Custom Toys Boxes
Custom toy boxes for figures, plush, vehicles and playsets — window cartons with an insert that holds the toy, lidded boxes for sets, hang-tab packs — toy-safe and sized to the toy from 100. Dieline and price the same working day.
A toy box is opened by a child and judged by a parent
- Board
- 20–24pt laminated boxboard; E flute white-lined; toy-safe
- Builds
- Window carton with insert, open-front box, lidded playset box, two-piece, tuck with window
- Insert
- Board cut-out, paper-tie backer, molded pulp, formed tray
Get a price for Toys 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.
Toy types and the box each wants
| Action figures and small vehicles | Window carton with a formed or board insert; hang tab |
|---|---|
| Plush | Open-front box or a belly band; the plush is touched, not windowed |
| Playsets and vehicles | Lidded E-flute box with a divider; a photograph on the lid |
| Puzzles and games | Two-piece lidded box; a plain inside |
| Small novelties | Tuck carton with a window; counter display of 12 or 24 |
Holding the toy in view
A toy loose in a window box turns its back to the window. A board insert with a cut-out, a paper tie through the backer, or a molded pulp tray holds it facing out and stops it rattling in transit. Plastic-free builds use board and paper ties; collector lines use an anti-scuff window and a sealed top. Our die-cast car boxes for collectors show the small-box version.
Toy-safe, and the regulatory back
The dieline reserves the panel from the start. Adding it later moves the artwork.
- Board and inks specified to toy-safe grades.
- Age grade and warnings in the forms each market requires — US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia — in a reserved panel.
- A barcode on a matte patch.
- Choking-hazard and small-parts marks where the toy needs them.
Board and a toy-shop shelf
20–24pt laminated boxboard for cartons; E flute with a white liner for playsets and anything over a kilogram; a crash-lock base on both so they are loaded from the top and stand square. Windows with rounded corners and generous margins, because a creased front is a returned toy.
Toy boxes are tested for the shelf and the shipper: a filled sample is dropped and stacked before print.
Ranges, series and the shipper
A toy range is a set of boxes on as few dies as the toys allow, with one print system and a color per series. Boxes ship in divided cases of 6 or 12 to the retailer, and in a mailer with clearance direct. Both are quoted with the box.
Toys 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 laminated boxboard; E flute white-lined; toy-safe
- Builds
- Window carton with insert, open-front box, lidded playset box, two-piece, tuck with window
- Insert
- Board cut-out, paper-tie backer, molded pulp, formed tray
- Window
- PET, anti-scuff or paper-based; rounded corners
- Full color, laminated; regulatory panel per market; barcode patch
- Test
- Filled sample dropped and stacked before print
- 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 toys 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: toys 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 Toys 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 toys 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 is the toy held facing the window?
With a board insert, a paper-tie backer or a pulp tray cut to the toy, so it faces out and does not rattle.
Are the boxes toy-safe?
Yes, board and inks to toy-safe grades, with the regulatory panel reserved per market.
Can the box be plastic-free?
Yes, with board inserts, paper ties and a paper-based window film.
What board is used for a playset?
E flute with a white liner and a crash-lock base, for anything over a kilogram.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Do you test the box?
Yes, a filled sample is dropped and stacked before print.
Can plush be boxed?
Usually in an open-front box or a belly band, so it can be touched. A window box is used where it must stay clean.
Can a toy box hang on a peg?
Yes, cartons take a hang tab or a Euro-slot.
Do collectors need anything special?
An anti-scuff window, a sealed top and a crease-free front, shipped one per mailer.
Can one die serve a series?
Yes, if the toys are a similar size. Send the range and we plan it.
Do you supply the shipping case?
Yes, a divided case of 6 or 12, quoted with the box.
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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