Paper Source Review

Tuesday, February 7th

2023 Gift Box Reviews

Paper Source

• Single-purchase options
• Boxes for gifting and shipping
• Focused on individuals
• All gifting materials in one place
• In-store pick-up can save you on shipping costs

First opened in 1983 in Chicago, IL, Paper Source is a store for all things paper: wrapping paper, bags, and, of course, gift boxes. Their products offer a unique presentation, with decorative gift boxes that are available in a variety of sizes and patterns. You can wrap them or add a bow and leave them as is.

Six gift box styles

Paper Source specializes in creating fun and beautiful patterns on well-loved standard box shapes. They offer six styles of gift boxes for a variety of purposes:

• Boxes with lids: your traditional hard-sided gift box
• Clothing boxes: white flat boxes with a lid and base
• Treat tins: tins for food with colorful flat covers
• Gift card boxes: small boxes that open for gift cards
• Mailer boxes: a box that meets postal requirements
• Treat boxes: open, basket-style boxes for snacks and treats
• Novelty boxes: boxes with fun shapes, like a French bulldog

Styling and design

While at first glance some of their offerings might feel basic, the fan-favorite box with a lid design is Paper Source's showstopper. Instead of plain white or even simple colors, Paper Source offers designs for specific holidays, and patterns that elevate the simple gift box into something exciting all on its own. While Paper Source does sell wrapping paper, the goal with their box designs is to keep you from needing wrapping paper at all - like tartan designs, pine trees, and watercolor-style artwork already printed onto the boxes.

Sometimes simple is better

If you want something simple, they offer gold and white options as well. Their standard boxes with lids are hard-sided and stand up on their own. A basic white box with a lid is $7.50 per box, but as a reusable, sturdy item, the quality makes up for the higher price.

No wholesale or bulk pricing

If you're looking to buy a lot of boxes in one go, however, Paper Source doesn't offer package deals, so you will have to pay for as many individual units as you'd like. With their cheapest gift box running $3.50 per unit and their most expensive size running $17.50 per unit, it's important to consider how many boxes you'll need for your gift giving.

Getting the gift boxes to you

While shipping for single items starts at $7 per order, which isn't too bad, Paper Source is a large enough company to have in-person stores across the US. If you happen to live close to a Paper Source location, you can pick up your wares in person and skip the shipping fees altogether. The company is based in Chicago, IL, so there's several locations in that area, but there are also 150+ locations across the US including in Florida, California, Georgia, Utah, and New York. So, before you pay for shipping, double check to see if you can pick up your boxes in person.

Extras

The prices are a little higher per unit with Paper Source, but they have everything you might need in one place. On top of offering tags, bows, ribbons, bags, and wrapping paper so that everything you gift can be color or thematically coordinated, they also offer stationery gift items and other items to put inside your boxes. So, on top of gift wrapping materials, Paper Source can help you select the perfect item to go inside it.

Great individual options, but not ideal for large purchases

If you're looking to give a few beautifully presented gifts for a holiday, birthday, or wedding shower, Paper Source is an amazing place to stop. Their box patterns are unique and artistic and allow you to really get into decorating your gifts for that special someone. However, if you're looking for a large quantity of gift boxes for a business or to hand out packaged party favors, Paper Source isn't the best place to shop. Their per-unit pricing doesn't change if you buy multiple boxes, so it can get expensive quickly if you need more than a few boxes at a time.