Personalise Paper Boxes with a Laser Engraver

Picture this: personalised message on paper packaging made with a laser engraver. 

I am a gift tag kind of gal. I write my message on a gift tag and stick it on the gift bag (or packaging box), because there’s no way our names will magically appear on the gift bag (as senders) unless we write them down right?

Wrong.

But when I stumbled upon a video showcasing the Xtool’s engraving capabilities on paper in mere seconds, I set out plans to use Xtool F1 laser to personalise messages on packaging boxes. Hence, one of the first few tests with Xtool F1 laser was honing on the right engraving settings on various paper packaging boxes.

Let’s explore some of the paper boxes that I have engraved on to date using the Xtool F1 laser machine. Each box was carefully selected based on what I had planned for it – whether it's for gifting purposes or packaging for my latest creations.

Paper box with slider with handle (green)

I was once gifted a handmade jewellery stored in a matchbox type packaging. I liked it so much that I researched slider boxes for jewellery packaging. 

These green and pink (to be shown next) slider packaging boxes were purchased in bulk from Alibaba. The boxes came flat and I had to assemble them. Fun times! I really enjoyed this process. 🙂

The green slider box was the first paper type that I laser engraved. I was in awe at how the engraved message came out; the message was clear and no burn marks (from the laser engraver) on my first attempt.

Paper box with slider with handle (pink)

The other 50 pieces of paper slider boxes (to make up 100 in bulk order from Alibaba) are these pink slider boxes (with handle).

Unlike the green paper slider boxes, nailing the right engrave setting on the pink paper slider boxes proved to be a struggle. They included several burn marks or no legible message at all. In the end, I realised they were not just a play on combination of laser power and speed (mm/s), dialling down on lines per cm was the key piece.

Cardboard boxes

Ever since I learned to like the colour pink, I have loved pink stuff (not overwhelmingly though). So, I intended to purchase pink cardboard boxes to present small gifts in a hamper style. Because EBPak, where these pink cardboard boxes were bought from, also offered flat boxes to store custom made cake toppers, I snapped up both cardboard boxes in the same colour. 

I am so pleased with getting the engrave settings right after just a couple of attempts. 

Small Kraft box

One of the most common jewellery paper boxes are made of kraft paper material. They are (definitely) more affordable than the slider boxes design. This 5.5cm x 5.5cm x 2.5cm kraft box from JoyAus is perfect to package your stud earrings or tiny jewellery pieces (ie. pendants, thin chains).

I initially used the engrave settings of the pink slider box on the design first. It turned out perfect for the kraft box. So, I started painting on the design. Then, I added a text. The end result: quite obvious burnt holes on the text.

Therefore, I had to tweak the settings to accommodate both the design file and text. This second attempt proved to be successful. Yaaaas!

Gift packaging boxes can be personalised with a laser engraver like XTool F1. With persistence and (heaps of) patience to get the right settings, overall experience with laser engraving can be rewarding. Of course, it’s always best to start off with a test grid to ensure that the design will come out just as you have envisioned it and avoid any unnecessary product wastage.

What's next? I will continue to find other packaging materials to test engrave with the XTool F1 laser machine and will report back soon.