Paper Tube Boxes.

They are spiral wound, with strips of kraft board glued and wrapped at an angle around a steel mandrel, ply over ply. The continuous tube is then cut to length, so height changes don't need a new die. A printed paper wrap goes on as the outer layer.

Folding cartons are cut and creased from a flat blank instead, so the two formats run on different machines and price differently.

Ply count sets the crush strength, so it depends on what the tube has to carry. A poster or print mailer needs enough wall to resist crushing in the post. A spirits canister holding a heavy bottle needs a thicker wall so it stays round when cases are stacked.

Tell us the weight of the contents and whether it ships by parcel or on a pallet, and we'll specify the wall to suit.

There are four end systems: metal seamed ends, plug-in caps in board or plastic, a telescoping lid and a push-up base. Metal ends give the classic tea-caddy look. Telescoping builds, where a lid tube slides over a body tube, are the usual gift format. Push-up bases are used for balms and solid sticks.

Paper caps keep the whole tube in the paper stream. Metal and plastic caps are easy to specify but need removing at disposal.

Print goes on a paper wrap that covers the outside of the tube, so the design runs all the way around. The artwork is laid out flat as a rectangle and meets itself at a seam. Because a tube turns in the hand, graphics should read from any angle instead of relying on one front panel.

We print wraps in CMYK and can add hot foil, embossing or a matte soft-touch finish. Kraft natural wraps suit plastic-free ranges. Cut-out windows aren't offered on tubes.

Both are custom, and our common range runs from 2 inches across by 6 inches tall up to 4 inches across by 12 inches tall. Tubes are sized by inside diameter and height. Height is simply cut from the wound tube, while a new diameter needs a mandrel of that size.

Give us the widest point of the item and its full height, and we will allow clearance for the caps and any inner liner.

Paper tubes start at 300 pieces, a lower threshold than most of our shaped cartons. The same spec scales up to large programme volumes, so a first order can be a short run to test the market. Mixed heights on one diameter are worth asking about at quote stage.

We help with the wrap artwork and layout at no charge, and finished tubes ship anywhere in the USA.

Standard lead time on tubes is 7 to 10 business days after proof approval, with a rush option of 5 to 7. Sample tubes take 5 to 7 business days and let you check the cap fit, the wrap seam and how the item sits inside.

If you move to production, what you paid for the sample is deducted from the order.

An all-board tube with paper end caps can go into curbside paper recycling as it is. Metal seamed ends and plastic caps have to come off first, and plenty of people won't bother, so those builds get recycled less often in practice. A foil or film contact liner is another component to account for.

If recyclability is a selling point for your range, we would go with kraft plies, paper caps and a kraft natural wrap.