EnvelopeDock
OEM · Wholesale · Factory Direct
Custom red envelopes — also called red packets, ang bao, lai see or hongbao — are the printed money packets used at Chinese New Year, weddings and corporate gifting. We print them factory-direct on the same die-cutting, folding and foil-stamping lines as our envelope range, in the three commercial formats buyers ask for most: 80 × 170 mm portrait, 158 × 80 mm landscape and 90 × 90 mm square. Choose the paper stock, foil, emboss or spot UV, then send your artwork for a factory quotation.
Sizes are given as width × height on the finished, glued packet. Most sizes are available in a pocket build (opening on the short edge) or a wallet build (opening on the long edge).
| Structure | Finished size (W × H) | Opening | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait / pocket 竖式插卡 | 80 × 170 mm also 80 × 158 mm | Short edge | Chinese New Year, corporate distribution, traditional red packets |
| Landscape / wallet | 158 × 80 mm up to 169 × 85 mm | Long edge | Singapore-standard ang bao, universal use, flatter look |
| Square | 90 × 90 mm | — | Weddings, creative and small-batch designs |
| Medium portrait | 90 × 128 mm | Short edge | Compact and easy to carry, folded notes |
| Tall portrait | 90 × 171 mm inner 86 × 168 mm | Short edge | Holds a large banknote unfolded |
| Large landscape | 169 × 85 mm inner width ≥ 82–83 mm | Long edge | Holds a large banknote unfolded |
| Hari Raya green packet duit raya | 80 × 154 mm | Short edge | Eid / Hari Raya gifting in Singapore and Malaysia |
Working out the inner size. The finished size is the outer dimension of the glued packet. The usable inner size is normally 2–3 mm smaller on every edge, because the side seams and the flap eat into it — so if you need a banknote to sit flat, allow an extra 2–3 mm on the inner size before you commit to a die-line. Include 2–3 mm of bleed on the artwork so trimming never exposes a white edge.
| Banknote | Note size (W × H) |
|---|---|
| HK$1,000 | 163 × 81.5 mm |
| HK$500 | 158 × 79 mm |
| HK$100 | 153 × 76.5 mm |
| HK$50 | 148 × 74 mm |
| HK$20 | 143 × 71.5 mm |
| HK$10 | 134 × 66 mm |
Banknote dimensions published by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority; batches can vary by ±0.5 mm. They are worth checking against your die-line: for an unfolded fit the inner size has to exceed the note by 2–3 mm on every edge, which is why a 90 mm-wide packet — not an 80 mm one — is what a HK$1,000 note needs. For a folded note, the shorter 80 × 158 mm format is usually enough.
Red packets sit at the small end of our range. If you are choosing a size for a mailing or document envelope instead, see envelope sizes for the full commercial, catalog and booklet formats.
Red packets are usually printed on 120–200 g/m² specialty or coated stock. The stock decides the feel, the print result and the cost — and it is the choice buyers most often get wrong.
| Stock | Weight | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloss art paper coated | 128–157 g/m² | Smooth surface, vivid saturated colour; lowest cost and most widely used | Large corporate and promotional runs |
| Matte art paper | 128–157 g/m² | Matted, non-reflective; a more understated feel, slightly dearer | Mid- to high-end corporate sets |
| Red card | — | Red on both sides, one smooth face and one rough; not suited to full-colour printing | Traditional red packets — best with flat foil or embossed foil |
| Pearl / metallic paper | 120 / 160 g/m² | Pearlescent or metallic particles for a pearl sheen | Weddings and premium festive designs |
| Soft-touch paper | — | Silky, tactile surface that grips the fingertip | High-end corporate gifting |
As a rule, large promotional runs take 128 g/m² or 157 g/m² gloss art paper; weddings and corporate gifts move up to heavier pearl or soft-touch stock. Coloured card saves large areas of printing but absorbs ink unevenly, so avoid fine lines and small text on uncoated coloured stock.
Red envelope printing lives or dies on the finishing — it is what separates a generic red packet from a brand one. Each process below carries a tolerance that has to be respected at the artwork stage; these are the numbers that decide whether a foil logo comes out clean or breaks up.
| Process | Effect | Design constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Foil stamping hot foil | Metallic gold, silver or coloured logo and lettering | Keep foil lines ≥ 0.2 mm wide and ≥ 1 mm clear of other artwork — thinner or crowded foil breaks up |
| Emboss / deboss | Raised or recessed relief, with or without foil | Blind embossing on pre-coloured card saves large areas of printing |
| Spot UV | Gloss highlight on selected areas over a matte base | Keep spot UV away from the edges and separated from other finishing layers, or pressing and trimming will chip it |
| Soft-touch lamination | Silky matte film; often paired with spot UV | Works best over a heavier coated stock |
| Die-cut shapes | Contoured or windowed packets, shaped flaps | Requires a cutting die — supply a die-line or let us work from your outline |
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Digital printing | Suits short runs of roughly 100–500 pieces; supports variable data, so each packet can carry a recipient's name |
| Offset printing | Suits runs of 1,000 pieces and up; holds colour consistency and brings the unit cost down at volume |
| Colour mode | CMYK |
| Artwork files | PDF, AI or PSD at 300 dpi or better; supply the logo as a high-resolution vector |
| Bleed | 2–3 mm, so trimming does not leave a white edge |
| Text | Convert to outlines or embed the fonts |
Any combination of the following can go on one packet. Tell us which matter most and we will price the combinations that fit your budget.
