moment it is lifted.
Lid depth and the lift
A rigid lid that fits too well traps air and will not come off. We allow a small clearance and sample the fit on the actual board before the wrap is printed.
| Shallow lid (about a third of the base) | Shows the base color as a band; easier to lift |
|---|---|
| Full-depth lid | Hides the base completely; slower, heavier lift |
| Thumb notch in the base | Lets the lid come off without tipping the box |
| Air channel at the corners | Stops a tight lid from sticking on a vacuum |
Hang tags, tissue and the finishing kit
Several shirt brands tie a printed hang tag to the button placket and lay it on top of the tissue, so the first thing seen is the tag, not the box. We can print the tag, the tissue seal sticker and the care card to match the wrap. A belly band around the closed box carries size and fit without printing them on the box itself, which keeps one box for every size.
Rigid Shirt 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
- 2 mm grayboard wrapped in printed or colored paper
- Construction
- Two-piece lid and base; shallow or full-depth lid
- Inside
- Tissue, folding board, collar stay or a card insert
- Finish
- Matte or soft-touch wrap, foil-stamped or blind-embossed logo
- Extras
- Hang tags, belly bands, seal stickers, care cards
- Delivery
- Shipped assembled, nested where sizes allow
- 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 rigid shirt 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: rigid shirt 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 Rigid Shirt 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 rigid shirt 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 makes a rigid shirt box different from a regular shirt box?
The walls are wrapped grayboard rather than folded card, so the box keeps its shape, the base can be deeper, and customers reuse it.
Will a dress shirt collar survive in a rigid shirt box?
Yes, if the base is deep enough for the collar and a collar stay. We size the depth from your folded shirt, not from a stock size.
Can the lid and base of a rigid shirt box be different colors?
Yes. They are wrapped separately, so a black lid over an orange or white base is a second paper rather than a second print run.
How deep should the lid be on a rigid shirt box?
A shallow lid shows a band of the base color and lifts easily; a full-depth lid hides the base. Both are common for shirts.
Why do some rigid shirt box lids get stuck?
A tight lid traps air. We leave a small clearance and can add a thumb notch so the lid lifts without the base coming with it.
Can you print hang tags to match the rigid shirt box?
Yes, along with tissue seal stickers and care cards, all matched to the wrap color.
Can one rigid shirt box serve every collar size?
Usually, yes. Size and fit go on a belly band or a sticker, so one box covers the range.
Do rigid shirt boxes come flat?
No. A rigid shirt box ships assembled; nesting sizes inside each other reduces the freight.
Can a rigid shirt box hold a shirt and a tie together?
Yes, with a card insert that keeps the rolled tie in its own pocket beside the folded shirt.
Is a rigid shirt box suitable for made-to-measure shirts?
It is the usual choice, because the box is kept and the logo stays in the customer’s wardrobe.
How many rigid shirt boxes can we order in the first run?
From 100, with the lid and base papers chosen per order so a reorder can change the base color.
Same range
