How to Wrap Gift Boxes

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero

Last Updated: November 28, 2022

A beautifully-wrapped gift box shows that you put a little extra thought into your gift-giving. Many gifts come in their own boxes, but oddly-shaped gifts and soft items like clothing can be placed into rectangular gift boxes with a bit of tissue paper. Once you’ve selected the perfect present, pick out some beautiful paper and coordinating ribbon to create an impressively wrapped gift that might just be too lovely to open!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Covering the Box’s Perimeter with Wrapping Paper

1
Unroll the wrapping paper on a large flat work surface. A cleared kitchen table or even a clean floor will give you enough space to work. Keep the wrapping paper on its roll and unwind about an arm’s length of the paper. Place it decorative-side down onto the work surface.^{[1]
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- Grab a few lightweight objects, like your scissors and tape roll, to use as temporary paperweights. Place these onto the corners and near the tube to hold the paper in place and prevent it from rolling back up.
2
Place the gift box upside-down onto the reverse side of the paper. Flip the box over so that the top is in contact with the “wrong side” of the wrapping paper. Position the long side of the box parallel to the cut end of the wrapping paper, making sure the paper extends past either side of the gift box in this orientation.^{[2]
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- For a standard shirt box, you should leave about 4 to 5 in (10 to 13 cm) of paper on either short side. Deeper boxes will require more paper on either side.^{[3]
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- If the box is too long for this orientation, turn it 45 degrees so that the short end of the box is perpendicular to the cut end of the paper.
- Make sure the gift inside is carefully padded with tissue paper (especially if it’s fragile) so that it doesn’t get jostled around.
- Although it’s not necessary, you may tape the lid of the gift box down using a piece of matte gift wrap tape on each side.
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3
Fold the paper around the box to determine how much paper to cut. Pick up the cut end of the paper and draw it over the box, lining it up with the far edge of the box (closest to the wrapping paper tube). You may need to slide the box along the paper, towards the tube, as you do this. Touch the cut edge of the paper to the base of the box, so that paper now covers the entire perimeter of the box. Mark a small pen or pencil line at this point.^{[4]
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- Alternatively, you can use a ruler or tape measure to calculate the perimeter of the box and measure it out on the wrong side of the wrapping paper.
4
Measure out 3 in (7.6 cm) from this point and draw a straight line. Give yourself about 3 inches of additional wrapping paper to allow for folding and overlapping. Use a ruler or yardstick to draw a straight line in pen or pencil onto the reverse side of the wrapping paper.^{[5]
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- Some wrapping paper comes with lines marked onto the reverse side. If yours has lines already, just follow the closest one to your 3 in (7.6 cm) mark.
5
Use scissors to cut along the marked line. With most wrapping papers, you can cut a notch and then slide the open scissors across the entire width of the paper for a smooth, clean cut. Hold the end of the paper closest to your body taut and direct the scissors away from your body, with the blades relatively close together.^{[6]
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- Some wrapping papers will snag and tear if you do this, especially if they are very thin or very stiff. Instead, you can simply cut the paper along the line in short but clean strokes.
6
Wrap the paper over one of the long sides of the box and tape it down. Reposition the box so that its edges are parallel to the edges of the cut paper. Pick up one side of the wrapping paper, along the long end of the box. Draw it up and over so that it covers about 2 in (5.1 cm) of the upward-facing side of the box. Tape the edge of the paper directly onto the box. Use your thumb and index finger to create a crease along the corners of the box.^{[7]
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- You may use double-sided tape right along the inside edge of the paper or place matte gift wrap tape on the top edge, overlapping the paper and box.
- Either way, use about a 2 in (5.1 cm) length of tape. For a long box, use 2 or 3 pieces to hold the paper in place.
7
Wrap the opposite side of the paper around the box, overlapping the taped-down piece. Fold the remaining length of paper over the box so that the perimeter of the box is completely covered. Turn over the raw cut edge of the paper by 1 in (2.5 cm). The cut edge will be folded under so you’re left with a smooth, straight crease. Tape this flap down onto the box, overlapping it with the part of the paper already taped the box.^{[8]
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- By following this process, the folded edge should be aligned at or near the corner of your box. Even though this will be the bottom of your gift box, it will still have a neat and attractive finish.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Folding Paper around the Sides and Corners

