Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Cake boxes are built to hold their shape under the weight of frosting, fillings and stacked tiers, with a flat, level base that keeps a cake from shifting or tilting in transit. Most orders use corrugated board for structural support on larger or multi-tier cakes, or a lighter SBS/kraft carton for cupcakes and single-layer cakes. An optional window shows off the cake without opening the box, and a grease-resistant interior coating keeps buttercream and ganache from staining through during delivery.
A cake has to survive a car ride, a flight of stairs or a delivery van before anyone sees it, and the box is what carries that weight without letting the cake shift, tilt or crush against the lid. Most cake boxes are built from corrugated board for a single-wall or double-wall base that can support a full sheet cake or a stacked tier without the bottom sagging, while lighter bakery items (cupcakes, small round cakes, single-layer cakes) often ship fine in a folding SBS or kraft carton with less structural weight behind it. The base matters more than the lid on a cake box, since that's the surface actually bearing the load in transit.
Sizing runs off the cake itself: round boxes are typically sold in even inch increments (6", 8", 10", 12" and up) to match standard cake pan sizes, while square and rectangular boxes cover sheet cakes and multi-tier orders where a round box would waste space. A cake box that's too large lets the cake slide during transport; one sized correctly, with maybe half an inch of clearance, keeps it centered. For tiered cakes, non-slip cake boards or a separate support column between tiers matter more than the box itself, so it's worth deciding on tier count and stacking method before finalizing box size.
A clear window on the lid or side panel is common for bakery display and lets a customer see the cake without opening the box and breaking a seal, though a fully enclosed box protects better against dust and temperature swings during longer transport. Locking tab closures keep the lid seated without tape, which matters for a box that needs to look presentable straight off the shelf or out of a delivery bag. A top carry handle, either a die-cut finger hole or a separate handle insert, makes a single box easier to transport one-handed. Useful for pickup orders and home delivery alike.
Interior coating is worth checking before ordering in bulk: a grease-resistant or food-safe lining keeps buttercream, ganache and cream cheese frosting from bleeding through the board and staining the outside of the box, especially over a longer delivery window or in a warm vehicle. Refrigerated or frozen cakes introduce condensation as they come back to room temperature, which uncoated board handles poorly. Matching the coating and board weight to how the cake will actually be stored and transported avoids a box that looks fine at the counter but softens by the time it reaches the table.
The board is chosen against weight, not appearance. How much the box has to carry and how much abuse it takes on the way. Folding boxboard coated on one side takes the best print and suits anything retail-facing. Corrugated adds a fluted middle layer that absorbs impact, which is what makes it a shipping material. Rigid chipboard does not fold at all; it is cut, wrapped and assembled into a box that feels like an object rather than a carton.
How do I know which board I need? Tell us the weight of the contents and whether it ships alone or inside another carton. Those two facts eliminate most of the list immediately.
Most cartons run offset litho, which holds fine detail and small type far better than printing directly onto board. Corrugated is usually litho-laminated for the same reason. The graphics are printed on a thin sheet and bonded to the fluted board, rather than printed onto a ribbed surface that shows through. Where a brand color must match across every reorder, it runs as a Pantone spot rather than being approximated from process inks.
Should I print the inside? Only if the box is opened in front of the customer. On a shipper it is money spent where nobody looks.
A coating does two jobs on packaging: it protects the print from scuffing through the supply chain, and it sets the tactile impression when someone picks the box up. Gloss lamination maximizes color and wipes clean. Matte reads more restrained and hides handling marks. Soft-touch is a matte film with a velvety surface that changes how expensive a box feels more than any other single decision at this stage.
Is lamination necessary? On anything that travels, yes. Unlaminated board scuffs white at every corner and edge, and that is the first thing a customer sees.
A carton starts as a flat blank cut by a steel-rule die, with fold lines scored rather than merely creased so the board bends along a controlled path instead of cracking its coating. The glue is applied to the side seam and the box is delivered flat, folded on that one seam. Everything about how the finished box behaves (whether it locks square, whether the lid sits flush) is decided by the accuracy of the die and the score positions.
Why does my box arrive flat? It ships flat and folds up at your end. A fraction of the freight cost and storage space of a pre-assembled box, which is why almost all cartons are supplied this way.
A cake box fails at the base or not at all. The construction locks the bottom into a flat, rigid platform that stays level when the box is lifted from the sides, because any flex there slides the cake and marks the frosting. Height is generous to clear tiers and decoration without contact, and a window is often cut into the lid so the box can be checked without being opened.
Will the base hold a heavy tiered cake? Give us the weight and the diameter. Above a certain load the base spec changes and we would normally add a separate board under the cake.
Ask for samples of any board on this list before committing to a run. Stiffness and surface are impossible to judge on screen.
A bonded film that carries the box through the supply chain without scuffing white at the corners. Gloss holds color saturation; matte reads more restrained and hides handling marks across a long shelf life.
A matte film with a velvety surface that changes how expensive a box feels more than any other single decision. It marks more readily than gloss, so it suits a box that is opened once rather than handled daily.
Metallic foil pressed into the board under heat. On packaging it works hardest on a logo or a single rule rather than across large areas. A small foil element against an uncoated or matte ground reads as considered.
A raised gloss varnish on selected elements, or the board physically pressed into relief. Both add a tactile layer that survives being seen only once, which on packaging is often the only moment that matters.
