Custom Stationery Boxes for Sets, Notebooks and Planners

Sizing for A5, A6 and Mixed Sets

Paper sizes make stationery boxes easier to plan than many products. An A5 notebook is 148mm by 210mm, an A6 pocket notebook is 105mm by 148mm and an A4 planner is 210mm by 297mm. Add a few millimetres to each side for clearance, plus the thickness of any insert, and measure the depth of the thickest item.

For mixed sets, lay out the items as you want them to appear. A notebook beside a pen and a pack of sticky notes needs a wider box with a card insert holding each item in its own space. Avoid oversizing, as a notebook sliding around a large box bends at the corners in the post.

If you sell the same notebook in several cover colours, one box size covers all of them. Change only the label or the sleeve.

Planners and diaries are often thicker than they look once elastic closures, ribbons and pockets are included. Measure a finished product rather than relying on the page size alone, and check whether a pen loop on the spine adds width. Our guide to measuring products for a box covers inserts and clearance.

Printed Stationery Boxes that Match Your Range

Printed stationery boxes work best when they echo the product inside. If your notebooks use a bold pattern, carry that pattern onto the lid. If the brand is minimal, a plain box with a small foil logo and a coloured inside lid can look more refined than a fully printed one.

Full colour CMYK printing handles illustrations and patterns. Pantone colours keep brand shades consistent across boxes and products. Inside printing on the lid or base gives a pleasing surprise and a place for a short message to the buyer.

Text should be minimal on the front. Product details, sizes and page counts can sit on a label on the base or a slip inside the box.

Collections that change through the year work well with a sleeve system. Keep one plain rigid box in stock and print a new sleeve for each collection, which is quicker and cheaper than reprinting full boxes every time the range changes.

Finishes That Feel Right in the Hand

Stationery lovers respond to texture. Soft-touch lamination gives a velvety feel. Textured papers such as linen, felt or speckled stock wrapped around rigid board give a crafted, tactile finish. Blind embossing on a logo adds subtle depth without colour. Gold or rose-gold foil suits gift collections and planners.

Matt lamination is a sensible default for boxes that will be handled a lot in shops, as it resists fingerprints and scuffs. Gloss suits bright, playful ranges for children and teens.

Consider how the finish works with the product itself. A soft-touch box holding a soft-touch notebook creates a satisfying match, while a glossy box around a raw kraft notebook can feel mismatched. If you can, send us a sample product so we can suggest a finish that complements its cover. The notepads that go inside can be printed as A5 notepads with a printed cover in the same order.

Inserts and Extras

Card inserts hold notebooks and pens in place and make a set look organised. Foam inserts with cut-outs suit fountain pens and delicate accessories. Ribbon pulls on drawer boxes and lift tabs under notebooks make opening easier. A belly band printed with the collection name can wrap a plain box and change for each range.

If you ship online, ask about a matching outer mailer. It protects the presentation box in the post and keeps the corners sharp.

For corporate gifts, an insert can include a slot for a business card or a printed welcome card. It turns a standard notebook set into a personal gift for new starters, clients or conference speakers without changing the box itself. Letterheads and cards for the same set sit under printed stationery for brands.

Measure the Finished Notebook, Not the Page Size

Stationery is easy to size until elastics, ribbons, pen loops and pocket flaps are added, so measure a finished product rather than working from A5 or A6. A planner with an elastic closure and a pen loop is often 8 mm thicker and 10 mm wider than its page size suggests. Lay out mixed sets as they should be seen, measure the arrangement, and tell us which items need their own cell in the insert. If covers change colour each season, plan a sleeve over one stock box rather than a new box per colour.

Send the products or their measurements, the style, the finish and the quantity, and a custom quote comes back by email within one working day, with minimums kept low and set per job. The free proof shows the artwork on the dieline and the insert layout. Production takes 4–7 working days after approval and tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses is free, taking 2–3 working days. Boxes with dented corners or misprints reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded. Shops that post sets to customers usually add stationery shipping boxes sized to the gift box to the same order.