Guide / Materials & board grades / Chapter 3.4
Kraft vs white board.
Brown kraft and white board can be equally strong, but they look, print and feel very different. Here's how to choose the right colour for your packaging.
The short answer
Kraft brown board has a natural brown surface. It looks earthy and handmade, hides scuffs well and suits one or two-colour logos, especially in black or white ink. White board has a white surface layer. It gives brighter, more accurate colours and a clean, modern look, but shows marks more easily. For our die-cut boxes, kraft brown and white are both digitally printed from 25 units, and black kraft boxes are screen printed.
What's the difference?
The colour comes from the outer liner. Kraft liners are the natural colour of unbleached paper fibre. White liners have a white surface, so the box is white on the outside and usually brown or white inside.
Colour doesn't decide strength on its own. Strength comes from the flute, the number of walls and the liners. Our flute chapter explains how board strength works.
Kraft vs white at a glance
| Kraft brown | White | Black kraft | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look | Natural, earthy, handmade | Clean, bright, modern | Bold, premium |
| Print colours | Darker and more muted on brown | Bright and accurate | White ink stands out |
| Hides scuffs | Well | Shows marks more | Can show scuffs on edges |
| Our print method on die-cut boxes | Digital from 25 units, or screen from 250 | Digital from 25 units, or screen from 250 | Screen, from 250 units |
| Popular with | Natural, handmade, food and eco-focused brands | Beauty, fashion, tech and colourful brands | Premium, fashion and gift brands |
How colour affects your print
On kraft brown
Ink sits on a brown background, so colours look darker and warmer than on screen. Black, dark colours and simple designs look best. Light colours can look faint on brown.
On white
Colours print brighter and closer to your design than on kraft, so detailed artwork, photos and many colours work well. Large areas of solid colour can show scuffs at the edges after shipping.
On black kraft
Black boxes are screen printed, and white ink stands out strongly. We can screen print white ink, which is popular for logos on black and kraft boxes.
What it means for you
The same question, answered for where your business is today.
Choose your stage at the top of the page to open the advice for you.
Start-up · under 100 units
Pick the colour that matches your brand and your logo. Kraft brown is the most forgiving: it hides scuffs and suits a simple logo or sticker.
Order samples of kraft and white mailers and hold your logo against each.
Growing · 100 to 2,499 units
If your artwork uses several colours or fine detail, white board will show it best. If your brand is natural or handmade, kraft usually fits better.
Try this: order plain samples of both board colours and ask about colour swatches. A digital proof checks layout, not how colour will look on the board.
Enterprise · 2,500 units and more
Keep one board colour per product line so every run looks consistent, and note the colour in your specification along with the print method.
Board colour can vary slightly between batches, so agree on an acceptable range for large runs.
Common mistakes
- 1Expecting screen colours on kraft. Colours print darker on brown. A digital proof checks layout, not physical colour, so use a printed sample or swatch for colour-critical work.
- 2Choosing white for rough shipping. White shows scuffs and marks more. Consider kraft for long journeys.
- 3Light-coloured logos on kraft. Pale colours can disappear on brown. Use dark ink or white ink.
- 4Assuming white is weaker. Strength depends on the flute and liners, not colour.
Kraft and white board questions
Is kraft board stronger than white board?
Which prints better, kraft or white?
Can you print white ink on kraft or black boxes?
What's the minimum order for printed kraft or white mailer boxes?
How are black boxes printed?
Keep reading
Shop by colour
Can't decide between kraft and white?
Send us your logo and we'll suggest the board colour and print method that suit it, usually within 1 business day.