Custom Box Templates Guide | Best Resources & Types 

Custom-printed packaging is creating strong waves everywhere. Whether you belong to food, cosmetics, healthcare, technology, or any other industry, showcasing products in these bespoke boxes is mandatory to stand out and boost revenue. But, have you ever wondered what makes these boxes a compulsion in the modern era’s effective marketing? It’s their unique, functional, and user-oriented composition. They are more than just durable, sustainable 3D boxes delivered to your doorstep. In reality, they are the results of matchless efforts behind the scenes. 

Professional custom box manufacturers and suppliers go above and beyond to turn your bespoke artworks into tangible realities exactly the way you want. To ensure you the desired results in quick turnaround times, professionals provide you with or accept your custom box templates. That’s why you must have complete know-how of box templates. Here is a detailed guide explaining how to create a box template and which free/paid resources are best for top-quality results. Buckle up and read it out to create your brand’s buzz in the market with exceptional-quality custom boxes. 

Defining a Custom Box Template for a Better Understanding

Jim Butch, a seasoned packaging designer at “Rocket Industrial” emphasizes the importance of professional custom box in influencing a consumer’s purchasing decision by uttering: 

"The better the design of the packaging, the more likely it is that a consumer will buy it." 

It’s where the custom box template comes into play. By definition, these templates are the pre-designed structural layouts used to create the final look of the product’s packaging. In short, the box templates are the blueprints showing the precise cuts, folds, and assembly instructions necessary to create an impressive custom-printed packaging box.  

Key Features of Custom Template Boxes 

The following are the key considerations that are usually kept in mind to create amazing custom template boxes: 

• A precise, specific fit ensures the packaged product’s safety and protection.  
• Bespoke structural design elements, including proper die lines that guide the actual final shape of the box. 
• Remarkable customization options that allow for the integration of unique shapes, box openings, handles, windows, inserts, and custom compartments.  
• Professional manufacturing features ensure a box’s perfect alignment with a brand’s visual identity.  
• Available in print-ready file formats, such as AI, PDF, and other options that can be directly sent to printers.  

How Does Creating a Packaging Design Template Benefit Brands? 

Here is why: creating custom box templates is highly recommended for professional packaging manufacturers and suppliers: 

• It ensures that every box in a bulk order perfectly resonates with each other, both in shape and function. 
• Having a box design template in hand speeds up the overall custom box design and production process.  
• Templates for boxes also help brands reduce material waste and errors the chances in the production process, which ultimately leads to a decline in releasing a business’s carbon footprint. 
• It’s one of the promising ways to boost a customer’s unboxing experience as it ensures the production of best-quality boxes with minimal or no errors.  

Top 12 Types of Boxes Template Demanded by All Industries 

The following are the 12 most famous box templates, highly demanded by brands belonging to different industries: 

1-   Die-Cut Templates:

These are pre-engineered templates that define the precise cutting and line folding. CAD software is the most commonly used software for creating highly professional die-cut templates. Moreover, this template is famously known for ensuring detailed precision and repeatability in custom packaging production.  

2-  Fold-A-Box Template: 

It’s a flat paperboard template that easily folds into a box. Widely used and demanded by the retail industry, fold-a-box template often stands out for its cost-effectiveness, customizability, and sustainability characteristics.  

3-  CAD Template:

This pre-formed custom box structural design is created with the help of several famous CAD tools. Usually, these types of templates are demanded for prototypes and industrial packaging solutions, featuring complex designs and folds. 

4-  Cardboard Box Template:

It’s a unique structural layout that is used in making custom packaging boxes made up of corrugated cardboard. Primarily, the cardboard box template designed with the help of CAD software is demanded for creating custom shipping boxes, heavy-duty product storage, and product protection packaging.  

5-   Rigid Box Template:

Ideally designed for creating thick, unfoldable boxes. Usually, these templates are demanded by luxury brands, offering high-end products in premium packaging. Rigid box templates are perfectly made to ensure exceptional durability and premium visual appeal for the product’s packaging boxes. 

6-  Corrugated Box Template:

This blueprint is designed specifically for the custom-printed boxes made up of fluted corrugated cardboard. The corrugated box template is created by keeping in mind the high-grade strength and matchless visual appeal of shipping boxes. These box templates also support the stackability and protective features of original corrugated cardboard.  

7-  Free Paper Box Templates:

Also called a folding carton template, a paper box template is a flat paperboard design used to create lightweight, retail-ready packaging boxes. This best-quality template works for almost all the trending packaging box styles. It’s highly preferred in the retail industry for creating wholesale display boxes, shipping boxes, and subscription boxes. 

8-  Window Cut Templates:

These are one of the most innovative templates, often demanded by various creative and luxurious brands that want to stand out in the market. Window cut templates feature a custom die-cut opening to display the packaged product through a transparent film. This template is famous for boosting the product’s visibility packaged inside a box while ensuring its protection during transit and display.  

