Kraft is not a style, it is a board. Kraft pulp is left unbleached, which is why it is brown, and that single fact drives every other decision on a kraft box: how ink behaves, which finishes work, and what the box communicates on a shelf. Buying? Go to the kraft boxes product page. Deciding? Read on.
Natural kraft or white kraft
| Option | Surface | Print behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Natural kraft | Brown outside and inside | Inks read warm and muted, no true white without white ink |
| White kraft | Bleached top liner, brown interior | Colors land close to proof, the brown shows on the inside |
| Kraft with white underprint | Brown board, white ink base under the art | Recovers bright color on a brown box, adds a print pass |
Printing on brown board
There is no white base on natural kraft, so ink is transparent over brown. Yellow largely disappears. Light blues turn grey-green. Reds go brick. None of this is a defect, it is how the surface works, and brands that use kraft well lean into it with one or two colors of solid line art rather than fighting for photographic accuracy.
- Black and a single spot color is the workhorse combination on kraft, and the cheapest to run.
- White ink prints as an opaque layer and is the only way to get true white on brown.
- Foil stamping is excellent on kraft, because metallic foil sits on top of the surface instead of soaking into it.
- Embossing shows well on the uncoated texture, and costs nothing in ink.
Your digital proof will show the color shift before you commit, which is the point of issuing one.
Where kraft earns its place
Kraft is the default for food service, subscription mailers, soap and candle brands, coffee, and any product where an uncoated, plain look supports the story. It is a poor choice where the pack has to compete on brightness on a crowded retail shelf, where a white board with full color print will out-shout it every time.
The inside of a kraft box is brown too
On a mailer, the interior is seen before the product is. Natural kraft is brown on both faces, which is either the look you want or an unfinished surface you should print. Inside print on kraft carries the same color shift as the outside, so a bold one color pattern usually works better there than a photographic image. Tape, labels and stickers all read differently on brown, so test them on the real board rather than on white paper.
Structures available in kraft
Nearly any structure runs in kraft: tuck end cartons, mailers, sleeves, pillow boxes, gable boxes and two piece lid and base sets. Corrugated kraft is used for shipping and food service, and folding carton kraft for smaller retail cartons. Because the die is included on iBox orders, a kraft box built to your exact dimensions costs no tooling.
Minimum, price and turnaround
The minimum is 100 boxes. Unit pricing starts at about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote. Kraft with one or two colors tends to sit at the lower end of custom packaging cost, because you are paying for less ink and no coating.
Turnaround is stated per product in three lanes: Rush (expedited production plus air freight), Standard (air) and Cost saver (sea). Production runs from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported constructions can run up to about 12 weeks.
Next step
Send your dimensions, quantity and artwork through the quote form. If you are buying kraft at volume, see wholesale kraft boxes, and for the wider material conversation see eco friendly boxes.
