Gift Wrap Paper Roll Guide: Brown Kraft Gift Wrapping All Year Round

A plain brown gift wrap paper roll works for far more than Christmas. Birthdays, weddings, new baby gifts, thank you presents and shop counter wrapping all suit the same plain kraft paper, and you change the look with string, ribbon and stamps. Pack Solution stocks brown kraft paper on long rolls, plus honeycomb paper for fragile gifts, clear tape and clear bags.

We do not sell printed, coloured or foil gift wrap. Everything below starts with plain brown wrapping paper and builds the look from there.

Quick Picks: Gift Wrap Paper Roll and the Extras You Need

A kraft roll, a roll of honeycomb paper for anything breakable and narrow clear tape cover nearly every present.

Best for plain brown gift wrapping

Kraft Paper Rolls

Strong brown kraft paper on long rolls, in a 90gsm standard roll or two 70gsm centre-feed boxed rolls.

• 500mm x 200m standard roll, 90gsm
• Centre-feed 375mm x 300m and 200mm x 250m, 70gsm
• Sold by the roll

From £25.00 ex VAT (£30.00 inc VAT)

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Best for wrapping fragile gifts

Honeycomb Paper Rolls

80gsm paper that opens into a cushioning honeycomb pattern when you stretch it.

• 500mm or 395mm wide
• 250m rolls
• 80gsm paper

From £28.00 ex VAT (£33.60 inc VAT)

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Best for sealing wrapped presents

Clear Packing Tape

Transparent polypropylene tape in packs of 6 rolls, from a narrow 24mm roll up to 72mm.

• 24mm x 66m for small gifts
• 48mm x 66m and 48mm x 132m for boxes
• Packs of 6 rolls

From £3.50 ex VAT (£4.20 inc VAT)

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• Kraft Paper Rolls come as a 500mm x 200m standard roll in 90gsm.
• Two centre-feed kraft rolls in dispenser boxes are 70gsm: 375mm x 300m and 200mm x 250m.
• Honeycomb Paper Rolls are 80gsm and 250m long, in 500mm or 395mm widths.
• Clear Packing Tape comes in packs of 6 rolls, with a 24mm x 66m roll for small jobs.
• Transparent OPP Bags come in 10 sizes and packs of 100.

Which Kraft Wrapping Paper Roll Suits Gifts

For most presents, choose the 500mm wide standard roll. It is the widest and heaviest kraft paper we sell, at 90gsm, so it covers a shoebox-sized gift in one sheet and resists tearing at the corners.

gsm means grams per square metre, so the 90gsm roll is the heavier paper. It folds into sharper creases and is less likely to tear where a corner pushes against it. The 70gsm centre-feed rolls are lighter. They sit in their own dispenser box and feed out from the middle of the roll, which is handy on a shop counter where you wrap all day.

These are long rolls, 200m to 300m. One brown gift wrapping paper roll lasts a household for years, and a shop or market stall can wrap a great many orders before changing it. If you want a plain wrapping paper roll for more than gifts, the same Kraft Paper Rolls also fill gaps in boxes and protect furniture. Our guide to kraft paper rolls for wrapping, void fill and moving covers those jobs.

How to Wrap a Gift Neatly in Brown Wrapping Paper

Neat gift wrapping comes down to cutting the right amount of paper and folding the ends in a set order. Too much paper makes bulky ends, and too little leaves a gap you have to patch.

1. Lay the roll face down and put the gift on it, top side down.
2. Roll the gift over once so the paper wraps all four long sides, then add about 3cm of overlap and cut.
3. For the ends, leave a little more than half the gift's height on each side, and trim the rest.
4. Bring one long edge up and tape it to the box. Fold the other edge over by 1cm for a clean line and tape it down over the first.
5. At each end, push the side flaps in, then fold the top flap down and the bottom flap up. Crease each fold with your thumbnail.
6. Tape the bottom flap, then add your decoration.

Kraft wrapping paper takes ink stamps and marker pen, so you can write a name or message straight onto the finished parcel and skip the gift tag.

Use short pieces of tape. Three or four pieces on an ordinary box are enough, and fewer pieces look tidier. Our earlier guide to brown kraft paper for Christmas wrapping has festive ideas; the steps here work for the rest of the year.

Decorating Plain Kraft Paper Gift Wrap

Plain kraft paper gift wrap takes decoration well. A piece of string, a ribbon or a stamp turns the same brown paper into a birthday present, a wedding gift or a shop's own house style.

A few ideas that work well on brown paper:

• Natural twine or string tied in a simple cross, with a small sprig of rosemary or eucalyptus tucked under the knot.
• Ribbon in one colour for a theme: white or ivory for weddings, a bright colour for a child's birthday.
• Rubber stamps and ink pads, repeated across the paper to make your own pattern.
• Handwritten names or messages straight onto the paper with a marker, so you do not need a gift tag.
• A strip of a child's drawing or newspaper wrapped around the middle as a band.
• Dried orange slices, pressed flowers or a paper doily for a vintage look.

Shops and makers can use gift wrapping kraft paper as part of their brand. A stamp with the shop name, a sticker on the seam and one ribbon colour used every time give a consistent finish without paying for printed paper. The paper also suits wedding favours and party bags, where a stack of matching brown parcels looks good on a table.

Wrapping Odd Shapes and Fragile Gifts

Bottles, mugs, plants and round items do not fold like a box. Either put them in a box first, or roll and gather the paper around them.

For a bottle, roll the paper around it with plenty spare at the top, then gather the excess at the neck and tie it with string or ribbon. For a round gift, place it in the centre of a square sheet, bring the corners up and gather them into a bunch at the top. Soft gifts such as scarves or jumpers wrap more neatly if you fold them around a piece of card first.

