Custom Suitcase Boxes
Custom suitcase boxes with a handle that carries and a front that opens like a case, sized to your set, from 100. Folding or rigid, printed to look like luggage or like you — dieline and price the same working day.
A box you carry out of the shop by the handle
- Board
- 20–24pt boxboard, E flute, or wrapped grayboard
- Builds
- Drop-front clasp, lift-off lid, hinged magnetic, book-spine
- Handle
- Die-cut board, ribbon, rope or plastic; load set by board
Get a price for Suitcase 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.
Folding board or rigid, and what each carries
The handle is the deciding factor. A die-cut board handle carries about a kilogram on folding board and two on corrugated; a rigid case takes a ribbon, rope or plastic handle that carries more.
| Folding boxboard, 20–24pt | Ships flat, cheaper; handle die-cut from the top; light sets |
|---|---|
| E-flute corrugated | Stronger handle, still folds flat; children's kits, heavier sets |
| Wrapped rigid grayboard | The real briefcase feel; ships assembled; premium gift and sample cases |
How the front opens
- Drop-front with a tuck or a hook-and-slot "clasp" — the classic suitcase look, one piece.
- Lift-off lid on a rigid base, with the handle on the base.
- Hinged rigid lid with a magnetic close, handle on the lid.
- Two-piece tray and lid joined by a printed spine, opening like a book.
Inside: the insert makes it a kit
A suitcase box is nearly always a set — a skincare travel kit, a children's craft set, a sample case, a spirits miniature collection. The insert that holds each piece in its place is what turns the case into a product. Die-cut board with a printed top, foam for glass, or a folded board platform for flat items. Our inserts for holding a product set cover the options and what each costs.
Printing a suitcase to look like one, or not
Half of these are printed as luggage — leather texture, stitching, straps, travel stickers — and it works for children's and travel-themed products. The other half are printed as the brand and use the shape alone for the effect. Both are full-color offset on a laminated board; the luggage look gains from a matte lamination and an emboss on the strap lines.
The handle area is folded and gripped; keep critical artwork off it, and expect a matte film to scuff there before anywhere else.
Sizes, and the ratio that reads as a suitcase
A suitcase box is wider than it is tall and shallow front to back — roughly 3:2:0.5. Common sizes run from a 200 × 150 × 50 mm miniature to a 400 × 300 × 100 mm kit. Deeper than that and the handle carries too much and the front bows; the box becomes a carry case with a different construction.
Suitcase 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, E flute, or wrapped grayboard
- Builds
- Drop-front clasp, lift-off lid, hinged magnetic, book-spine
- Handle
- Die-cut board, ribbon, rope or plastic; load set by board
- Sizing
- Roughly 3:2:0.5; 200 × 150 × 50 mm to 400 × 300 × 100 mm
- Inserts
- Die-cut board, foam, folded platform
- Full color, matte or gloss laminate; emboss on detail
- 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 suitcase 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: suitcase 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 Suitcase 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 suitcase 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.
How much weight can the handle carry?
About a kilogram on a die-cut folding-board handle, twice that on corrugated, more on a rigid case with a fitted handle. We set the build from the packed weight.
Does it ship flat?
Folding and corrugated versions do. A rigid suitcase box ships assembled.
Can I have a real clasp?
A hook-and-slot board clasp is standard. A magnetic close on a rigid lid gives the click of a real case.
Can the inside hold several items?
Yes, with a die-cut or foam insert drawn from each item's dimensions. That is what most suitcase boxes are for.
Can it be printed to look like real luggage?
Yes: leather texture, stitching and straps in full color, with an emboss on the strap lines if you want the relief.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
What sizes are possible?
From a miniature around 200 × 150 × 50 mm up to a kit around 400 × 300 × 100 mm. Deeper than that we suggest a different construction.
Is it strong enough for children's products?
On E-flute corrugated, yes. It takes being carried by the handle and dropped.
Can the handle be a ribbon or rope?
Yes, on a rigid case, fitted through eyelets. Board handles are die-cut into folding versions.
Will the print scuff at the handle?
The handle is where it wears first. A matte laminate helps, and keeping detailed artwork off the handle area helps more.
Can I get a sample?
Yes, a plain sample at the finished size, which shows the handle and the front opening working.
Do you send a dieline?
With the quote and before anything is cut.
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