Paper-over-Board versus Folding Boxboard: What’s the Difference?
It’s sometimes hard to know what terms to use to describe your ideal presentation box. Here’s a handy guide to the differences between the main two types of boxes.
Rigid Gift Boxes, or Paper-over-Board boxes, are essentially constructed of greyboard, which is commonly between 1500 to 2000 microns thick. The inside of the box is then lined, either with a plain colour paper or you can choose a printed or patterned paper for extra luxury. The outside of the box and lid are also covered with the paper of your choice, and neatly finished around the inside edges as pictured in the image on the right. The covering paper can be any colour or texture, and can be printed, laminated, UV spot varnished, embossed, debossed or foiled to create your ideal effect. You can even cover your boxes in PU leather for the ultimate in finesse – it simply has to be thin enough for our machines to be able to wrap over the greyboard.
Common styles of rigid box include: Tray with Lift-Off Lid, Hinged Lid Box, Wraparound Snapshut Box (with concealed magnets so that the lid snaps shut), Contrast Shoulder Box (Exposed or Hidden Shoulder), Sleeve and Drawer Box, Cylindrical Tube, and Hat Box. But we can create anything!
Why choose Paper-over Board? It’s sturdy, so it protects your product well, and it looks prestigious. Some styles even fold flat too, and come complete with adhesive areas for easy self-assembly. But by far the biggest benefit of paper-over-board has to be the enormous flexibility of choice it offers – there really is no limit to the shape, functionality and finish you can achieve with a rigid box.
Folding-Box-Board, or Cartonboard boxes, are made of thick cardboard (usually around 600 microns) which is then die-cut and glued to custom-fit your product. The cartons can be fully printed, laminated, embossed, UV spot varnished or foiled. We can even produce double-thickness cartons, which means that two layers of cardboard are laminated together so neatly that you can’t see where the layers join. This gives extra strength and quality.
A very common style of carton is tuck-top (as pictured on the left), with either a snap lock base, which means the flaps at the bottom all tuck into each other so that they lock securely, or an auto base, which also locks into place but has some pre-glueing so that it slots into place particularly easily.
Why choose Folding-Box-Board? For large-volume requirements, this is the more economical option. The boxes are supplied flat-packed, so they take up minimal space in transit and storage.
We hope this brief guide gives you an insight to help you better understand which solution will meet your needs. But our helpful team are just on the other end of the phone if you have any questions!