Glass, ceramics and cosmetics need cushioning before the outer wrap. Honeycomb Paper Rolls are 80gsm paper that opens into a honeycomb pattern when stretched. Wrap two or three turns of honeycomb wrapping paper around the item, tape the end, then add your kraft outer. The 395mm width is easier around bottles and jars, and the 500mm width suits homeware and wider gifts.

Honeycomb paper also looks good as the visible wrap on a rustic present, as the cells give a textured finish. Our comparison of honeycomb paper and bubble wrap explains when each one protects better.

Wrapping Paper Tape and Clear Gift Wrap

Clear, narrow tape is the best match for wrapping. It hardly shows on brown paper and is easy to tear into short pieces.

Clear Packing Tape comes in packs of 6 rolls. The 24mm x 66m roll is the one for gifts and small parcels. The 48mm rolls are better for sealing the box a gift is posted in, and they leave address labels readable through the tape. If you wrap gifts at a counter, a small desk dispenser for the 24mm roll saves time. We do not stock double sided tape, which some wrappers use for an invisible seam.

Some presents look better seen than hidden. We do not sell clear cellophane wrap on a roll, but Transparent OPP Bags do a similar job for small gifts. They are crystal clear and glossy, come in 10 sizes from 6.5 x 9in to 18 x 22in, and are sold in packs of 100.

Best for clear gift bags for cards and small presents

Transparent OPP Bags

Crystal clear, glossy polypropylene bags that show off what is inside.

• 10 sizes, 6.5 x 9in to 18 x 22in
• Packs of 100
• High clarity, glossy finish

From £2.50 ex VAT (£3.00 inc VAT)

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Pop in a card, a bag of sweets or a folded scarf and tie the neck with ribbon. Shops wrapping purchases at the till use the same bags for cards and prints, and the smallest size takes an A5 card flat. That makes OPP bags a handy second option next to clear gift wrap on a roll.

Gift Wrapping Paper Rolls for Shops and Online Sellers

For a shop or online seller, one kraft roll and one tape size keep wrapping quick and every parcel looking the same.

Gift wrapping paper rolls on a centre-feed box suit a shop counter because the paper pulls straight out of the box with no loose roll to chase across the bench. The 375mm x 300m roll handles medium purchases, and the narrow 200mm roll suits jewellery boxes, candles and small cosmetics. Sellers who offer a paid gift wrap option at checkout often keep a wide 500mm roll for larger orders as well. One plain gift wrap roll also saves storing a different design for every season.

A paper wrap gift inside a posted parcel needs its own protection, because the kraft is only the decoration. Wrap the item, then pack it in a box with enough space around it, and fill any gaps. Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same working day, which helps when a customer needs a present for the weekend.

Gift Wrapping Checklist

• Pick the 500mm, 90gsm kraft roll for most boxed gifts.
• Measure around the gift and add about 3cm of overlap.
• Write names straight onto the paper instead of adding a tag.
• Use short pieces of 24mm clear tape.
• Cushion glass and ceramics in stretched honeycomb paper first.
• Box bottles and round items, or gather the paper at the top.
• Decorate with string, ribbon, stamps or a handwritten name.
• Use clear OPP bags for cards, sweets and small gifts.

Stocking Up on Kraft Gift Wrap

One brown wrapping paper roll, a pack of narrow clear tape and a roll of honeycomb paper will wrap almost any present, from a book to a set of glasses. The protective packaging collection has the kraft and honeycomb rolls, the tapes collection has every clear tape size, and clear bags sit in the bags range. If you are clearing the garden before a party, the guide to garden waste bags covers heavy duty sacks too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size gift wrap paper roll do I need?

For most boxed presents, a 500mm wide roll is the easiest to work with. Our standard kraft roll is 500mm x 200m and 90gsm. The centre-feed rolls are narrower, 375mm and 200mm, and suit smaller gifts, jars and books. Measure the gift's length plus twice its height to check a sheet will cover it.

Is brown wrapping paper good for gifts?

Yes. Plain brown kraft folds cleanly, takes ink stamps and pen, and looks right for birthdays, weddings and shop wrapping. It suits string, ribbon and dried flowers. Because it is plain, one roll covers every occasion and you change the look with the decoration.

Do you sell printed or coloured wrapping paper rolls?

No. We stock plain brown kraft paper and white honeycomb paper, with no printed, coloured or foil gift wrap. Many people decorate plain kraft with stamps, ribbon and string to get a printed look, and a single roll then covers any occasion.

What is honeycomb gift wrap?

Honeycomb paper is 80gsm paper that opens into a honeycomb pattern when you stretch it. The cells cushion the item like a paper version of bubble wrap. Our rolls are 250m long in 500mm or 395mm widths, and they suit glass, ceramics and cosmetics given as gifts.

Which wrapping paper tape works best?

Narrow clear tape is the easiest for gift wrapping. The 24mm x 66m clear tape comes in packs of 6 rolls and is transparent, so it hardly shows on brown paper. Double sided tape gives an invisible finish, but we do not stock it.

Can I use clear gift wrap instead of paper?

We do not sell clear cellophane wrap on a roll. For small gifts, cards and sweets, Transparent OPP Bags do a similar job: they are crystal clear, come in 10 sizes and are sold in packs of 100. Tie the neck with ribbon for a finished look.

Shop for This Job

• Protective Packaging
• Packing Tapes
• Mailing & Polythene Bags

Related Guides

• Garden Waste Bags: Heavy Duty Sacks for Cuttings, Leaves and Soil
• Brown Kraft Paper Christmas Wrapping
• Kraft Paper Rolls Wrapping Void Fill Moving

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