Overview & Specifications
What Are New Year Gift Boxes?
New Year gift boxes are gift boxes printed for the turn of the year. They cover two different occasions: the January 1 New Year, when companies send greetings and celebration gifts, and Lunar New Year, when families, businesses and restaurants give sweets, tea and gift sets in red and gold.
New Year Gift Boxes sit in Holiday & Seasonal Packaging and are built on Custom Two Piece Rigid Boxes, Custom Drawer Boxes or Custom Flip Top Rigid Boxes.
What it has to do
What a New Year Gift Needs from the Box
A New Year gift is given on a fixed day, often to people who expect a certain look, and often holds food. Each need below is matched to how it is met.
01
Ready
Ready for a Date That Moves
January 1 is fixed, but Lunar New Year falls between late January and mid-February and changes every year. The run is planned against that year's date: proof, 7 days of production, then transit.02
Colors
Colors That Carry the Meaning
Red stands for luck and gold for wealth in Lunar New Year gifting. Gold foil on a red wrap gives a metallic gold that flat ink cannot match.03
Room
Room for Sweets and Tea
Lunar New Year boxes often hold several small treats or tea tins. A compartment insert keeps each one in place, where the structure supports inserts.04
Artwork
Artwork for This Year Only
Zodiac-year artwork changes every year. When the contents and fit stay the same, the box size and insert can be reused and only the artwork updated.
New Year vs Lunar New Year Gift Boxes
The two occasions use the same box structures but differ in date, color and contents. The table shows how.
| Attribute | New Year (January 1) | Lunar New Year |
|---|---|---|
| Date | January 1, fixed | Late January to mid-February, changes each year |
| Typical colors | Black, gold, silver, brand colors | Red and gold |
| Typical artwork | Year number, fireworks, celebration | Zodiac animal, lanterns, blossoms, greeting characters |
| Typical contents | Spirits accessories, sweets, gift sets | Candied fruit, nuts, pastries, tea, gift sets |
| Typical buyer | Corporate gift programs | Retailers, restaurants, bakeries, corporate gift programs |
Lunar New Year Gift Boxes
Lunar New Year gift boxes are usually red rigid boxes with gold foil, opened by lifting the lid or sliding a drawer. Greeting characters and zodiac artwork are supplied or approved by the brand and checked on the proof. Red envelopes are a separate paper product and are not made on this page.
New Year Gift Boxes Specifications
New Year Gift Boxes are specified around the gift or food, the structure, the insert and the New Year finish. Review the specifications below to plan the box.
| Specification | Available Configuration |
|---|---|
| Product Type | New Year and Lunar New Year gift box |
| Category | Holiday Packaging |
| Structure Options | Custom Two Piece Rigid Boxes, Custom Drawer Boxes, Custom Flip Top Rigid Boxes (magnetic closure) |
| Dimensions | Custom L × W × H, built around the product and insert |
| Base Board | Greyboard or white-coated duplex, 1.5–3.0 mm |
| Wrap Paper | Art, custom printed, kraft, metallic, holographic, pearlescent or textured paper, commonly 120–157 gsm |
| Inserts | Paperboard, foam/EVA or molded pulp compartments, where the structure supports them |
| Print Coverage | Exterior only, exterior + interior, or full inside and outside |
| Print Methods | Offset, digital, UV or screen printing; CMYK and Pantone spot colors |
| Finishes | Matte, gloss or soft-touch lamination, foil stamping, emboss/deboss, Spot UV and raised 3D UV |
| Food Contact | Assessed per order for the food type, contact time and temperature |
| Starting Price | From $1.25 / unit; final price depends on structure, size, board, inserts, finishes and quantity |
| Minimum Order | 500 units |
| Standard Production | 7 days from approved proof |
| Rush Production | Available on request |
| Shipping | USA and worldwide |
What Size New Year Gift Box Do I Need?
Measure every item as it will be packed, in its own wrapper or tin, and decide the compartment layout. Final dimensions are set on the approved dieline.
| Measurement | What to Record |
|---|---|
| Items | Length, width and height of each item or tin |
| Compartments | Number and layout (row, grid, ring) |
| Food | Wrapped or unwrapped, and how long it stays in the box |
| Extras | Greeting card or tissue inside |
Keep the Size, Change the Year
When next year's contents match, the same dieline can be reused and only the zodiac artwork changed. Note the approved size so next year's run starts from it.
What to Check Before Bulk Production
Review a packed sample printed with the final artwork. Record the approved structure, insert and finish on the signed-off sample. Where a sample shows a problem, review the cause, revise the specification and confirm it on another packed sample.
| If the sample shows | Cause to review |
|---|---|
| Gold foil looks dull on the red wrap | Foil color against the wrap finish |
| Greeting characters misprinted | Artwork file; brand re-proofs the characters |
| Pastries mark the insert | Insert, liner and coating against the food, contact time and temperature |
| Tins move in the compartments | Cavity size against the real tins |
Seven days covers standard production from approved proof once the specification is confirmed; delivery timing is confirmed separately, so count back from January 1 or from that year's Lunar New Year date.
