What the card is for
Three jobs, and it is worth knowing which one yours is doing: telling the customer how to care for the piece, carrying a credit or provenance line, or carrying a message — a name, a date, a thank-you.
A card trying to do all three does none of them well. Two cards is usually the better answer, and the second one costs very little once the first is being printed.
Sizing it to the interior
A card cut to a standard size and dropped into a box that is not that size looks like an afterthought, because it is one. The card is sized from the interior, with a recess or a slot if it has to stay put.
Where the card sits under the piece, it also has to be thin enough that it does not lift the seat.
Matching the colours
Card stock takes ink differently from a wrapped board taking a dye, so a card and a box specified as the same colour will not match unless they are matched by eye and made in the same run. This is the most common mismatch in a packaging set.
Print inside the lid instead
Where the message must not be lost, printing inside the lid beats a card, because a card can be thrown away with the wrapping. Some clients specify both — the lid for the permanent line, the card for the one that changes.
Changing it later
A card is the cheapest part of a set to reprint, which makes it the right place to put anything seasonal or campaign-specific. Keep the box neutral and let the card carry what changes.
At a glance
| Job | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Care instructions | A card, sized to the interior |
| Credit or provenance | Inside the lid — it cannot be lost |
| Personal message | A card, so it can change per order |
| Seasonal or campaign | A card — the cheapest part of the set to reprint |
Frequently asked questions
Can you print cards to match our boxes?
Yes, and making them in the same run is what keeps the colours together. Ordered separately they rarely match.
Should the message go on a card or inside the lid?
Inside the lid if it must not be lost; on a card if it changes per order or per season.
What size should the card be?
Sized from the box interior rather than to a standard size, with a recess or slot if it has to stay in place.
Can we change the card without changing the box?
Yes, and that is the usual reason to keep the box neutral. The card is the cheapest part of the set to reprint.
Tell us what you need
Tell us the piece, your brand and the quantity you have in mind. We’ll send photos of our work and one clear, all-in quote.