Foil-stamped, embossed or printed logos on the face, flap or reverse — the standard for bank, property, hotel and retail Chinese New Year sets.
A fresh motif each lunar year, plus traditional auspicious devices — fortune, double happiness, blossom and cloud patterns.
Contoured packets, shaped flaps, windows and tuck-in closures instead of the standard rectangular format.
A printed card behind the note, a printed inner face, or a lined packet for a more premium unboxing.
On digital runs we can print a recipient or branch name on each packet — useful for corporate distribution lists.
Brand colours, black-and-gold, pastel and pearl finishes for weddings, or green for Hari Raya and duit raya.
The same packet, three different briefs. Buying patterns and finishing expectations differ sharply between them.
The volume season. Banks, property developers, hotels and retail brands order branded sets for customers and staff, usually as a matched set with a year-of-the-zodiac motif. Plan early — this is the busiest window in the printing calendar and capacity ahead of the festival is the binding constraint, not the press.
Marriage packets and packets for the wedding dinner, where the packet is part of the table setting. Pearl paper, foil plus emboss and a heavier stock are the usual premium combination, and packets are often matched to the invitation suite.
Logo-led sets for staff bonuses, launches and client gifting — typically a cleaner, more restrained design than the traditional motif, sometimes with a printed insert card and variable names.
Red packets use the same processes as the envelopes we already manufacture — die-cutting, folding, gluing, printing and foil stamping. That is why we can quote them factory-direct rather than through a trading office.
Portrait 80 × 170 mm, landscape 158 × 80 mm, square 90 × 90 mm, or a custom die-line. Include the banknote or card that has to fit.
Rough numbers are enough to start. Volume decides whether digital or offset is the right press, and therefore the unit cost.
Paper weight, then foil, emboss, spot UV or lamination. If you are unsure, say which effect matters most and we will price around it.
Print-ready files (PDF, AI or PSD, CMYK, 300 dpi, text outlined, 2–3 mm bleed) or simply a rough layout to quote from.
We come back with pricing, the minimum order for your specification and the production schedule.
We print alongside our custom envelope manufacturing runs, so non-standard formats and die-lines are normal work rather than specials — and the finishing options are the ones already listed on our custom envelope printing line.
One product, many names — and the name usually tells you which market the buyer is in. Get the term right and you get the size and the finish right too.
| Term | Where it is used | What it usually means in an order |
|---|---|---|
| Red envelope 红包 | General English | The standard term for the printed money packet — and the one this page is built around |
| Red packet | Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong | Same product; the dominant English term in Southeast Asian B2B enquiries |
| Ang bao ang pao, ang pow, angpao | Singapore, Malaysia | Hokkien and Cantonese spellings of the same thing. The Singapore trade usually quotes the 80 × 158 mm format |
| Lai see 利是 | Hong Kong | Cantonese term; Hong Kong orders frequently specify large-format packets so notes sit unfolded |
| Hongbao | International | Pinyin form used in international media; the same product |
| Money envelope chinese money envelopes | US, general | Neutral English wording, often used for cash-gift envelopes outside a festival context |
| Lucky money envelope | US | The American phrasing for a money-gift envelope, including weddings and birthdays |
| Li xi bao li xi | Vietnamese | The Vietnamese equivalent, given at Tet — the same construction, a different festival |
| Duit raya sampul raya | Malay, Singapore & Malaysia | The Hari Raya green packet. Same product family, different festival and colourway |
One naming trap worth knowing. In the United States, "red envelopes" is also the stationery trade's term for plain red-coloured paper envelopes — a quite different product from a traditional festive money packet, and one that our business envelope types range covers. If you are buying for a festival, say so, and specify the mm format rather than a stationery size: the packets on this page are built to the metric Chinese standard, not to a #10 or 4 × 6 envelope.
Buyers also ask for ang bao boxes — the rigid boxes the packets are handed out in — and for matching chinese lai see envelopes in the same artwork. Tell us what has to match and we will quote the set together.
Send the format, quantity, paper and finishing you have in mind — rough is fine — and we will come back with factory-direct pricing, the minimum order and the production schedule.