1
Fold the left and right flaps of paper toward the middle of the box. On a standard shirt box, you’ll be left with wide flaps of paper on the top and bottom, and short flaps extending from the left and right sides of the box. Point the left and right flaps horizontally towards the center of the box so that they hug the corners. Crease these corners with your thumb and index finger.^{[9]
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- Now you’ll have triangular flaps on the top and bottom, with the paper folded at a 45-degree angle.
2
Press the top flap down around the side of the box. Create a sharp crease with your fingers along the top edge of the box as you angle the top triangular flap down. It should completely cover the side of the box and overlap the left and right pieces you just folded inward.
- If the top flap overlaps the bottom flap of paper significantly, you may trim off the excess paper from the top flap at this point.^{[10]
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3
Turn under the raw cut edge of the bottom flap. Since this part will be visible, you can make it as neat as possible by creating a creased fold in a straight line. Tuck the raw edge over by ¹⁄₂ to 1 in (1.3 to 2.5 cm), ensuring that you’ll still have enough paper to cover up any parts of the box inside that might be peeking through. Create a stiff crease with your fingers.^{[11]
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4
Wrap the bottom flap up so it hugs the side of the box and tape it. Depending on how narrow the bottom flap is, you can place one piece of tape at the center of the tip. If it’s wide, consider placing pieces of tape at the corners as well as in the center. Once again, crease the edges of the fully-wrapped box to emphasize the corners.^{[12]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Decorating the Gift with a Ribbon Bow

1
Cut a length of ribbon 5 times as long as the box. You may use gift wrapping ribbon or any type of fabric or plastic ribbon that you like. Hold a length of ribbon up against the long side of your wrapped gift box and measure out 5 times this length.^{[13]
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- Think outside the box when it comes to selecting your ribbon. Metallic ribbon can be eye-catching on jewel-toned or pastel wrapping paper. Twine can create a cozy, rustic appearance, especially when paired with simple brown kraft paper.
- If you’re using curling ribbon, measure out a much longer length so that you can curl the ends into a bouncy ribbon bundle.
2
Lay the box face-down over the center of the ribbon. Position the ribbon so that it’s aligned with the “waistline” of the box. Draw them together so that they meet in the horizontal and vertical center of the base of the box (which is facing upwards).^{[14]
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3
Cross the ribbon ends and wrap them around the box in the other direction. Crisscross the ribbon ends at the center of the box. Turn them at opposing right angles so that they interlock with each other. Then wrap the ribbon around the box cross-wise, flipping the box right-side up as you do so.^{[15]
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- If you’ve already wrapped the ribbon around the box the long way, you’ll now wrap it around the short way.
4
Pass the ribbon ends under the length of ribbon that’s flat against the box. Slide each end under the taut length of ribbon at the horizontal and vertical center of the box. The ribbon should now be forming a cross shape.^{[16]
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5
Knot the ribbon ends at the center and create a simple bow. Hold the loose ribbon ends upwards and tie them together, around the taut length of ribbon, with a single overhand knot. You can then create a simple bow. Follow the same process as you would when tying your shoelaces.^{[17]
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- If you’re using a wider ribbon, you can either trim the ends to a neat 45-degree angle or cut out a decorative V-shaped notch.^{[18]
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- If you plan to include a hanging gift tag in your wrapping, thread one of the ribbon ends through the hanging gift tag’s loop before you complete the overhand knot and bow.
- Tuck a sprig of berries or branches into the bow for a fresh festive touch.