Custom Printed Cosmetic Boxes in Full Colour, Inside and Out

The ink covers the panels, runs over the edges and into the tucks, and can carry on inside. A labelled box is plain board with a sticker, which works for a market stall but not for a shelf.

Our photos show the difference. One is a white carton with a bold orange and teal pattern that continues onto the bottle beside it. The others are pink and blue tuck top boxes for tins, with a small floral pattern printed on the inside of the lid.

Print is the whole point here, so this page explains how we do it and what to send.

Foil, spot UV and embossing sit on top of the print rather than replacing it. The finishes that layer over printed beauty boxes page explains each one.

For them a labelled box loses most of the design.

Makeup products get their own box pages in the makeup packaging section, each with sizing for the product.

• Lip balm and solid perfume brands boxing tins in tuck top cartons
• Makeup brands with a bright, all-over pattern on the bottle
• Marketplace sellers running a Valentine's or Mother's Day edition
• Bath and body makers with illustrated ranges
• Agencies producing a client launch with artwork already finished
• Lash and nail studios with a strong colour identity

A high resolution PNG or JPG works for a logo or a photo if it is at least 300 dpi at print size.

If you have a logo but no layout, our designers lay out the box for free. They place your logo, product name and ingredients on the dieline and send a proof.

If you want to see the logo on a box before you go that far, Design Your Packaging lets you place it on a box photo in a minute.

Artwork is set on it, not on a finished box, so a pattern that must line up at the corners is planned on the flat.

Every panel edge carries 3 mm of bleed, so the colour runs off the edge after cutting. Text sits at least 3 mm inside any fold. Glue flaps stay unprinted.

The tuck top boxes in our photos show why this matters. The inside lid pattern has to be printed upside down on the flat so it reads the right way up when the lid opens. Dielines for each style are described in the cosmetic carton and rigid box styles guide.

The same orange prints brighter on a white board than on kraft, and a lamination deepens it a touch.

Send us the colour values you use for your labels. We match the box as closely as the process allows and flag any colour that will shift. The proof shows the layout, and we confirm the print method on the quote.

Bright solids and pastels print well. Very dark navy over a large area is where scuffs show, and a matt lamination is the usual answer.

It pays off when the box is opened in front of someone: a gift, a subscription parcel, a tin lifted out at a counter.

The tuck top boxes in our photos print a small floral pattern inside the lid and keep the outside clean. A thank-you line, a how-to-use panel or a pattern are the three usual choices.

Inside print is available on folding cartons and on the wrap of rigid boxes, as an option on the quote.

A matt or gloss lamination seals the surface and is worth having on a printed carton that travels.

Pack printed cartons so they cannot slide against each other. Tissue between layers and a tight outer box prevent most marks.

For regular posting, many brands put the printed carton inside a printed mailer box for beauty orders and let the mailer take the wear.

Colours shift when converted, and bright greens and oranges dull. Set the file to CMYK before you send it.

Second, placing text right on a fold line. It cracks or disappears into the crease. Keep it 3 mm clear.

Third, forgetting the bleed. A pattern that stops at the panel edge leaves a white hairline after cutting. Run it 3 mm past.

Send photos of any misprint or damage inside 10 days and we put it right with a reprint or refund.

Attach your artwork on the quote request for printed boxes and the sequence below follows.

1. Send the product measurements, the quantity and the print you want: full colour, two colour or one colour.
2. Tell us about any inside print, lamination or foil.
3. Receive the written quote, from £0.25 per unit.
4. Send artwork, or a logo for our designers to lay out, and check the free proof.
5. Sign off the proof; the print run then takes 4–6 business days.
6. The finished boxes come free with tracking, 2–3 business days anywhere in the UK.