9-  Pop-Up/ Self-Locking Templates: 

They are uniquely designed box structures that are easy to assemble. These templates can be easily locked into place without the need for glue or tape. Pop-up/shelf locking templates feature tabs and slots that lock the box securely and retain the box’s shapes for reuse or display.  

10-   Subscription Box Templates: 

These customized box templates are designed to create bespoke boxes that can hold and ship products on a recurring basis. Subscription boxes are generally used by brands to share their products with potential customers on a monthly, quarterly, or any other scheduled duration. These templates are highly designed by keeping the box’s sturdiness, sustainability, and style in mind.  

11-  Mailer Box Template 

It’s specifically designed for secure self-locking closures without adhesives. While creating these amazing box templates, the score lines are highly considered to make clean and crisp folds, especially at the corners and flap junctions. These templates are perfectly laid out to minimize paperboard waste on large sheets. Die lines follow die-cutting machines for remarkable scalability. 

12-  Gable Box Templates 

These templates are thoughtful dieline designs to support the distinct shape and unique handle composition of custom gable boxes. The diel-cut handle area is reinforced with doubled flaps or thicker tabs. In the gable box template, the score lines form a clean transition from rectangular sides to the gable top. As the entire box is made from one sheet, the gable box template has specific regions to provide the correct fold sequences.  

Best Online Box Template Generators (Free + Paid Tools) 

Here is an overview of some of the most famous free and paid tools for online box template generation. Give them a read for better understanding: 

Free Tools for Custom Box Maker Templates 

1-  Die-Cut Templates (Template Maker):

It stands out for auto-generating SVG/PDF diagrams for almost all the common dielines, such as mailer, gable, pillow, and many more options. Template Maker is free to use and allows for creating 100+ customizable dimensions for packaging boxes. templatemaker.nl is the URL to this amazing tool.  

2-  Packmage CAD:

It’s a freely downloadable CAD software with the best-quality box templates and 3D previews. Packmage CAD provides high-grade dieline accuracy for effective results. You can easily reach out to this free online tool by clicking on this URL: packmage.com. 

3-  Pacdora (Free Tier):

This free online tool offers dieline editing services, 3D mockup previews, and various amazing packaging templates. Supporting Adobe Illustrator Export, Pacdora is specifically made for designers, especially those belonging to the packaging industry. Here is the link to Pacdora for your ease, pacdora.com. 

4-  Esko Studio Toolkit:

It’s a famous packaging software, highly used by industry experts to create advanced-quality custom box templates. Various 3D tools are available to help designers make the best structural packaging design templates for bespoke boxes. Esko Studio just offers free trials. Its URL is esko.com. Click here to get the best design templates with the free trial services of this amazing online software.  

The Most Trusted Paid Online Tools for Custom-Printed Box Templates 

The following are some of the most popular paid digital tools for creating the best custom box templates. These tools are highly known for their precision and accuracy. Have a look at them to make an informed decision next time: 

1-  Pacdora (Pro Plan):

It’s a cloud-based dieline editor with complete 3D mockups, multiple branding layers, and advanced export options. The Pro Plan of Pacdora is one of the best picks for packaging designers, startup businesses, and agencies. Supporting Illustrator, Figma, and Sketch Export, Pacdora is very easy to understand and use. The Pro plan typically starts from $12/month. 

2-  ArtiosCAD by Esko: 

This advanced online tool offers industry-standard packaging templates using CAD software. It’s one of the best tools for packaging engineers and professional print houses. ArtiosCAD by Esko is excellent for handling complex box mechanics, nesting, and prepress processes. It’s available at enterprise pricing, or you can get custom quotes for this tool.  

3-  Boxshot:

It’s a professional 3D mockup creation tool, offering countless custom box shapes, such as mailer boxes, folding cartons, and many more options. Boxshot is ideal for the exact-quality product visualization. It has high-resolution 3D rendering and custom dieline import facilities. For a one-time usage, Boxshot is typically available at starting prices of $99. 

4-  Box It Now:

It’s a browser-based packaging design software with multiple standard templates and full editing services. Usually, the mid-level packaging designers and teams opt for this advanced software for quality results. Box It Now offers real-time designs, 3D previews, and custom die-cut outputs to help businesses create outstanding box templates for remarkable results. This software usually costs around $99/year. 

