The trick to wrapping without a pile of offcuts is to measure the box first and cut the right sheet, rather than unrolling paper and hoping. Two short sums do it. The Gift-Wrap Paper Calculator runs them for you, but they are worth knowing.
Measure the box
Every box has three measurements: length, width and height. Stand it the way it will sit under the tree and measure the three edges that meet at one corner. The longest is the length, the next is the width, and the upright one is the height. Round each up to the nearest centimetre or half inch.
The formula
A standard box wrap rolls the paper around the box and folds the two ends in. That gives two sums.
Sheet width is the side that wraps around the box. It has to cover the whole way round, which is the box girth:
sheet width = 2 × width + 2 × height + overlapThe girth is 2 × width + 2 × height because the paper goes up one side, across the top, down the other side and across the bottom. The overlap, about 2 to 3 cm, is the seam where the two edges meet over the top.
Sheet length is the side that runs along the box. It covers the length plus enough at each end to fold up the height:
sheet length = length + 2 × height + overlapMultiply the two for the total paper area.
A worked example
Take a shoebox, 30 cm long, 20 cm wide and 12 cm high, with a 2.5 cm overlap.
| Measurement | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Girth | 2 × 20 + 2 × 12 | 64 cm |
| Sheet width | 64 + 2.5 | 66.5 cm |
| Sheet length | 30 + 2 × 12 + 2.5 | 56.5 cm |
| Total paper | 66.5 × 56.5 | about 3,757 cm² |
So a flat sheet 66.5 cm by 56.5 cm wraps that box with a little to spare. Cut it, lay the box face-down in the middle, bring the two long edges up to meet over the top, then fold each end in.
Why the girth matters
The most common wrapping mistake is a sheet that is long enough but not wide enough, so the two edges do not quite meet over the top. That is a girth problem. A tall, narrow box has a bigger girth than it looks, because height counts twice. Checking the girth before you cut, or before you buy a roll, saves the awkward moment of a gift that will not close.
For gifts that need edge-to-edge printing on the paper itself, see how to print borderless.
