How To Design a Kraft Paper Custom Box

Kraft Paper Boxes are one of the earliest forms of custom packaging designs. Before the advent of luxurious and colorful designs, Kraft boxes have been the ring leader in the packaging sector because of their simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-make nature.

Designing a Kraft paper box requires simple techniques, but there are little considerations you must keep in mind while you opt for this kind of box or packaging. 

We will look into all your pain points in this article and give you some of the best tips for choosing the perfect design for your kraft paper custom boxes. Let’s get started.

What is Kraft Paper or a Kraft Paper Box

A kraft box or paper is a natural kind of material/ paper. You can tell a kraft paper from its distinct brown color, coarseness, and toughness like cardboard paper.

Like any other paper, kraft papers originate from that part of the tree known as the pulp containing the major wood fiber concentration.

They are natural because they still possess the features of the natural tree and less purification or bleaching procedures. However, the white paper you know and use daily was thoroughly bleached with chlorine.

Using kraft paper implies you’re using environmentally friendlier paper. Using other materials such as bleached papers may pose some health risks, not to mention the less environmentally friendly they become.

Types of Kraft Paper Boxes

Kraft paper boxes come in different types, and they are:

1. Straight Tuck Kraft Boxes

Straight tuck kraft boxes are the most commonly used box for packaging. They come with similar flaps at both ends, which fold directly into the box. 

The box comprises two pairs of winged supports and two major flaps at both ends designed parallel. This box is commonly used for packaging beauty products like creams, foundations, etc.

2. Lock Bottom Kraft Boxes

You can distinguish a lock bottom kraft box by its underside. Its bottom flaps lock to form a shape like a mail envelope.

Lock bottom kraft boxes hold heavier products like glass cups and ceramics. Its locked flaps provide support and durability for the materials it carries.

3. Reverse Tuck Kraft Boxes

The reverse tuck kraft boxes are similar to straight tuck boxes. The only difference is that their major flaps are placed in opposite directions. 

Bathing soap and cosmetic cartons or packages are use cases for this box.

4. Crash Bottom Kraft Boxes

The base flaps of a Crash bottom kraft box overlap and are glued to provide more strength and durability than the lock bottom kraft box.

The introduction of glues in crash bottom kraft boxes makes it a good recommendation for stronger items and goods. Crash bottom kraft boxes are used for luxury and fragile items with high breaking potentials.

5. Kraft Holster Box

This box is often called a half box. It comprises a cut-off top that often reveals the content in the box and a bottom with flaps like a lock bottom or straight tuck kraft box.

6. Tuck Top Kraft Boxes

We usually use this box for packaging flat-top devices like Keyboards, monitors, TV sets, etc. It has a fully locked underside and top closing panel with small-width flaps that fit into the box to form a perfect cuboidal shape.

7. Kraft Sleeves

A kraft sleeve is a kraft box that opens at both ends. It is used as a temporary cover for goods.

Kraft sleeves have no tucks: just two simple openings at both ends. This box is common with ceramic products.

8. Two-Piece Kraft Box

A two-piece kraft box has a tray structure comprising a bottom tray and a lid covering the tray. The lid and the tray are almost indistinguishable and provide durability and support to the box’s content.

Due to its tray-like nature, we use two-piece boxes for packaging jewelry and edible products like Pizza, cakes, etc.

What Makes Kraft Boxes Unique: Benefits of Using Them

In an era of glitz and colorful packaging, kraft boxes still have a lot of benefits to be proud of. Here are some of them:

You can Recycle Kraft Boxes 

Kraft boxes or papers are natural, especially when uncoated in ink. Uncoated kraft boxes are biodegradable and can decay.

While you can make virgin kraft boxes from unbleached wood fibers or pulp, many kraft boxes you see were recycled from previously used materials.

Using kraft boxes is a plus to your business and the environment, especially now that there is high demand for eco-friendlier packaging solutions. This means you’re part of the good movement for a better earth.

They are Reusable

Apart from recycling kraft papers, you can easily reuse kraft boxes. For example, you may use a kraft box to package your household materials to build a bird nest or as eggs baskets.

The durability in kraft boxes makes this possible, hence saving you the cost of buying materials from scratch. This is to say that kraft boxes are cost-effective and last longer than most paper bags used in packaging.

Kraft Box Designs can be Adjusted/Customized

Uncoated kraft boxes give you more rooms to make amends. Although it is classical to use kraft boxes without coating, marketing demands may require you to add little ink or coatings.

Kraft boxes are customizable. We will look at how to design/customize a kraft box later in this article.

Kraft Boxes are Eco-friendly

Kraft boxes are biodegradable, natural, and eco-friendly. Some agro-companies may recycle it to fit into their manure needs.

Kraft boxes are organic and are the closest to the natural wood fiber gotten from trees.

You’re reducing carbon footprints in the ecosystem if you use kraft boxes, which greatly contribute to the environment.

Strong and Durable

No one wants to have bad reviews about their products spoiling along the supply chain. Many manufacturers and retailers are using kraft boxes to reduce the risk of spoilage.

Kraft boxes are strong and last longer than most packaging. Using them provides additional trust that your goods are in safe hands. 

