Folding cartons · windows and hang tabs
Window Boxes and Window Patching
A window box is a folding carton with a die-cut aperture that lets the customer see the product before opening it. The window can be left open or closed with clear film glued inside, and it can be added to almost any carton style: tuck end, crash-lock, sleeve, pillow or gable. Retail cartons often pair a window with a hang tab or euro slot for peg display. Made to your size from 50 boxes.
- Family
- Folding carton
- Minimum order
- 50 boxes
- Sizing
- Made to your dimensions
Construction
How it is built
The aperture
The window is cut by the same cutting forme that cuts and scores the carton, so it needs no separate tooling step. Its shape can be a simple rectangle, a circle, a product outline or a pattern of small cut-outs. The aperture is kept clear of scores and carton edges, usually by around 10 mm or more depending on board and size, so the panel still folds square and its edges keep their stiffness.
Window patching
For a closed window, clear film is glued to the inside of the panel over the aperture on a window-patching machine, after printing and die-cutting and before the carton is folded and glued at the side seam. The film is cut larger than the opening so the glue sits on board all round. Patched windows keep dust and fingers off the product and hold small parts in; open windows are used where the customer should touch the product or film is not wanted.
Film choices
The usual patching film is clear PET, chosen for clarity and stiffness. Cellulose-based and other plant-derived films are available if you would rather avoid a conventional plastic, usually with some trade-off in clarity or stiffness. A film window is a second material in a paper carton, which affects how it is sorted for recycling, so if that matters, consider an open window or discuss the film at the specification stage.
Hang tabs and euro slots
For peg display the carton gets a hang tab: an extension of the back panel above the top closure, often folded double and glued for strength, with a punched hole. A round hole suits a single peg; a euro slot, the sombrero-shaped slot common on UK retail pegs, sits on a single or double-prong hook and lifts off easily. The tab adds height to the blank, and it must be strong enough for the product, since the carton hangs from it.
Strength and structure
A window removes board from a panel, which reduces the panel's stiffness and the carton's resistance to crushing. Large windows are balanced with heavier board, a smaller window on the opposite panel, or an insert that stiffens the carton from inside. Windows that wrap around a corner look striking but cut through a score, so they need careful design and a stiffer film.
Opening and closing
How it opens and closes
Opening
A window does not change how the carton opens; that is set by the style it is added to. On a tuck end window box the customer lifts the top tuck; on a crash-lock carton the top opens the same way. A patched window is not an opening, and the film stays in place however often the carton is opened and closed.
Closing
The carton closes by its own style's tuck, lock or glued end. What the window changes is packing: the product has to be placed so the right face sits behind the window, and that is where an insert that locates the product earns its place. Without one, products can turn or drop away from the window in handling.
Best for
Where window boxes work best
Cosmetics and make-up
Lipsticks, palettes and brushes where colour sells, often on a platform insert that presents the product in the window.
Toys and hobby kits
Figures and kits held in a card tray, visible behind film with all the parts kept together.
Food and confectionery
Biscuits, chocolates and bakes the customer wants to see; tell us if the food will touch the film or board.
Candles and home fragrance
A front window shows the wax colour and vessel without the carton being opened on shelf.
Accessories on pegs
Cables, phone accessories, socks and small hardware in a window carton with a hang tab or euro slot.
Gift sets and seasonal packs
Sets where the contents themselves are the selling point, framed by print around the window.
Advantages and limitations
Strengths, and where it falls short
Advantages
- The customer sees the product before buying, often the deciding factor for colour, texture or size.
- The window is cut in the same pass as the carton, with no separate tooling.
- Works with almost any carton style: tuck end, crash-lock, sleeve, pillow or gable.
- Patched windows keep dust and handling off the product while still showing it.
- A hang tab or euro slot lets the same carton stand on a shelf or hang on a peg.
Limitations
- A window weakens the panel it is cut into; large windows need heavier board, an insert, or both.
- Window patching is an extra production step and adds a film component to the carton.
- A plastic film window is a second material in a paper carton, which matters if you want a single-material pack.
- The product must be positioned accurately; without an insert it can turn or slip away from the window.
- Windows close to scores, glue flaps or tucks are awkward to fold and best avoided.
Materials, printing and finishes
What it is made from and how it is decorated
Materials
Folding boxboard (FBB)
300–400 gsm, choosing the heavier end where a large window reduces panel stiffness.
Solid bleached board (SBS)
Clean white cut edges around the window, which are visible up close.
