Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Kraft boxes work by staying out of the way. The unbleached, visibly fibrous stock reads as honest and unfussy rather than trying to compete with the product for attention, which is why it shows up so often on organic goods, artisan food and minimalist accessories. Natural brown is the default, but bleached white kraft and a matte black option both take a single logo stamp or spot-UV detail cleanly for brands that want the texture without the traditional brown-paper look.
Kraft paperboard is made from a higher-yield, less-processed pulping method than standard white paperboard, which is what gives it that visible fiber texture and natural brown color, and increasingly, what makes it a shorthand for "sustainable" packaging even when the box itself isn't actually more recyclable than a coated alternative. Setting the sustainability branding aside, the material has real practical advantages: it's naturally sturdy for its weight, takes a rustic or hand-crafted look without added finishing, and its muted background makes a single-color logo or minimal design stand out more than it would on bright printed stock.
The natural brown shade is the default and the most recognizable, but kraft board is also available bleached to a cleaner off-white, or coated black for a darker, more premium read. The same fiber base with a different finish over it. Black kraft in particular has become common for higher-end products that still want the material's texture without the traditional brown-paper association; it takes foil stamping and spot-UV well, since both show up clearly against a dark, matte background.
A cut-out or acetate window is a frequent addition, especially for food and small gadget packaging, since it lets a customer see the actual product through the box rather than relying on printed photography. Useful for anything where color, texture or fill level factors into a buying decision, like candy, baked goods or textiles. Kraft also holds up reasonably well to printing directly on the board itself for shipping and handling information, though for detailed multi-color branding, a printed label or wrap applied to the kraft surface usually reproduces color more accurately than direct printing on the uncoated stock.
Because kraft's appeal is largely about restraint, it's worth resisting the urge to over-design it. A single logo stamp, one accent color, or a simple die-cut window tends to read better on kraft than a box crowded with printed graphics, which starts to fight the material's texture rather than complement it. For food-contact use, confirm the stock and any coating are food-safe before ordering, since not all kraft board is treated for direct contact with edible products.
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.
The construction is conventional (usually a tuck carton or a mailer) and the material does the talking. Unbleached kraft board is left uncoated so the fiber texture stays visible, and print coverage is deliberately kept low, often a single color, because heavy ink on kraft fights the exact quality that made you choose it.
Can I print full color on kraft? You can, but colors shift against the brown base and lose brightness. If the artwork needs accurate full color, kraft is the wrong stock rather than a problem to solve in prepress.
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 |
You can, but every color shifts against the brown base and loses brightness. There is no white to print onto. If the artwork needs accurate full color, kraft is the wrong stock rather than a prepress problem to solve.
It can, though it works against the point. The uncoated fiber texture is the reason to choose kraft, and a film over it produces a slightly odd hybrid. If you need protection, consider a heavier kraft rather than a laminate.
Unbleached and uncoated board avoids the bleaching stage and stays easily recyclable, which is a genuine advantage. It stops being true the moment you laminate it or print heavy coverage across it.
One or two solid colors, ideally dark, and generous white space. Foil also sits well against kraft. The stock is doing the aesthetic work, so the print should stay out of its way.
Pricing for kraft boxes starts at $210 and moves with quantity, size, material and finish rather than sitting on a fixed list. Setup is shared across the run, so the per-unit price drops steeply as the quantity rises: the gap between a few hundred and a few thousand is usually the significant one. Send the size, quantity and what it has to do and you get a firm figure back, not a range.
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 kraft 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. Unbleached board, minimal coverage 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: uncoated kraft, low coverage. Order it when the material should read as unfussy. If you have seen it called brown kraft boxes 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 kraft 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: kraft 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.
