
Varnish
A transparent finishing layer available in gloss, satin, or matte effects. It enhances the printed surface and adds an extra layer of visual appeal and light protection.
Empty Gift Boxes With Lids get bought before anyone knows what will go inside them, which makes them a different buy from packaging built around a product. Take them genuinely blank, as a ready-made design, or printed to your own artwork. Orders start from 100 units.
Most packaging is specified backwards from a product. You know the item, how heavy it is and what journey it makes, and the box follows from there.
An empty gift box turns that around. A gift shop buying them for the counter is choosing a box for contents that have not been decided yet, and in the retail case will be decided by somebody else weeks later. The same is true of a boutique handing one over with a purchase, or a company assembling fifty corporate gifts from a list that keeps changing.
That shifts which decisions matter, and it is worth being straight that a few of the usual ones stop applying altogether.
Two measurements have to be guessed, and they are not equally hard. Footprint is the easier one. A jewellery piece, a candle, a folded scarf and a shirt each have a rough size a buyer can picture, and most gift ranges settle onto a handful of footprints instead of a continuous scale.
Depth is the awkward one, because it is the measurement you have to commit to with the least information. On a lid and base box the lid drops over the outside of the base, so the pair only fits together at one depth, and a box already made cannot be shortened to suit whatever ends up going in it. Cut generously, it takes a wider range of gifts and leaves them loose, which whoever fills it usually solves with tissue or shred. Cut shallow, it presents better and holds the item still, and it rules out anything bulkier.
There is a real limit here, and it is better said plainly than dressed up. Inserts are cut to the product’s own dimensions, so movement inside the box is controlled. That is precisely why an insert cannot be specified for a box sold empty. Once the contents are known it stops being an empty gift box and becomes a fitted one, which is a better result and a different order.
For a range instead of a single box, the workable approach is to settle on two or three footprints with one depth each, then hold those as your fixed sizes.
A lift-off lid is not only a look. It is what lets somebody outside the packaging trade close the box properly. Nothing needs tucking, no flap has to line up and no tape has to be found, which counts when the person closing it is a shopper at the till or a member of staff packing fifty gifts in an afternoon.
It also hands you two surfaces where most formats give one. The lid is made as its own piece, so it can take a different colour or finish from the base, and its inside face can be printed. On an otherwise plain box that inside face is often the only branding worth paying for, and it lands at the one moment the box has somebody’s full attention.
The trade is storage. A rigid two-piece arrives already the shape it will be on the shelf, so it occupies that space from the day it lands. Fine with a stockroom behind you, awkward from a spare room. There are ways around it, and they are worth settling early, because they change which construction you order rather than being an afterthought at packing.
If the closure itself is still the open question, and a magnetic flap or a drawer might beat a lift-off lid, that comparison belongs one level up in the rigid range.
These are three separate routes, and not one offering with options bolted on. The thing that separates them is how much of the box’s appearance you want to be responsible for.
Blank stock commits to nothing. That is its advantage on a shelf, because one plain box serves a birthday in March and a wedding in July, and it does not date. It is also its cost, because an undecorated box has to be dressed at the counter with ribbon or a card, and somebody has to do that every time. A ready-made design trades that away: the look is already settled, so it sells itself unassisted, and in exchange it is committed to an occasion or a palette and will sit awkwardly against the wrong one. That matters more for a shop holding stock through a year than it does for a one-off order, and it is usually the reason a range ends up carrying both. Which colours and sizes are actually held is not a published list, so ask rather than working from a size you saw somewhere else. The production time does not change between the three routes.
The third route is your own print. Boxes can be produced in paperboard, kraft, corrugated or rigid, using offset, digital or screen printing, and finished with matt and gloss lamination, foil stamping, embossing, debossing and spot UV, depending on the specification you choose. Pantone references and CMYK values can be used to manage colour consistency, subject to normal variation caused by the chosen board, ink, coating and production method. Approved dielines, specifications and artwork are retained, so a repeat order can be matched to the specification already approved. For a shop reordering the same three sizes every season, that is usually the part that saves the most work.
One point worth being direct about, because it catches people ordering a range. Orders start from 100 units. That minimum applies to one design and cannot be split across several, so three sizes ordered together are three separate hundreds. Design support is free. A digital 3D mock-up is free. There are no setup fees. Standard production takes 6 to 8 business days after approval. UK delivery is free.
A lid and base gift box is built for presentation, not for despatch. The lid lifts off, which is the entire point of it on a counter and a genuine liability in a parcel network, where boxes get stacked, dropped and pushed through sorting machinery. Sending one on its own usually means putting it inside something else.
If the box itself has to travel through the post, that is a different specification and a different product. A printed postal box, or a mailer with a proper closure, is the honest answer. A gift box with tape wrapped round it is not.
If the gift is food, that is a separate question and not a detail. Food-contact material suitability is confirmed for the specific material before production. Confectionery, bakery items and hampers packed for sale sit with the food range, where that question gets answered properly.
Choosing between a lift-off lid, a magnetic flap and a drawer is covered across the Rigid Boxes range, and Rigid Boxes With Lids and 2 Piece Rigid Gift Boxes are the printed two-piece versions of the box described here. For a round format instead of a square one, see Round Cardboard Gift Boxes With Lids, and the seasonal version is Christmas Gift Boxes With Lids. Where the box has to survive the post instead of a shop counter, start from Small Parcel Boxes or Custom Mailer Boxes, and food gifts belong in Custom Food Boxes. The wider range lives in Gift Boxes.
| Box Style | All Custom Packaging |
| Dimension | All Custom Sizes & Shapes |
| Quantities | 100-unit minimum order |
| Paper Stock | Kraft, corrugated, rigid board, cardstock |
| Printing | CMYK, Pantone, digital and offset |
| Finishing | Gloss, matte, spot UV, embossing, foiling |
| Shipping | Free delivery options |
Choose from premium coating, board, printing and finishing options for your insert boxes.

