Luxury Rigid Boxes.

Look closely at the mitres, the turn-ins, the board edges under the wrap and the foil. Mitred corners should meet without a gap or an overlap. Turn-ins, where the wrap folds over the top edge, should be an even width all the way round. Run a finger across the panels to check the board edge isn't showing through the wrap, which the trade calls telegraphing.

Foil should have a crisp edge with no halo, and fine serifs should hold their shape.

Making one excellent box is far easier than making every box in a batch settle, close and look the same. Lid fit depends on board cutting, wrap tension and glue weight, and small variation in any of them shows when boxes sit side by side on a counter. A lid that drops slowly on one box and snaps on the next looks like a mistake.

We write agreed tolerances and inspection points into the order and check against the approved sample through the run.

At this tier, yes, the order works best as a written specification with tolerances and inspection criteria. Three suppliers quoting "a luxury rigid box" can deliver three very different boxes. A document that names the board, the wrap stock, the finish, the corner tolerance and what counts as a reject gives everyone the same target.

We'll help draft it from the approved sample, and it stays on file for repeat orders.

Handmade and mould-made papers, book cloth, wood veneer and leatherette are the usual wraps above standard art paper. Handmade papers can't be laminated, so they are chosen for texture and protected by careful handling. Book cloth, borrowed from bookbinding, wears well at the corners. Dyed-through stocks keep a scuff the same colour as the surface.

Inside, silk or velvet linings are fitted to the product.

Hand-applied finishes do most of the work, such as true lacquer, letterpress, edge painting and blind debossing. Lacquer gives a depth that a laminate film can't copy. Letterpress presses the mark into a soft sheet so it can be felt. Painted edges are specified less often, and anyone who handles the box notices them.

Hot foil, embossing and soft-touch are available too, and on a well-made box they read cleaner than on a standard build.

Every luxury build is sized from scratch around the product and its insert, since there are no stock sizes at this tier. We measure the product, design the lining or cavity, and draw the box around the finished insert, allowing for wrap and lining thickness at each wall. The telescoping lid is drawn to a tighter tolerance than standard so it settles evenly.

The dieline and structural drawing are free, and we revise them until the sample is right.

Yes, luxury rigid runs start at 30 boxes. That's enough for a VIP mailer, a numbered edition or a client gift where every piece is inspected. Larger programmes run up to 100,000.

Small runs get the same hand operations and the same inspection criteria as big ones, so the first 30 set the standard for every repeat.

Standard production is 7 to 10 business days after the sample and artwork are approved, with a rush option at 5 to 7 business days. The sample itself takes 5 to 7 business days, and on this tier it's the reference every production box is checked against. Whatever the sample costs is credited back once the bulk order is placed.

For a new specification, leave time for a second sample round if the first shows something to adjust. We ship across the USA.