Packaging that represents your brand.
As e-commerce has grown, packaging has become an important part of how customers experience a brand. For many businesses, the box on the doorstep is the first physical contact a customer has with them.
Fretwell produces printed packaging in-house using our own equipment, giving you control over quality, faster turnaround, and packaging that properly represents your product.
Sustainable, FSC®-certified board and recyclable materials available across the range.
What we can make
From the everyday mailer to high-end brand packaging, all printed and finished under one roof.
Custom Boxes
Rigid, folding cartons and corrugated boxes engineered to your exact dimensions and brand spec.
Branded Mailers
Eye-catching e-commerce mailing boxes and postal packaging that turn delivery into an unboxing moment.
High-End Retail Packaging
Premium finishes including foiling, embossing and soft-touch laminates for luxury and gift packaging.
Product Print
Sleeves, wraps, labels, inserts and swing tags that complete a cohesive product story.
Who it's for
How bespoke packaging works at Fretwell
Brief & structural specification
Tell us your product dimensions, target market and any finish preferences. We'll advise on box style, board grade and dieline - whether that's a standard carton or a fully bespoke rigid box.
Artwork & dieline approval
Your designer works to our supplied structural dieline. We check artwork for bleed, colour profile and print suitability, then issue a digital proof for approval before production begins.
Print, cut & finish
Sheets are printed on our litho or digital presses, then die-cut to shape and sent through finishing - foiling, embossing, lamination or spot UV - all in-house on our own equipment.
Assembly, quality check & despatch
Boxes and mailers are glued, assembled and inspected before packing. Most orders are ready within 10-15 working days of artwork sign-off, with a firm delivery date confirmed at order.
Helpful guides
All guides
Custom Printed Packaging: The Complete Guide for UK Brands
Everything that goes into a custom printed box, from choosing the box type and board to artwork, finishes, quantities, lead times and recyclability.
Read the guide
Box Styles Explained: Tuck End, Crash Lock, Sleeve and Tray
The common box styles, how each one closes and holds its product, and which suits retail shelves, heavy products, gifts or posting.
Read the guide
Folding Carton vs Corrugated vs Rigid Boxes: Which to Choose
How the three main box constructions differ in strength, print quality, cost and recyclability, and which fits retail, e-commerce or gift packaging.
Read the guide
How to Set Up Packaging Artwork and Dielines
What a dieline is, how to place artwork on it, and the checks that stop panels printing upside down, barcodes failing or finishes landing in the wrong place.
Read the guideSustainable Packaging: Recyclable Printed Boxes for UK Brands
Practical ways to make printed boxes easier to recycle, from board and finish choices to right-sizing, plus what UK packaging EPR means for brands.
Read the guidePackaging Finishes: Foil, Embossing, Soft-Touch and Spot UV
How foil, embossing, soft-touch lamination, spot UV and windows work on packaging board, how to combine them, and what they do to recyclability.
Read the guide