Wrapping guides

How to wrap a gift with crisp corners

Patr & Jaja · founders of I Wish · Published 17 Oct 2026 · Updated 17 Oct 2026

A box takes seven steps: measure, place, fold the edge, wrap, close both ends, crease, tie. About ten minutes the first time, under five by the third.

Wrapping a box in seven steps

1. Measure. Long side = 2 × (width + height) + 3 cm; short side = length + height + 2 cm. A 20 × 20 × 10 cm box needs 63 × 32 cm.
2. Place. Paper face down, box upside down in the middle, main character centred on the lid.
3. Fold. Fold one long edge in by 1 cm. This is the edge that will show.
4. Wrap. Bring the unfolded side up, then the folded side over it. Hide double-sided tape under the fold.
5. Close the ends. Push the top flap down, fold the side flaps in, fold the bottom triangle’s tip in 1 cm and tape it up.
6. Crease all twelve edges.
7. Tie the ribbon across the bottom, up and over, and cut the ends at an angle.

Wrapping without a box

Bottles and cylinders

Roll the bottle up in the sheet, pleat the base into a circle, gather the neck and tie the ribbon over it.

Soft gifts

Fold the sheet into an envelope, fold the base up 5 cm, slip the gift in, and close it with a sticker or ribbon. A layer of tissue first gives it shape.

A gift bag from one sheet

1. Fold both sides to the middle with a 2 cm overlap and tape them into a flat tube.
2. Fold the base up 8 cm and tape it square.
3. Open the bag, pleat the sides and fold the top down 3 cm.
4. Put the gift in and punch two holes for a ribbon.

One 50 × 70 cm sheet makes a bag of about 18 cm wide, 16 cm deep and 31 cm tall.

The Japanese diagonal wrap

One piece of tape and neat diagonal folds on the lid. Best for small to medium flat boxes.

1. Paper face down, box upside down at an angle near the bottom corner.
2. Check the size: all four corners of the paper should reach the middle of the box.
3. Fold the bottom corner over the box.
4. Bring the left side up and pleat the corner into a diagonal line.
5. Roll the box over once and repeat with the next side.
6. At the last corner, fold the edge in 1 cm and finish with one piece of double-sided tape.

Practise once or twice with newspaper.

Questions