Folding carton
The everyday printed box — cosmetics, medicine, food. Ships flat, folds into shape, and carries most of the branding you see on shelves.
Before a customer ever touches the product, they touch the box. Packaging protects what's inside, explains what it is, and quietly sells it — three jobs in one piece of cardboard. This guide explains the essentials in plain terms.
Most products travel inside packaging within packaging within packaging. Not every product needs all three layers — but each layer present should have a clear job.
The layer touching the product itself: the bottle, the pouch, the blister pack. It keeps the product sealed and safe.
Groups primary packages for the shelf or extra protection: the printed carton holding the bottle — and doing the selling.
The shipping layer: cartons, pallets, and crates that move products safely in bulk from factory to warehouse to store.
From drops, moisture, light, and time. Good packaging means fewer damaged goods, fewer returns, and a longer shelf life.
Ingredients, barcodes, warnings, instructions. Some of it is required by law — and clear labels build trust on their own.
Color, shape, and typography working as a silent salesperson — on a crowded shelf, the box speaks before anyone reads a word.
The everyday printed box — cosmetics, medicine, food. Ships flat, folds into shape, and carries most of the branding you see on shelves.
The shipping workhorse. The wavy fluted wall between two liners absorbs impact — the thicker the flute, the tougher the box.
Thick, firm, and it does not fold flat — think phone boxes and luxury goods. The stiffness itself signals quality before the lid lifts.
Pouches, sachets, and mailers — light, resealable, and space-efficient. Common for snacks, coffee, and e-commerce shipping.
A dieline is the flat map of a 3D box: where it cuts, where it creases, where it glues. The design is printed flat on this map, then cut and folded into shape. If the artwork ignores the dieline, a logo can end up folded around a corner — so every panel is designed exactly where the map says it will land.
One flat sheet becomes four walls, a top, and a bottom — the dieline decides where every panel lands.
A thin protective layer, matte or gloss. It guards against scuffing and moisture — and sets the whole mood of the box in the hand.
Metallic shine pressed onto the board with heat. Used sparingly — a logo, a line — it reads instantly as premium.
A design raised out of the board, or pressed into it — no ink needed. Texture the fingertips notice before the eyes do.
Structure, artwork, proof, then production. If you are unsure whether your artwork fits the dieline, send it to us.
Checking is free; re-boxing is not.
CMYK, bleed, and binding — the language of print, in plain terms.
Read the guide → Topic 02Page layout, typography, and the craft of multilingual documents.
Read the guide → Topic 03Translation, culture, and formats — going global by going local.
Read the guide → Topic 04Manuals people can actually follow — with zero confusion.
Read the guide → Topic 06Design thinking, the Double Diamond, and how projects run.
Read the guide → Topic 07Warehouse, assembly, and delivery — from press to doorstep.
Read the guide →