Some More Best Resources for Custom Templates for Boxes 

Other than online free and paid digital tools for creating box templates, various other resources are also available to maximize results. A few of these options are shared here. Have a look at them to boost your understanding and make an informed decision in the future: 

Dieline Libraries & Templates for Bespoke Boxes:

• TheDieline.com (thedieline.com), offering the industry’s trending news, packaging inspiration, and some downloadable dielines.  
• Envato Elements/GraphicRiver (envato.com), providing ready-to-edit dieline templates for Illustrator/Photoshop. It’s ideally suited for creating templates of mailers, gables, folding, and many more such boxes.  
• Creative Market (creativemarket.com) offers professional dieline templates and mockups with commercial licenses. 
• Adobe Stock (stock.adobe.com), producing vector dielines and 3D packaging mockups for Illustrator users. 

Tutorials & Learning Resources:

• Different YouTube channels, such as Satori Graphics, PiXimperfect, and Envato Tuts+ that offer detailed tutorials on dielines, packaging designs, and box construction using Illustrator or InDesign. 
• Adobe Help Center (helpx.adobe.com) provides detailed guides on using Illustrator for dieline creation and vector-based layout designs.  

How to Create a Custom Box Template? A Detailed Yet Helpful Guide 

There are two major ways by which you can create highly professional templates for boxes and stand out in the market with top-quality products’ packaging: 

• DIY template creation. 
• Hiring professionals for expert disciplines. 

Custom Box Layout Template: A Step-by-Step Guide for DIY Creation 

Creating custom box templates yourself is a very creative and cost-effective prototype packaging, especially for small businesses. You just need the right tools and basic packaging design knowledge to make highly professional and high-quality box templates by yourself. Here are some of the vital steps that you must follow to get matchless results from the DIY box layout template creation: 

1-   Choose your Box Style:

First, analyze what type of box style and type you want for your product’s packaging. The following list includes some of the most common and highly demanded box types that you can choose from: 

• Mailer box 
• Bespoke folding cartons 
• Tuck-end packaging boxes 
• Pillow boxes 
• Gable boxes 

All these custom box styles are perfectly designed to better fit the product’s specific needs. These boxes are available in all sizes and material thicknesses to ensure the product’s protection and proper fitting in the packaging.  

2-  Measure the Product & Estimate Box Dimensions 

After deciding on the box type, measure the product to be packaged inside the box. Take proper measurements of its height, width, and depth. Then, sketch the box layout on paper or a design app. Note down all the folds, cuts, and panels over there, along with the major measurements that you think best to perfectly accommodate the product.  

3-  Use a Dieline Generator 

Choose from any of the free or paid online tools for dieline generation. Put all the box dimensions in the selected tool and generate accurate dielines. Once the template file is created, download and print it. 

4-   Transfer Dielines & Cut them Precisely 

When the print is ready on the high-quality cardstock material, transfer it to the actual packaging material. Use the following industry-leading tools for accurate & professional results: 

• Precision craft knives or box cutters. 
• Metal rulers for straight cuts. 
• Scoring tools or bone folders for clean and sharp lines.  

Here is a pro tip: Always cut along solid lines & score along dotted lines for folding accuracy.  

5-  Assemble the Box & Test its Fitness 

Fold the box template along the score lines and assemble the box by applying glue or double-sided tape to the tabs. Put the product inside the assembled template and test the fit of the packaging. Making necessary adjustments if needed.  

Hiring Professionals for Creating the Perfect & Custom Box Templates 

Though a DIY custom box template creation is a good idea, it’s not effective every time. Sometimes, you must seek professionals to create the best-quality and error-free custom box templates. The following are some of the major perks that you can get by hiring professionals for creating bespoke box dielines: 

• Guaranteed expert design precision. 
• Best materials and styles recommendations for custom boxes. 
• Assurance of a memorable unboxing experience for consumers with full-grade customization opportunities. 
• Provision of print-ready templates in no time. 
• Cost-effective in long runs. 

Key Considerations for Hiring Professionals to Create a Box Template

The following are some of the most important factors that you must consider to create a box template, ensuring matchless quality and a product’s precise fitting: 

• Always look for the professionals with immense industrial experience, especially the ones with technical expertise in structural design and dieline creation. 
• Go with the professionals who have a strong portfolio and references. Check out their quality work and versatility in designing different styles custom box templates. 
• Choose experts with a detailed knowledge of manufacturing materials and their standout features, such as durability, sustainability, visual aesthetics, and other factors. 
• Ask about the total turnaround time of professionals for providing drafts, revisions, and delivery. Always prefer those professionals who are capable of meeting deadlines while ensuring quality work.  

Contact CPP Boxes for Amazing Templates for Custom-Printed Packaging Boxes 

Are you looking for the most trusted packaging professional designers to create high-end custom box templates for your bulk orders? Contact CPP Boxes TODAY! We are backed by a team of highly experienced and reliable designers. To avail of their free design support services, feel free to contact us at 888-395-0493 or quotes@cppboxes.com. We are always at hand to deliver you the amazing box templates, completely aligning with your specific needs and demands.