Box by style sorts custom boxes by how they are built rather than what goes inside: tuck end, seal end, auto bottom, snap lock, hang tab, flip top, and a few gift shapes. Use it when you already know the structure you want, or when you want to compare closures side by side. Every style is printed to your exact dimensions with no minimum order, so you can order one box to check the fit before a full run. TBPB also runs a price-beat guarantee: bring a written quote for the same specs and we beat it. Common picks are reverse tuck end boxes for retail cartons, auto bottom boxes for fast packing, and hang tab boxes for pegboard products.
The closure decides your labor, so choose it before you choose the artwork. A tuck end carton closes by sliding a flap into the body. In a straight tuck end both flaps open on the same long side, and in reverse tuck end boxes they open on opposite sides. The reverse layout usually nests more efficiently on the press sheet and keeps the front face clean, which is why it is common for retail cartons. Neither needs glue at your packing table.
Seal end boxes have flaps that are glued shut after filling. They suit machine-filled dry goods, but they do not reopen cleanly, so they are a poor choice for anything a customer will want to close again. Auto bottom boxes arrive with the bottom pre-glued. They ship flat, pop open, and lock the base on their own, which makes them the faster option when a person is packing a few hundred a day and the product has some weight. Snap lock bottom boxes also assemble by hand with interlocking panels and no glue, and work well when the volume is lower.
A hang tab box has a punched tab on the top so the carton hangs from a peg hook. Check the product weight against the tab and ask for a reinforced tab if it is heavy, because a tab tears before a box does. Handle boxes add a carry handle for takeaway and gifting. Cube, pyramid, and round top boxes are gift shapes first: they look good on a table, but they hold less than a rectangular carton of the same footprint, so measure the product before falling for the shape.
Board weight should follow the load. A bottom that carries the product needs heavier paperboard than a tuck flap that carries nothing. Kraft board gives a natural look and prints best in dark, solid inks, while bleached paperboard handles bright color and fine detail. In any style, keep text and logos away from fold lines, and leave the glue flap free of coating or lamination, because adhesive does not bond to a varnished surface. A dieline shows these zones, so build artwork on it rather than on a flat rectangle.
If the product needs a stiff, gift-quality presentation, rigid boxes are a different build entirely and not a folding style. For lightweight lidded packs that sit on a shelf, look at pillow boxes.
Send the product's length, width, and height and the quantity you want, even if it is one. Tell us which style you are leaning toward and how it will be packed, by hand or by machine, and we build the dieline to match.
No. Every style here can be ordered from a single box up to ten thousand or more. Many buyers order one as a fit check first. The price-beat guarantee applies at any quantity: bring a written quote for the same specifications.
In a straight tuck end box, both tuck flaps open on the same long side. In a reverse tuck end box, they open on opposite sides. Reverse tuck is the more common retail choice because it presents a cleaner front and usually nests well on the sheet.
Auto bottom boxes. The base is glued at the factory, so the box opens and locks in one motion. Snap lock bottoms need a few folds by hand but no glue. Tuck end boxes are quick to close but still need the base folded.
Auto bottom or snap lock bottom, in a heavier board. The locked base carries the weight better than a tuck bottom, which relies on a tucked flap. Tell us the product weight and we will suggest a board that suits it.
Adhesive does not bond to coated or laminated surfaces, so the glue area is left bare. That is normal, and the dieline marks it. If your artwork runs into the glue flap, the box can open at the seam.
Ask. If you send the product dimensions and a sketch or a photo of the structure you want, we can look at building a dieline for it. Standard styles are faster and cheaper to set up, so we suggest one first when it will do the job.
