All My Secrets for Manufacturing and Packaging Gift Wrap for Wholesale

Gift wrap was one of those products that I wanted to add to my wholesale collection, but it always seemed so mysterious. Who do you use for a printer, how do you package it, what type of shipping boxes work best? If gift wrap is something you have been thinking about adding to your offerings, but are not sure where to start, then you're in luck! Below are all of my gift wrap secrets.

Where do I manufacture my gift wrap?

When I first entered the gift wrap world, I started by working with Stationery HQ. What I love about this printer is that it's very easy to upload your art to their website and get an immediate preview of your work. Once you set up a wholesale account with them, you know exactly what you will be paying with an instant quote. The one limiting factor with Stationery HQ is that they only offer one size - 20x29". Shipping can also get a little pricey depending on where you are located in the country. They are based in California so if you live on the east coast, it may get expensive.

Another option is to check with your local printer which eliminates the shipping costs that can become quite high as most gift wrap is shipped flat. I find that local printers get scared off when you say you want them to print "gift wrap" so have changed my wording to "oversized sheets".

I found a midwest printer that I have been working with for the past year called Premier Print Group. While they have higher minimums, they do offer great pricing as well as great quality.
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What paper weight should I use to print my gift wrap?

If you use Stationery HQ, they will print your gift wrap on 70# opaque paper. I found that to be slightly too thick, so with my new printer I use 60# opaque paper. Still a nice thickness, and also helps keep pricing costs low.
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What size do I print my gift wrap?

Again if using Stationery HQ, you will be limited to a 20x29 size. If you use a local printer, the final size will be more flexible. Many components are affected by the size of gift wrap you choose such as the clear wrap you use for your gift wrap packaging (if you are offering them as rolls) and shipping boxes. You want to be sure early on that the size is something you will want to stick with so you don't have to change all other components as well. I currently print my gift wrap at a 20 x 30" size.
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How do I package my gift wrap?

I offer my gift wrap in both rolls and single sheets.

Rolls of 3 sheets - What you need:
​Clear cello sheets: I use clear cello sheets I purchase from Cello Depot. They will custom make any size sheets that you need with a minimum order of 1,000. I order 10" x 33" sheets to wrap my 20 x 30" rolls, essentially adding 3" to the length of the roll which will get tucked into the each end of the roll once rolled.
​Wooden Dowel: A few years ago, I eliminated the inner cores of my gift wrap and now just roll around a wooden dowel approximately 1" thick. This saves so much on the packaging cost as well as the weight for shipping the gift wrap rolls. I lay out 3 sheets of gift wrap and tightly roll them around a wooden dowel. Ideally you could create a slot in your dowel so that the 3 sheets will stay in the slot as you roll. When I have about 6" left to roll, I then lay out the cello sheet and tightly wrap it around the last few inches.
​Clear Dots: Next I use 3 clear dot stickers to hold everything into place and then pull it off the dowel. Tuck in the ends of the clear cello and you're ready to roll! 😉
​Label: Have a sticker label created with all of your brand info and products specs from a place like Lightning Label.

Single Sheets - What you need:
Single sheets of gift wrap are the best! No packaging required! I add my logo in an unobtrusive way to the bottom right corner of my gift wrap art work so my branding is already directly on the gift wrap.
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How do I ship my gift wrap?

Now you need to get the gift wrap delivered safe and sound to its destination. You went through all that hard work...the last thing you want is for the product to be damaged in shipping! You will want a few box sizes to accommodate different sized orders.
​For rolls we stock: 32x6x6, 32x12x12 (for larger orders)
​For single sheets: we roll single sheets the short way and ship in a 4 x 20" kraft mailing tube.

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Gift wrap is a lot of work, but it's so satisfying once it's all said and done! Hopefully this has helped a bit to take the mystery out of producing gift wrap for wholesale.