Magnetic boxes

A magnetic box is defined by its closure feel, not its print. The magnet, the board weight and the hinge together produce the moment the lid releases. Get those three right and the box reads as expensive whatever is printed on it; get them wrong and no amount of foil will hide it.

How the magnets are set

A rigid board shell is wrapped in printed paper with magnets concealed between board and wrap at the lid and the body. Because they sit under the wrap, their position must be correct before covering - moving a magnet afterwards leaves visible damage. Magnet strength is chosen against lid size: too weak and the closed box rattles, too strong and the pull tears the wrap at the finger point.

Board weight and the score

Rigid boxes are specified by greyboard thickness - 1.5 mm, 2 mm or 2.5 mm. Thicker board holds shape better but stiffens the hinge. The hinge is a scored fold in covered board and is the first place to fail: too tight and the wrap cracks along the score, too loose and the lid flops open.

Wrap and wear

Matte lamination hides fingerprints and marks; gloss shows every touch. On a retail-handled box, matte with spot UV in selected areas gives contrast without exposing the whole surface. The corners are the wear points - a properly turned-in corner shows no seam on the face, a rushed one lifts within weeks.

Insert and fit

The interior of a rigid box is a plain rectangle, so it almost always needs an insert. Foam holds shape and reads premium; paper or moulded pulp is the recyclable option; thermoformed PET gives the tightest control. The insert is specified from the product's dimensions, not from the box.

Artwork on the wrap dieline

The wrap folds around the board, so the visible face is offset from the printed sheet by the board thickness. A layout that is centred on a flat rectangle sits visibly off-centre on the finished box. Artwork goes on the dieline, and we check every file against it before production.

Minimum order and lead time

Magnetic boxes start at 100 pieces. Sampling is 1–3 pieces and takes 2–3 working days; hand-made rigid construction takes longer than folding cartons. Bulk production runs 7–15 working days after approval.

Send the product dimensions, the insert preference and the quantity. The feel of the closure is judged on a physical sample.