Wrapping guides

How to make a gift look expensive, in eight steps

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

Gifts that look expensive tend to share three things: paper without a gloss, no visible tape, and crisp corners. You can do all three with one sheet, double-sided tape and a single ribbon, in under ten minutes a box.

What you need

• Matte wrapping paper, 100 gsm or heavier, so corners don’t tear and the box doesn’t show through
• Thin double-sided tape
• Sharp scissors, or a cutter and a steel ruler
• One fabric ribbon or cotton string, about four times the box’s girth
• A ruler or plastic card for creasing

Eight things that make a gift look expensive

1. Choose matte paper

Gloss reflects light and shows fingerprints. Matte paper makes colours look deeper. Ours is 128 gsm matte art paper.

2. Cut the sheet to size

Extra paper is what makes the ends bulky. Long side = 2 × (width + height) + 3 cm; short side = length + height + 2 cm. A 20 × 20 × 10 cm box needs 63 × 32 cm. Or use the paper calculator.

3. Place the pattern before you cut

Set the box on the paper and slide it until the main character sits in the middle of the lid, not cut in half at an edge.

4. Fold every visible edge by 1 cm

A folded edge is straighter than a cut one.

5. Hide double-sided tape under the folds

When you finish, no tape shows at all.

6. Crease every edge

Run a thumbnail or ruler along all twelve edges of the box. Sharp corners are the first thing people notice.

7. One ribbon, one colour

Pick a colour already in the pattern: butter with the ducks, blue with the dogs, pale lilac with the wisteria. Tie it simply.

8. A handwritten tag, and no price

Remove every price sticker and add a small tag with the recipient’s name in your own handwriting.

What makes a gift look rushed

• Paper bunched at the ends
• Tape everywhere
• A plastic ribbon in a colour the pattern doesn’t have
• A character cut in half on the lid

Questions