Tuck Boxes with Rise-Up Inserts That Lift Your Product

What is a rise-up insert?

It is a piece of folded card that sits inside a tuck box and gives a short product something to stand on. Without it, a small bottle drops to the floor of a tall carton and has to be fished out.

With it, the product sits up near the opening. When the customer lifts the tuck, the cap or the label is right there.

Inserts can go in any carton from our full set of tuck end box styles. This page covers cartons designed around one from the start.

Why lift a product inside the box?

There are three good reasons, and most brands have at least two of them.

• The carton must be taller than the product, to match a range or to carry more print
• The product is small and slides about in a standard carton
• The opening moment matters: a lifted product looks placed, not dropped in
• A window on the front needs the label to line up with it
• Several sizes share one carton height, with a different insert for each

The last point is useful for skincare lines. A 15 ml and a 30 ml bottle can share one carton size. The smaller bottle is raised, so both labels sit at the same height.

How does the insert sit inside a straight tuck carton?

The platform is a strip of board scored into a step or a box shape. It slides in from the top before the product and rests on the closed bottom tuck.

Its top panel can carry a cut-out sized to the product's base. A round bottle then sits in a ring, not on a flat shelf. The walls of the insert brace against the inside of the carton and stop it tipping.

We usually pair it with a straight tuck because the front of the carton stays uncut. See the straight tuck end carton page for how that closure folds.

What do the photos show?

The yellow carton has a broad printed band wrapped round its middle, with the end flaps open. The pale mint carton lies on its side with its tucks out, showing how shallow and wide this kind of box can be.

The third photo lays several printed blanks flat on a dark surface beside one folded carton. It is a useful view, because it shows how much of a tuck box is one die-cut piece of board before gluing.

The photos are sample designs. Your carton is printed in your own artwork.

How tall should the insert be?

Work backwards from the lid. Measure the inside height of the carton, subtract the product height, then take off 3 to 5 mm of clearance. What is left is the platform height.

For example, a 100 mm tall carton and a 55 mm bottle leave 45 mm. Take off 5 mm and the platform is about 40 mm high.

Our guide to tuck box inside sizes covers the base measurements too.

Board, print and finishes

Carton and insert are normally both 350gsm white SBS. Kraft, or another board, is there if you ask for it. Using the same board keeps the colours matching where the insert shows.

The insert can be printed too. Try a solid colour, a short line of text or your logo on the platform top. It is the first thing seen when the box opens.

On the outside you can pick from the usual list. That means a matt, gloss or soft touch laminate, spot UV, foil or embossing.

Can I add a window to line up with the product?

Yes, and the insert is what makes it work. With the product held at a fixed height, a die-cut window on the front can frame the label exactly.

Window and platform height are drawn together on the proof. You see the line-up before anything is printed. Clear film over the window is optional.

Our window tuck boxes for products on show go into window shapes and positions in more detail.

How do I assemble cartons with inserts?

The carton and the insert both arrive flat. Fold the inserts first, in a batch, and stack them.

Then square up a carton, close the bottom tuck, drop in an insert and press it down flat. Place the product in its cut-out and close the top. After a few cartons the order becomes second nature. Keep the folded inserts in a tray beside you so they stay square.

If you post the boxes, put them inside a mailer. The insert stops the product moving inside the carton, but it is not packaging for a parcel.

What goes wrong with rise-up inserts?

Nearly every problem is a measurement problem. Measure twice and send a sample if you can. If anything looks tight when we draw the proof, we flag it and suggest a new platform height before you approve.

• A platform so high the lid presses on the product
• A cut-out sized to the bottle's shoulder instead of its base
• Forgetting the insert walls when sizing a window
• Printing important text on the insert sides, which are hidden
• Using a different board for the insert, so the colours do not match

How do I order tuck boxes with rise-up inserts?

The box itself is from £0.25 per unit; the insert gets its own line on the same written quote. Send us the product and we size both pieces. Then ask for a carton and insert quote and work through these steps.

1. Send the product size, or the product itself, and the carton height you want.
2. Tell us if you want a cut-out, a window or print on the insert.
3. Share a logo or finished artwork; laying it out on both dielines is free.
4. Check the proof, which shows the carton and the insert side by side.
5. Production runs 4–6 business days, and free tracked delivery to a UK address takes 2–3 more.