BusiPackaging

Step 1Pick the type of box. A plain shipping carton with four flaps top and bottom is the FEFCO 0201, the one most boxes in the world are. Choose that unless you have a reason not to: it uses the least board and every box maker knows it.

Step 2Enter the INSIDE measurements: what has to fit in. The tool adds the board thickness itself, because a box folded to the outside measurements comes out too small for the goods. Corrugated board is roughly three millimetres for single wall and seven for double, and over four sides that adds up fast.

Step 3Now the important bit that most drawings get wrong: not every line is a cut. The tool gives you cut lines and CREASE lines separately. A flap has three cut sides; the fourth, the one against the wall, is a crease, because that is the hinge the flap folds on. Cut it and the flap falls off.

Step 4Finally, the layout on the board. A blank is expensive in material, so how it sits on the sheet decides the price of the job. The tool shows how many fit and what is left over, so you can see straight away whether a centimetre off the box saves you a whole extra sheet.

Step 5The price works itself out while you design. You can change the rates yourself.

Step 6Download the print-ready PDF.

Step 7Pro members unlock the tool once through the shop. After that it works offline too.

Step 8Put your own prices and payment details in the shop, and share your shop link with customers.

Step 9Done, or something went wrong? Open the dashboard and start over with a clean sheet.