Custom Paper Tubes with Lids

Choosing Diameter and Height

Measure the product at its widest point and its full height. For a jar or bottle, the widest point is usually the shoulder or the lid. Add a few millimetres to the diameter for ease, and enough height for any insert or padding at the base. If the product rattles, a card disc or a foam ring at the top and bottom keeps it still.

For loose products such as tea, decide the volume you want to sell and work out a diameter and height that hold it with some headroom for a scoop. Tall, narrow tubes look elegant on a shelf; short, wide tubes are easier to scoop from.

Lid depth changes the look. A shallow lid looks like a cap and shows more of the body print. A deep lid, covering a third or more of the body, feels more substantial and gives a bigger surface for the logo.

Printing and Wrapping Paper Tubes with Lids

Paper tubes are usually finished with a printed paper wrap laminated around the body and the lid. Because the wrap goes all the way round, the design can flow continuously, which suits patterns, illustrations and panoramic artwork. Text and logos should be placed so they read well when the tube faces forward, with secondary information on the back.

Wraps can be printed in full colour or chosen as a plain coloured paper with a foil logo. Kraft wraps give a natural, earthy look. Textured papers add depth. Matt lamination looks modern, soft-touch feels velvety and gloss makes colours bright.

The lid top and the base are separate discs that can also be printed. A logo on the top of the lid is seen when tubes are stored in a drawer or viewed from above on a low shelf. Foil and textured wraps are shown on our luxury tubes with foil page.

Liners and Food Contact

For dry foods such as tea, coffee, spices and biscuits, an inner liner protects the contents. Foil-lined board keeps aroma and moisture out better than plain board. Grease-resistant liners suit buttery biscuits. Food-contact grade materials are available on request.

Loose products can also go in a sealed bag inside a plain tube. This keeps the contents fresh and means the tube itself does not need a special liner, which can reduce cost.

For non-food items, an inner liner is optional but can add a contrast colour that shows when the lid is lifted.

Keep printed tubes away from damp storerooms before filling. Paperboard is strong and stiff when dry, but it can swell slightly in a humid room, which tightens the lid fit. Tea blenders often keep the tube for gifting and use tea boxes for a wider range on the shelf.

Who Orders Paper Tubes

Tea blenders, coffee roasters and spice merchants use them for their flagship products. Candle makers use them as gift packaging. Gin distilleries and wine merchants use tall tubes for gift bottles. Gift companies, clothing brands and cosmetics brands use them for presentation. Bakeries and confectioners use them for biscuits and sweets.

Corporate gifting teams like tubes because they post well, stand upright on a desk and can carry a company logo on the lid.

Art printers and galleries use long tubes for prints that should not be folded.

Subscription brands use small tubes for a single monthly sample, and craft breweries use them for gift packs of a bottle and a glass. In every case the appeal is the same: a printed cylinder looks finished and deliberate on its own, without tissue, ribbon or an extra outer box, which makes it an efficient way to present a product as a gift. Where the base must also open, paper tubes with end caps have a plug at each end.

Decide on the Lid Depth and the Liner Before the Wrap

Two choices set the character of a paper tube before any artwork is drawn: how deep the lid is and whether the inside is lined. A shallow lid shows more of the body print and suits tea and sweets; a deep lid feels heavier and suits spirits and candles. Loose tea, coffee and dry food need a foil-lined board or a sealed inner bag, and food-contact grade liners are available on request. Measure the product's widest point and height, add room for a base disc and any foam ring, and say if the tube is posted. Brands with a premium line often add luxury tubes with foil and a shoulder neck above the standard tube.

Send the product size, contents and artwork, and a custom quote comes by email within one working day, with the minimum set to the job. The free proof shows the wrap layout around the body and lid. Tubes are made in 4 to 7 working days after approval, arrive made up and nested by tracked courier to UK mainland addresses, and damaged or misprinted tubes reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded.