How to Make a Favor Box at Home: Print, Cut and Fold
A printable favor box is a flat template you print, cut, score and fold. With the right cardstock and one printer setting changed, it comes out square and sturdy. Without them, it comes out flimsy, or a few millimeters off so the lid won't close.
Here's the whole process, including the details most tutorials skip.
What you need
Cardstock: 65 lb cover (about 176 g/m²) for light favors, 80 lb cover (about 216 g/m²) for most boxes. Heavier than that is stiffer but harder to fold and may not feed through a home printer.
The template as a PDF, opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader or another PDF reader (not straight from a browser preview, which may resize it).
Scissors, or a craft knife with a metal ruler and a cutting mat.
A scoring tool: a bone folder, or a ballpoint pen that has run out of ink.
Adhesive: double-sided tape or glue dots.
A ruler to check the size of your test print.
Step by step
1. Print a test page on plain paper. Print one copy on copy paper and measure it. If your template has a measurement or a test square, check it with a ruler. If it's smaller than it should be, the printer scaled the page.
2. Print on cardstock at actual size. In the print dialog, choose "Actual size" or set scale to 100%, and turn off "Fit to page," "Shrink oversized pages" and borderless printing. Set the paper type to cardstock, matte or heavy paper, and quality to high. If your printer has a rear or manual feed tray, use it: thick paper travels a straighter path and jams less. Print one sheet and let the ink dry for a few minutes before you handle it.
3. Cut along the solid outline. Cut the outside edges first, then the small notches between the flaps. For straight edges, a craft knife against a metal ruler gives the cleanest cut. Cut right on the line, or a hair inside it, so no white edge shows.
4. Score every dashed line. Lay a ruler along each fold line and draw the bone folder or empty pen along it with firm, even pressure. You're making a groove, not cutting. Scoring is what stops cardstock from cracking along the fold.
5. Pre-fold all the lines. Fold each scored line, run the bone folder over the crease, then open it out again. The box is easier to assemble when every line is already "trained."
6. Glue the side seam. Put a strip of double-sided tape on the glue tab, line it up with the inside edge of the opposite panel and press along the whole seam. Now you have a tube.
7. Close the bottom. Fold in the two small dust flaps, then fold the bottom lid over them and tuck its tongue inside. If the favor is heavy, add a small piece of tape under the bottom lid.
8. Fill the box. Put the favors in while it's open at the top. Leave a little room so the lid closes without bulging.
9. Close the lid. Fold in the top dust flaps, fold down the lid and tuck the tongue. Add a name tag or a ribbon if you like.
Capacity: it depends on the template. Before you buy favors in bulk, put one of each item in a finished box to check the fit.
Double-sided tape, glue dots or liquid glue?
Double-sided tape: our first choice for side seams. It holds right away, stays flat and doesn't warp the paper.
Glue dots: fast and strong on small areas like tabs and tongues. They add a little thickness, which you'll see on very small boxes.
Liquid craft glue: strong once dry, but you have to hold the seam until it sets, and too much makes the paper ripple.
Glue stick: fine for paper, usually too weak to hold a cardstock seam.
Hot glue: strong, but bulky and lumpy on a neat paper seam.
Fixing common problems
The lid won't close or the flaps don't line up. The template was scaled. Check that you printed at 100% and "Fit to page" was off, then reprint. Our guide to Best Paper and Printer Settings for Printables (Cardstock Guide) walks through the settings on Windows and Mac.
The fold cracks or shows white along the edge. Score before you fold, and fold slowly. Dark, solid colors show cracks the most. Cardstock folds more easily along the grain, so if one direction cracks and the other doesn't, that's why.
The ink smears. Let the sheet dry before cutting, and choose matte cardstock for inkjet printers. Some glossy papers stay tacky with dye-based ink.
The printer won't take the cardstock. Use the rear or manual feed tray, feed one sheet at a time, and check your printer's maximum paper weight in its manual. If it can't handle the weight you want, print at a copy shop. More on that in Where to Print Party Printables: At Home, Staples, FedEx Office or Walgreens.
The box looks a little lopsided. Usually a seam that slipped while gluing. Line up the tab edge with the fold line of the panel before pressing the tape.
Making a batch
When you need 20 or 30 boxes, work like an assembly line: print all the sheets, cut them all, score them all, fold them all, then glue and fill. You'll be faster than finishing one box at a time, and the boxes will match. Time your first box and multiply by the number you need, so you know how much of an evening to set aside.
Have a cutting machine? Some Partoon favor boxes also come as SVG and Silhouette Studio cut files, so the machine can do the cutting and, with a scoring tool, the fold lines too.
FAQ
What weight of cardstock is best for a favor box?
65 to 80 lb cover (about 176 to 216 g/m²). 80 lb makes a sturdier box; 65 lb is easier to fold and works for light favors.
Can I make a favor box without glue?
The bottom and lid close with tucks, so you only need adhesive on the side seam. Double-sided tape works there, with no liquid glue at all.
Should I print favor boxes on Letter or A4?
Use the paper size the template was made for, or the one your printer uses. Many templates come in both. Always print at 100%, whatever the size.
Shop this post
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