Cardboard gift box

In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a classy and individual gift box out of a simple sheet of corrugated board.

Cardboard gift box

In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a classy and individual gift box out of a simple sheet of corrugated board.

Preparation

Materials required

Corrugated cardboard, minimum dimensions 45 x 60 cm, 3 mm thick
Extra strong double-sided adhesive tape
Material to cover the laser bed such as paper

Laser cutting machine used

Speedy 500, 200 watt
2.5" lens
Small cone or cone with special cap (depending on availability)
Aluminium cutting grid table

Any SP series laser cutter can be used to create this sample, as well as the Speedy 360 or Speedy 400 laser engraving machines.

Tip

Use the smallest possible cone as this prevents the material from being dirtied by burn marks.

graphic-files-cardboard-gift-box.zip

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laser-parameter-cardboard-3mm.zip

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Step by step

Step 1

Step 1: Import print and laser template

Begin by downloading our graphic and adapting it to suit your requirements. Send the graphic to the laser with the below settings.

Print settings:

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Cut job	1000 dpi	none

Halftone	Others
Colour	Optimised geometries, inner geometries first

Step 2

Step 2: Laser cutting cardboard

Position the cardboard onto your laser bed with the face of the material down. To ensure sufficient vacuum that holds the material in place, cover open areas of the laser bed with paper. Then enter your material settings into the laser software. Our recommended parameters will vary depending on your laser machine and its available power.

Laser Parameters

Colour	Process	Power (%)	Speed (%)	ppi/Hz
cutting slowly: red	Cut CO₂	30	1.5	5000
scratching: blue	Cut CO₂	10	3	5000
cutting fast: green	Cut CO₂	50	3	5000

Passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Advanced
1	Gas 1	-	-
1	Gas 1	-	-
1	Gas 1	-	-

Tips:

Use the external compressed air (= Gas 1) with 4 bar pressure. This blows the smoke through the cutting slots which ensures clean cut edges.

Assembling the laser cut cardboard gift box

Step 3

Step 3: Cleaning and assembly

Crease the scratched cutting lines to achieve a nice fold. To achieve this you can either use a ballpoint-pen or a folding stick. Apply the double-sided adhesive tape on the six flaps and crease all folding lines to remove tension from the cardboard. Glue the box together and it is now ready for action.

Inspiration

To make your box stand out you can personalise it by painting
Put a piece of acrylic or wood underneath the cut-out design. This way the engraving becomes visible when the box.
You can replace the words "Happy Birthday" with greetings or dates. This allows you to quickly and easily offer personalised boxes to your customers.

Speedy series
The ideal laser engraver and cutter for personalisation.

Discover laser engravers and cutters

Questions about applications or settings?
We're happy to advise you from A for Air assist to Z for z-offset.