Generally, kraft boxes are perfect for almost all goods, especially delicate or fragile goods like glass or ceramic cups and plates, cosmetics, beverages, etc. However, this depends on the toughness, density, or the type of kraft box you use.

Cheap and Easy-to-Get

Since kraft boxes do not require longer processing/refining procedures like coated or bleached papers, they are cheaper in the markets.

Making kraft boxes out of kraft paper is also easy and may require just a little skill to craft them. Many people may rather opt for weak kraft papers to wrap or package instantly. That is to say, kraft-centric packaging may not require a lot of technicalities.

Customizing and Designing Kraft Paper Boxes

The nature of kraft papers makes designing a bit challenging, and its brownish and coarse natural design leaves you with lesser customizable options.

But there are solutions. There are other ways you can beautifully add great designs to your kraft paper custom box. We’ll walk you through that step in this section.

Adding Labels

You may customize your kraft box with custom labels. 

The custom label is usually for marketing purposes. It should bear your brand logo and additional message or information you need to pass across to your customers.

Choosing the perfect color match while adding your custom label should not bother you. A mixture of white and black designs should give you a perfect and readable label.

If there is a need to, you may subtly use additional colors like red or dark blue that may show your product information visibly.

Custom Imprints and Color Designs

Many brands love to design their custom boxes fully. They do not want to leave customers with a box of brown, monochromatic colors; they would want to add sauce and icing to their packaging. One way to do this is through custom printing with inks.

There are basically four ways to add imprints to your kraft paper custom box:

1. Full-color printing: In this case, you apply a full CMYK color ink directly on the kraft paper. Full-color printing allows you to harness the organic nature of the brown kraft paper, giving you a bleached paper print experience.

2. Printing in an all-black color: Many brands prefer to design their kraft boxes in all-black colors. Inking the kraft paper in bold black gives you a classic design and allows you to capitulate on calligraphy and typography.

3. White ink printing: In contrast to the all-black color printing, you may add only white inks on your kraft paper custom box. This type of printing requires expertise, and you should consult the services of professional printing companies.

4. Vivid color printing: Like full-color printing, vivid colors add spice to the kraft paper. You may add colorful images and designs like actual graphics and direct imagery in this category.

Cutouts

Designing your kraft box doesn’t end with random colors; cutouts are another way to add icing to the cake. They are stylish and provide additional advert for your products.

Here are some reasons you may want to use cutouts for your kraft paper custom box:

• Your customer can easily see the products inside. You do not need to put much information on your packaging since the customers can easily see the product inside.
  Additionally, consumers can smell cosmetic and fragrant products without needing to open the pack, which may cause you some inconvenience.
• Cutouts are unique and add diversity to your packaging. Since brands rarely use cutouts in their packaging designs, it can add flavor to your packaging.
  It shows that you consciously put effort into your products and care about user experiences, which may leave you with wonderful reviews. 
• It is an excellent branding option. No branding is more perfect than the one a customer remembers and can spot easily in the market. Using cutouts to shape your logo or most visible information can help your customers remember you whenever they see your products in the market.

Hot Foil Stamps

This custom design is very classic and most suitable for luxurious products. Hot foil stamps use embossing to add designs on kraft paper boxes.

However, it requires high expertise to effect successfully. You may want to try hot foil stamps on your next packaging campaign. You’ll love it!

Things to Consider When Opting to Design Your Kraft Box

Before action, it is very important to plan. Here are some things to consider when you decide that kraft paper custom boxes are what you should be using for your packaging needs:

Pricing Details

So long it’s business-related, there would always be prices flying here and there. A budget is what you need to plan ahead of the situation.

You must pay attention to pricing details to help avert circumstances that may discourage you from having the perfect designs for your kraft box.

A budget should also help you choose the design you may want to apply to your kraft box.

Precision and Occasion for the Kraft Box

You must be precise in your choice of design and the information you need to pass across. The kind of design you pick for your kraft box may affect the amount of information to put on it.

Understand when and what information you need, those you need your consumers to see, and those less trivial, to help you cut down unnecessary time-wasting.

Type of Product and Packaging

The type of product you package influences its design structure. In that case, the shape of the kraft box may determine how the design and information spread across the kraft paper.

Also, a luxury or beverage retailer may wish to add more style or embossing to his design, unlike soap or men’s cosmetic brands. This shows how much the brand can affect the design of the kraft box.

Understand How Colors Work

The nature of kraft papers makes it difficult to choose the perfect color for designing your kraft box. But a good understanding of color theories should help you design your kraft box perfectly.

A good thumb rule would be to choose simple yet bold colors like black or white or both. Using vivid color would require the services of experts to give you an optimum design experience.

Conclusion

You’ve learned about kraft paper boxes, how they come about, and how to design them. You have also seen some of the possible tips to consider before designing and customizing your kraft paper custom box.

Designing a kraft paper custom box requires little skill and technique, and that is if you use an uncoated kraft paper box. However, the case will be different if you need a different style and decor for your kraft box packaging.

You can also design custom boxes on Arka: our premium quality custom shipper boxes and custom mailer boxes help businesses boost sales and improve customer experience. Get in touch with us today!