Custom packaging · Cape Town
Packaging as good as what’s inside.
Printed boxes and cartons for wine estates, distillers, food brands and online stores. Designed in our studio, proven as a sample, then printed, cut and folded to fit.
How a box is made
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01
Print
Four plates, one at a time: cyan, magenta, yellow and key. Flexo for big runs in up to six colours, litho for the finest detail, digital straight onto corrugated.
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02
Cut
A cutting die is “essentially a giant cookie cutter”: steel rules set into laser-cut hardwood, pressed through the board so every box comes out identical.
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03
Crease & fold
Creasing rules score the board along every fold line, so the panels turn clean and square instead of cracking.
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04
Glue
Once printing and cutting are done, the carton is glued on its side seam, which uses the board most efficiently.
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05
Close
A regular slotted carton: every flap is the same length, so the two longest meet in the centre. Ready for your product.
Every box starts as a flat sheet. Let’s make yours.
00About Inbox
We see our clients as business partners. Your growth is what gets us excited.
Inbox Packaging is a Cape Town packaging solutions company, offering paper-based packaging and various printing and finishing options. We are packaging professionals with a wealth of experience and understanding of the industry’s standards, and we believe we have a role to play in our clients’ success.
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Design studio
Structure and artwork worked out together: dieline, board, print and finish.
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Sample making
A physical sample to hold, fill and test before the production run.
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Flexo, litho & digital
The right print process for your quantity, artwork and budget.
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Boxes from stock
Standard-sized cartons, mailers and wine boxes, sold from stock.
01Selected work
Made for brands that care how they arrive.
Wine estates, distillers, food producers and retailers. A few of the boxes we’ve printed, cut and folded for them.
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Boschendal -
New Africa Big 5 -
Madge Gin -
Meteorique · Wildeberg -
Red Ink Reserve Shiraz -
Farmworld Fruit Straw -
Van Zijl Family Vintners -
Terra del Capo -
Fabulously Fruity -
The Blom box -
Ludovic Byart -
Very Tsonga -
Optique optometrists -
Cape Town, South Africa -
The Deed
↳Out in the world
From our Instagram, @inboxboxes
02Printing
Choose how it’s printed.
Three ways to print and one way not to. Here’s how they compare, straight from the people who run the jobs.
The workhorse for shipper cases.
Flexo printing is the most commonly used process for shipper cases, and perfect for larger production runs thanks to its cost-effective printing. It offers up to six colours. Every colour needs its own printing plate, or stereo, and the stereos can be reused for repeat runs.
- Colours
- Up to 6
- Minimum run
- 1,500 units
- Set-up
- One stereo per colour
Pros
- Lowest printing costs
- Fast turnaround times
- No maximum production size
- High-quality prints with the right design
Cons
- Not ideal for CMYK and high-resolution designs
- Once-off origination cost for every colour
- Design changes need new stereos
The highest quality printing available.
Litho prints onto solid board, which is then converted into packaging or laminated onto corrugated board. There’s no limit on bright, full-colour and small, detailed designs, and the clarity of text and images stays consistently high across the whole run.
- Colours
- Full colour
- Minimum run
- 2,500 units
- Finishes
- Foiling, varnishes & more
Pros
- Highly detailed images are possible
- The widest choice of finishes
- Unit cost drops as quantity rises
- Consistent quality across the run
Cons
- Higher unit costs, especially on shorter runs
Full colour, straight onto corrugated.
Digital prints your artwork directly onto the corrugated board, with no printing plates or stereos to make. It handles full-colour illustration, photography, patterns and watermarks, which suits ranges where every box is a little different.
- Colours
- Full colour
- Plates
- None
- Minimum run
- Ask us
Good to know
- No stereos or origination per colour
- Full-colour detail on corrugated board
- One artwork per box is possible, like a range of six animals
Customised boxes, with no print on.
Stock or customised boxes in any shape or size, in plain board. Choose a regular slotted carton for the quickest, most economical box, or a die-cut design for a cleaner, neater finish.
- Shapes
- Any shape or size
- RSC tooling
- None needed
- Die-cut
- Needs a cutting die
↳Process finder
Not sure which to choose?
A starting point, not a quote. We’ll confirm the best process for your job.
03Finishes
The finishing touch.
UV coating, spot varnishing, lamination, foiling, embossing and debossing. Pick one, then move across the card to catch the light.
Metallic foil pressed on with heat, for logos and line work that flash as the box turns.
04Board & paper
Board built for the journey.
Corrugated board is paper liners glued to a fluted medium. Add walls for strength, pick a flute for the job, and choose the paper that faces the world.
Paper types
Virgin kraft
Made straight from tree pulp, with no recycled content. Used with all types of printing and in corrugated board.
Recycled kraft
A combination of recycled and virgin pulp. Used with all types of printing and in corrugated board.
White uncoated
Virgin pulp bleached white, with no coating and a matt finish. Used with all types of printing.
White coated
Several papers with a coated finish that gives packaging a glossy look. Used with all types of printing.
Specialised papers
A wide selection, especially for litho printing. How the packaging will be used decides the paper.
05Stock boxes
In stock. Ready when you are.
Standard-sized cartons, mailers and wine boxes, sold from stock. Popular with e-commerce stores. Add the ones you like to your quote, or tell us your product’s size and we’ll show you what fits.
Dimensions are length × width × height in millimetres. Need a size that isn’t here? We make custom boxes in any shape or size.
06How it works
From brief to boxed.
One team from the first sketch to the finished carton, and a partner for every reprint after that.
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01
Brief
Tell us what you’re packing, how many you need and where it’s going: courier, shelf or gift.
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02
Design studio
We work out the structure and the artwork with you: the dieline, the board, the print process and the finishes.
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03
Sample
We cut a physical sample, so you can hold it, fill it and test it before a single sheet goes to print.
Sample cutting, at the workshop -
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Production
Printed in flexo, litho or digital, then die-cut or slotted, creased and glued. Flexo stereos are kept for your repeat runs.
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05
Ready to fill
Your boxes, ready for your product. And when your business grows, we grow the order with you.
07FAQ
Good questions.
What’s the minimum order?
It depends on how the box is printed. Flexo runs start at 1,500 units and litho at 2,500. For digital print and for boxes from stock, ask us and we’ll tell you what works for your quantity.
Can you design my box?
Yes. Our design studio works out the structure and the artwork with you, from the dieline to the print-ready file.
Can I see a sample before production?
Yes. We make a physical sample so you can check the size, the fit and the feel before anything is printed.
Do you have boxes in stock?
We sell standard-sized cartons, mailers and wine boxes from stock. See the stock range, add the ones you like to your quote and tell us how many you need.
What affects the price?
The size and style of the box, the board, the print process, any finishes and the quantity. Flexo has a once-off origination cost for every colour, die-cut boxes need a cutting die, and a regular slotted carton needs no extra tooling at all.
Which print process should I choose?
As a rule, flexo for larger runs with simpler artwork, litho for the highest-quality, full-colour print, and digital for full colour without plates. Try the process finder, or ask us.
Can I reprint later?
Yes. Flexo printing stereos can be reused for repeat productions, so a reprint skips the origination step unless your design changes.
Where are you?
Unit 19, Bellray Business Park, 5 Ampere Street, Stikland Industrial, Cape Town. Call 021 979 7176 before you visit.
08Get a quote
Tell us about your packaging needs.
The more we know, the sharper the quote. Nothing is stored on this site: your request opens in WhatsApp or your email app, ready to send.