A transparent finishing layer available in gloss, satin, or matte effects. It enhances the printed surface and adds an extra layer of visual appeal and light protection.

A UV-cured coating applied to specific areas of the design to create gloss or matte contrast and draw attention to important details.

A smooth, velvety coating that creates a soft tactile feel and gives packaging a refined luxury look. It improves the unboxing experience and supports a high-end product presentation.

A soft, smooth lamination with a refined satin-like finish. It gives packaging a premium feel while keeping the surface elegant, subtle, and easy to handle.

A high-gloss UV coating applied only to selected design areas to create sharp contrast, highlight logos, and add a premium visual effect without coating the whole surface.

A clear, fast-drying water-based coating that adds a smooth protective layer while maintaining a clean and professional surface finish. It is a practical choice for everyday printed packaging.

A durable protective film that helps reduce visible scratches, scuffs, fingerprints, and daily handling marks. It keeps packaging looking clean, polished, and premium for longer.

A bleached kraft paperboard made from a mix of virgin and recycled pulp, offering a clean white surface for crisp and polished packaging designs.

A natural kraft paperboard without coating, made from virgin and recycled pulp. It provides a raw, organic appearance with sturdy packaging strength.

A premium bleached paperboard coated on both sides, designed for excellent print quality, die-cutting, and professional packaging results.

A high-quality bleached paperboard coated on one side. It provides a clean printable face with a premium packaging feel.

A smooth printable paper stock that supports high-resolution graphics, clean text, and rich color output for refined packaging presentation.

A natural kraft paperboard made from strong virgin and recycled pulp. It provides an organic, earthy look for sustainable and simple packaging.

A specialty paperboard with a laminated metallic surface available in gold, silver, and other premium finishes for luxury visual impact.

A specialty paperboard with a laminated holographic surface that creates a reflective, rainbow-like appearance for eye-catching product packaging.

A recycled duplex paperboard with a white printable surface. It is ideal for economical packaging that still requires clean graphics and brand presentation.

A kraft board with a smooth clay-coated white face for quality printing and a natural kraft reverse side for a strong, authentic appearance.

A kraft paperboard with a clay-coated printable top surface and a natural unbleached kraft back. It balances clean branding with a rustic natural look.

A duplex paperboard made with recycled pulp and a coated white printable surface. It delivers smooth print results for affordable carton packaging.

A black-dyed kraft board with a natural paper texture and excellent strength. It creates a bold, premium look for luxury and specialty packaging.