Kraft board
A brown frame around the window suits natural and handmade products.
Clear patching film
PET for clarity and stiffness, or a cellulose-based film as an alternative with some trade-offs.
Printing
The carton is printed by litho or digital, in CMYK with Pantone spot colours as needed, and the window is placed on the dieline so no essential artwork sits over the cut-out. Print can frame the window with a border or a shape that leads the eye to the product. The inside of the panel around the window can be seen through it, so inside print is worth considering, and a printed insert behind the window becomes part of the display.
Finishes
Window patching
Clear film glued behind the aperture, applied after printing and cutting and before folding and gluing.
Matt, gloss or soft-touch lamination
Applied to the printed sheet before the window is cut, protecting the print around it. Lamination is free on every order.
Foil blocking
A foil border or logo framing the window on the front panel.
Spot UV
Gloss detail around the window over a matt laminated background.
Embossing and debossing
Raised or recessed branding kept clear of the window's edges so the panel stays flat.
Inserts, shipping and packing
Practicalities
Inserts
Inserts do more work in window boxes than in closed cartons, because they present the product in the window. A card platform raises the product to the aperture; a die-cut cradle or card tray holds it at the right angle; a printed backing card provides a background. The insert also stiffens a carton whose front panel has been partly cut away. We design the window, carton and insert together so they line up.
Shipping
Window boxes are delivered flat, with the film already patched and the side seam glued, in bundles inside corrugated courier cartons. The film sits protected inside the flat carton, though very large patches are packed with care so they do not crease. Delivery is included on every order. Your quotation confirms the delivery address and timing.
Packing and assembly
Packing speed is set by the base style: a tuck end or crash-lock window box packs as quickly as one without a window. The extra step is placing the product so it faces the window, which an insert makes consistent. Hang-tab cartons are packed like any tuck carton and hung at the point of sale.
Alternatives
When another style does the job better
Box style
Straight Tuck End Boxes
The usual base for a front window, because the front panel is uninterrupted from top to bottom.
Compare this styleBox style
Crash-lock Bottom Boxes
A window carton with a pre-glued crash-lock (auto lock) base for heavier products such as candles in glass.
Compare this styleBox style
Sleeve and Slipcase Boxes
A windowed sleeve over a tray or inner box, when the product needs a full inner pack.
Compare this styleBox style
Counter Display Units
When several products should be shown together at the till rather than one at a time.
Compare this style
- Base style (tuck end, crash-lock, sleeve, pillow or gable) and the product dimensions.
- Window size, shape and position, or tell us what should be visible.
- Open window or film-patched, and any film preference.
- Hang tab: none, round hole or euro slot.
- Quantity, from 50 boxes.
- Board, print and finishes, including inside print.
- Insert to present the product in the window.
- Your required delivery date.
Window Boxes questions
Questions buyers ask
Anything not covered here, put it in the notes on your quote and we will answer it directly.
Ask on your quoteDoes a window box need film?
No. An open window shows and lets the customer touch the product; a film-patched window keeps dust and handling off it and holds small parts in. Choose by the product and where it is sold.
What is window patching?
Window patching is gluing clear film to the inside of a carton panel over a die-cut aperture. It is done on a patching machine after printing and cutting, and before the carton is folded and glued.
What is a euro slot?
A euro slot is the sombrero-shaped hanging slot punched in a carton's hang tab. It sits on a standard retail peg or double-prong hook and lets the carton be lifted off without tearing.
Will a window weaken the box?
It reduces the stiffness of the panel it is cut into. We keep the window clear of scores and edges and, for large windows, use heavier board or an insert that stiffens the carton from inside.
Can any box style have a window?
Almost any folding carton can: tuck end, crash-lock, snap lock, sleeve, pillow and gable boxes all take windows. The window is positioned to suit each style's closures and scores.
Is there an alternative to a plastic film window?
Yes. An open window uses no film at all, and cellulose-based films are available as an alternative to PET, usually with some trade-off in clarity or stiffness. Discuss it at the specification stage.
What is the minimum order for window boxes?
The minimum order is 50 boxes. Free Shipping, Free Lamination and No Die Charges are standard on every order, and the window is cut by the same forme as the carton.
How long will my window boxes take?
Tell us your required delivery date and our team will confirm whether the timing is achievable. Window patching is an extra step between cutting and gluing, which is allowed for in the schedule.
Ready to specify your packaging?
Our team replies during business hours, 10:00–18:00 UK time.