Custom Squishy Boxes
Custom squishy boxes — a window carton with an opening to squeeze through, a blind box for a series, a counter display — toy-safe and sized to the squishy from 100. Dieline and price the same working day.
A toy that is bought by squeezing it
- Board
- 20–24pt boxboard; reinforced window edge on large windows; toy-safe
- Builds
- Open-window carton, blind box, counter display, multipack
- Window
- Open, or matte film with a squeeze hole; rounded corners; 12 mm margin
Get a price for Squishy 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.
Window with a hole, or a blind box
| Open-window carton | A die-cut window with no film, or a film with a squeeze hole; the shelf format |
|---|---|
| Blind box | A closed carton with a series printed on it and a random squishy inside; collectible |
| Display case | A counter box of 12 or 24 open-window cartons with a header |
| Multipack | Several squishies in a window box with a divider |
Board and a toy that pushes back
A squishy squeezed through a window presses on the window edge, and thin board tears there. 20–24pt board with rounded window corners and a 12 mm margin takes it; a reinforced window edge — a doubled strip glued behind — takes it on a large window. The box is sized to the squishy at rest plus 3 mm, so it does not compress in the box and lose its shape. Our toy boxes for every kind of toy cover the window and insert methods in general.
Foam, scent and the box
- Scented squishies bleed scent into board over months; a plain interior and no laminate on the inside face.
- Foam sticks to gloss film; an open window or a matte film.
- Toy-safe inks and board, and the age grade on the back.
- A small-parts warning where a squishy has keychain hardware.
Blind boxes and the series
A blind-box series is one closed carton printed with every character in the range and a "which one will you get" line, sealed so the contents are a surprise. The box is the same for every unit, which makes it a long run on one die at the best price, and the series is refreshed by a print change.
Blind boxes are sealed with a glued tuck or a sticker, and the seal is what makes the surprise real. Say which.
Where squishies sell
Toy shops, gift shops, stationers, fairs and online. The open-window carton with a hang tab is the peg format; the counter display of 12 or 24 is the till format; the blind box is the collector format. All three from one print system.
Squishy 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
- 20–24pt boxboard; reinforced window edge on large windows; toy-safe
- Builds
- Open-window carton, blind box, counter display, multipack
- Window
- Open, or matte film with a squeeze hole; rounded corners; 12 mm margin
- Interior
- Plain, no laminate; scent-safe
- Full color; series artwork; age grade and small-parts warning
- Seal
- Glued tuck or sticker on blind boxes
- 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 squishy 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: squishy 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 Squishy 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 squishy 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 the squishy be squeezed in the box?
Yes, through an open window or a squeeze hole in the film. That is the point of the box.
Will the window tear?
Not on 20–24pt board with rounded corners and a 12 mm margin, and a reinforced edge on a large window.
Will the squishy lose its shape in the box?
Not if the box is sized to the squishy at rest plus 3 mm, so it is not compressed.
Does scent affect the box?
Over months it can mark a coated interior. We use a plain interior with no laminate inside.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Can I do a blind-box series?
Yes, one sealed carton printed with the whole series, on one die at the best price.
How is a blind box sealed?
With a glued tuck or a sticker. The seal is what makes the surprise real.
Can the box hang on a peg?
Yes, with a hang tab.
Do you make the counter display?
Yes, a box of 12 or 24 cartons with a header, quoted with the cartons.
Are the inks toy-safe?
Yes, board and inks to toy-safe grades.
Does it ship flat?
Yes, all formats.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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