Same family, genuinely different jobs. Your current selection is highlighted.
| Box | From | Construction | Order it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Packaging Box | $185 | Dieline drawn to your product | Nothing standard fits what you make |
| Tuck Box | $210 | Folding carton, tuck end | The default retail carton |
| Mailer Box | $220 | Self-locking roll end, E-flute | It ships direct and gets opened on camera |
| Retail Box | $225 | Carton built around shelf hierarchy | It competes for attention on a shelf |
| Corrugated Boxes | $385 | Litho-laminated corrugated | Retail print quality plus impact resistance |
| Cardboard Packaging | $378 | Slotted shipping carton | Shipping, moving and bulk storage |
| Kraft Box | $210 | Uncoated kraft, low coverage | The material should read as unfussy |
| Bux Board Box | $235 | Solid recycled board, folded | Rigid protection without corrugated cost |
| Gift Boxes | $185 | Lid and base, or collapsible rigid | It is opened as part of the occasion |
| Magnetic Box | $325 | Rigid, hinged lid, concealed magnets | The closure itself has to feel expensive |
| Linen Card Box | $320 | Linen-embossed wrap over rigid | Formal, textured, type-led packaging |
| Apparel Box | $280 | Shallow lid over a wide base | Folded clothing and accessories |
| Watch Box | $305 | Rigid shell, strap pillow | The interior matters more than the outside |
| Cosmetic Packaging | $210 | Fitted tray or sleeve per SKU | A range of small, awkward product shapes |
| Bottle Packaging | $870 | Die-cut inserts, 1-4 bottles | Glass must never touch glass |
| Cake Packaging | $424 | Locked flat base, tall clearance | The base has to carry weight, level |
| Gable Box | $185 | Peaked seam with die-cut handle | Someone carries it away by hand |
| Pyramid Box | $275 | Square base folding to a point | It should not read as packaging |
| Toy Box | $235 | Window patch, reinforced corners | The product has to be visible on shelf |
| Software Boxes | $320 | Shallow carton, fitted interior | Media and printed matter, held apart |
Give us the weight and the diameter. Above a certain load the base specification changes, and we would normally recommend a separate cake board under the cake regardless. The box carries the board, the board carries the cake.
The sides and lid should not, but the base often does, which is why food-grade board and coating are specified as standard here rather than on request. Most bakeries still set the cake on a separate board inside the box, and we would recommend it at any size.
Yes, and it is common so the box can be checked without being opened. Keep it central and away from the corners, which is where the lid takes its handling stress.
Measure the finished cake including decoration at its tallest point and add clearance. Decoration contacting the lid is the single most common cake box failure, and it happens on the last inch.
There is a practical minimum rather than a hard one. Every run carries artwork checks, a proof and a press setup, so a very small quantity of cake boxes prices poorly per unit even though we will still make it. If you are ordering a small batch, ask for pricing at two or three quantities at once: the curve usually shows that a modest increase costs very little more in total.
The clock starts when you approve the proof, not when the order is placed, which is the part most people are surprised by. You get a proof first: a flat proof showing artwork against the dieline, plus a folded mockup so you can see the panel that actually faces the customer. Nothing is tooled until you approve it, because a steel-rule die is the one thing in this process that cannot be revised cheaply. Turnaround after approval depends on the finish: anything laminated, foiled or die-cut adds a stage that cannot be compressed without causing problems later. Tell us the date you actually need them and we will work backwards from it rather than quoting a generic lead time.
Print-ready artwork with bleed and a safe margin, supplied as a PDF, AI or EPS. Photographic elements should be supplied at the resolution the finished size needs, not the resolution that looks sharp on screen. If your file is not print-ready, say so when you order. We would rather fix it before the proof than after the run.
Yes. Load-bearing locked base is the standard build, and the dimensions around it are yours to set. A size that sits efficiently on the press sheet often costs no more than a standard one, while an awkward proportion that wastes half the sheet does. Ask before you commit and we will tell you whether a small change to the dimensions saves a disproportionate amount.
In most cases they are the same product under a different name: the trade uses several terms for it depending on the region and the supplier. What actually defines this one is the build: locked flat base, tall clearance. Order it when the base has to carry weight, level. If you have seen it called cake packaging elsewhere, describe what it has to do rather than which name you found, and we will match the specification.
Yes. We provide free samples, and on cake boxes it is worth asking for one, because the difference between folding boxboard (c1s) and kraft board is obvious in the hand and invisible on a screen. Most orders run on folding boxboard (c1s), but ask for whichever you are weighing up. You also get a free design proof before anything goes to press, so nothing is printed that you have not seen.
The usual choices are lamination, soft-touch, foil stamping. Finish is not decoration on this product so much as a decision about how long it survives and how it reads in the hand, so it is worth choosing against the job rather than the budget. Tell us where the finished piece ends up and we will say which finish is doing real work and which is only adding cost.
Yes, and that is what almost every order here is. Nothing in this catalogue is a stock item: cake boxes are manufactured to the specification you give us, with your artwork on them. Send your logo as vector artwork where you have it, since that scales to any size without softening. If all you have is a low-resolution file, tell us and we will say what it needs before it reaches the press.
Yes, and a repeat run is simpler than the first one. We keep your approved specification on file, so a reorder skips the setup decisions and goes straight to production. If nothing about the artwork or the specification has changed, there is nothing to re-approve. Tell us the previous order and we will match it rather than starting the specification again.
Yes. Regalo Print has been producing custom commercial print for businesses across the USA and Canada since 2008, and every order ships tracked. The tracking number reaches you the day the job leaves, not the day it arrives. If you are working to a fixed date, say so when you order so the production schedule is built around the delivery date rather than the other way round.