A packaging technique where a die-cut opening is covered with a transparent film, allowing the product inside to remain visible while staying protected.

An embossing technique where the raised design is precisely aligned with printed artwork to improve detail, texture, and overall presentation.

A finishing process in which heat and pressure transfer metallic foil to the surface, creating a premium, shiny, and luxurious effect.

A premium finishing method that combines embossing with foil stamping to create a raised design with metallic color and strong visual impact.

A decorative process that transfers foil onto selected areas of the surface using UV-curable adhesive, creating a bright metallic effect with sharp detail.

A technique that raises a design from the surface without ink or foil, giving packaging a clean, elegant, and textured appearance.

A finishing technique that presses a design into the material to create a recessed impression without using ink or foil. It adds subtle depth and a refined tactile effect.

A fast-curing printing process that uses ultraviolet light to dry ink instantly, delivering sharp detail, vibrant colors, and a premium finish.

A durable printing method that uses a mesh screen and stencil to apply ink to surfaces. It is ideal for bold colors and high-impact packaging designs.

A traditional high-quality printing process that transfers designs from plates to a rubber blanket before printing, making it ideal for large-volume production.

A modern printing method that does not require printing plates, making it cost-effective and efficient for short runs, sample production, and small-batch quantities.

Built with three corrugated layers between four linerboard sheets, providing heavy-duty strength for large or industrial packaging needs.

A standard corrugated structure with one fluted medium and two linerboards, providing dependable strength for everyday packaging.

A corrugated sheet with one flute layer between two liners, offering lightweight strength for protective packaging.

An ultra-thin flute grade designed for lightweight packaging, small retail boxes, and high-quality printed presentation.

A slim flute grade with a flatter surface, ideal for detailed printing, display packaging, and premium retail boxes.

Made with two layers of corrugated medium between linerboard sheets, offering added strength and durability for heavier products.

A versatile corrugated flute that offers balanced compression strength, cushioning, and printability for many packaging applications.

A thinner flute grade with a smooth surface, making it suitable for high-quality printing, precise die-cutting, and neat retail packaging.

A thick corrugated flute profile that provides excellent cushioning, compression strength, and stacking support for protective packaging.

A coated linerboard with an off-white surface, suitable for high-quality printing and a refined packaging appearance.

An unbleached kraft linerboard made from recycled paper pulp, offering a natural look with strong durability for eco-conscious packaging.

A coated semi-gloss linerboard with a smooth white surface, ideal for sharp printing, premium presentation, and retail-ready packaging.

A fully bleached corrugated board with a bright white surface, designed to produce clean, vibrant, and high-quality printed packaging.

A UV-cured ink that dries instantly under ultraviolet light and creates crisp, high-quality print results on a wide range of packaging materials.

A plant-based ink made with soybean oil, offering rich color output and a more sustainable printing option for carton packaging.

A standardized color-matching system used to achieve consistent, accurate brand colors across packaging, labels, and printed materials.

A full-color printing process using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks to create vibrant images, gradients, and detailed packaging artwork.
Real feedback from customers who trust us with their custom packaging.
Clear answers about ordering, artwork, production, materials and delivery.
Yes, and blank stock is a route in its own right, not a printed box with the artwork left off. It is the same construction, so a box you buy blank now can be printed later without the shape changing, which is what makes it safe to start plain and brand properly once the range has proved itself.
Either one, depending on the construction you pick. A rigid two-piece box is normally supplied pre-assembled, which is the version that eats shelf space. Flat supply for assembly on your side is available, and so is a collapsible rigid build that folds down between uses. Tell us how much storage you have and we will build that into the specification.
It depends on what the box is made from and how it is finished. An unlaminated paperboard construction may be easier to process through suitable paper-recycling streams than a heavily laminated alternative. Final recyclability depends on the full material and finishing specification and the facilities available locally. We can talk through the options for the specification you are considering, so you can make an accurate claim on your own packaging.
Orders start from 100 units. That figure attaches to a design rather than to an order, so send the whole range you have in mind in one go instead of pricing a single box. What you are really asking is how many separate minimums your range comes to. Standard production takes 6 to 8 business days after approval.