Introduction
A red packet is a small printed paper packet used to give cash as a gift. The packet is the presentation, the cash is the gift: one is printed, folded and glued, and the other is put inside. In business terms it is a printed product with a festival deadline, a fixed format list and a 1,000-piece minimum order.
This page is the reference explanation. It covers what the object is, the formats it comes in, the names used in different markets, the occasions it belongs to and the way a custom order gets specified. It does not walk through the product range or the ordering sequence; that lives on the custom red packet product page on this site, and this page hands over to it at the end.
Read this first if you are briefing an order and want to know what you are actually buying. Sizes are 80 × 170 mm portrait, 158 × 80 mm landscape and 90 × 90 mm square.
What Is a Red Packet?
A red packet is a printed paper packet, traditionally red, that holds cash given as a gift at celebrations such as Lunar New Year, weddings and corporate events.
Everything else about the category follows from that definition. It is a paper product, so it has a stock, a print method and a finish. It holds cash, so it needs an inner pocket, a closing flap and enough depth to take folded notes. It is given at celebrations, so the format and finish are usually chosen by occasion rather than by personal taste.
The cash is not part of the product. Suppliers print and deliver empty packets; the money goes in on the day by whoever gives it.
| Attribute | Answer |
|---|---|
| What it is | A printed paper packet for a cash gift |
| What it holds | A note or a few folded notes, placed by the giver |
| Common formats | 80 × 170 mm, 158 × 80 mm, 90 × 90 mm |
| Typical materials | Art paper, double-sided red card, pearl or soft-touch stock |
| Typical finishes | Foil stamping, embossing, spot UV, lamination, die-cut |
| Minimum order | 1,000 pieces |
What Is a Red Packet Made Of?
Five parts make up the object, and each has a production consequence. The parts are the same across formats; only the proportions change.
| Part | Function | Production consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Front panel | The face the recipient sees first | Carries the main motif, brand mark and greeting |
| Back panel | The reverse side | Carries small print, warnings and brand information |
| Flap | Closes the packet | Needs a clean score and either gum or tape closure |
| Inner pocket | Holds the note | Set by side seams and the mouth height |
| Seams | Glue lines that form the pocket | Reduce usable inner width by a few millimetres per side |
Paper choice follows the format. A tall portrait packet is usually made from art paper in the 120–200 g/m² range, or from double-sided red card that is already red on both faces. Double-sided red card is printed mainly by foil and emboss rather than four-colour process, which is why traditional packets feel different from printed campaign packets. Full stock and weight detail sits on the red packet size page, which also explains how the inner pocket measures against common banknotes.
What Types of Red Packet Are There?
The range is easier to hold in your head by function than by design. Four groups cover most orders.
| Group | What it is | Usual format | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic pocket packet | The traditional tall packet with a top flap | 80 × 170 mm portrait | Lunar New Year, corporate distribution, retail giveaway |
| Wallet or ang bao packet | A wider packet that opens on the long edge | 158 × 80 mm landscape | Singapore and Malaysia, modern corporate sets |
| Square packet | Compact packet with no dominant edge | 90 × 90 mm | Weddings, hotels, restaurants, creative runs |
| Festival variant | Same construction, different colour and motif | Portrait, often wider | Hari Raya green packets, Tet packets in Vietnam |
Two more shapes appear in custom work: the wallet-style packet with an insert card, and the die-cut novelty packet for a launch or a limited edition. Both are made on the same principle and differ in tooling.
What Do Different Markets Call Them?
The object is the same, the name changes by market, and the name usually tells you which format the buyer expects.
| Term | Market | What an order in that market usually looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Red packet | Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong | Landscape ang bao format is common; corporate and bank orders |
| Red envelope | North America, general English | Portrait packets; brand-led sets for staff and clients |
| Ang bao, ang pow, angpao | Singapore, Malaysia | Hokkien and Cantonese spellings; landscape format dominates |
| Lai see | Hong Kong | Cantonese term; larger formats are often requested |
| Hongbao | International media, pinyin usage | Neutral term in international coverage |
| Li xi bao / li xi | Vietnam | Given at Tet rather than at Lunar New Year |
| Duit raya / sampul raya | Malaysia, Singapore | Hari Raya green packets, a different colourway |
The naming trap is worth knowing before a brief. In the United States, "red envelopes" is also the stationery trade's phrase for plain red paper envelopes, which are a different product from a festive money packet. Our Singapore red packet page covers the ang bao format and market expectations in more detail.
When Are Red Packets Given?
The occasions are well documented and stable. What varies is the scale, the recipient group and the colourway, not the basic gesture.
| Occasion | Who gives | What the order usually looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year | Employers, families, banks, retailers | Largest seasonal volume; portrait sets; zodiac or brand motif |
| Weddings and banquets | Hosts, family elders, guests | Square or portrait packets, often with an insert card |
| First-month and milestone celebrations | Family and friends | Smaller runs, warmer palette, name inserts |
| Birthdays and anniversaries | Family and friends | Retail or small custom sets |
| Corporate new year | Companies to staff and clients | Brand-led sets, sometimes with variable names |
| Hari Raya | Malay and Muslim communities | Green packets, portrait format |
| Tet | Vietnamese communities | Li xi packets with Tet motifs |
Exact customs vary by region and family, so treat this table as the commercial calendar rather than a rulebook. What matters for an order is which occasion the packet is for, because that decides the colourway, the motif and the format. Our Chinese New Year red packet page covers the largest of these occasions, including the production calendar before the festival.
How Does the Occasion Shape the Order?
Two orders for the same quantity can differ in almost every specification, purely because one is for a wedding and one is for staff distribution.
| Aspect | Lunar New Year | Wedding | Corporate gifting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Portrait 80 × 170 mm | Square 90 × 90 mm | Portrait or landscape |
| Colourway | Red with gold | Red, blush, gold | Brand colour plus red accent |
| Finish emphasis | Foil motif and greeting | Emboss and insert card | Foil logo, restrained motif |
| Wording | Festival greeting | Names and thanks | Brand line and greeting |
| Distribution | Bulk to staff or customers | Individual to guests | Client list, sometimes named |
The pattern is that festivals reward decoration, weddings reward personalisation, and corporate orders reward restraint and a repeatable brand mark. Mixing the three produces a packet that belongs to none of them.
Are Red Packets Always Red?
Red is the traditional colour for the Lunar New Year packet, and it remains the default for that occasion. Other colourways appear for specific reasons.
| Colourway | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Red and gold | Lunar New Year, general gifting | The default, and the highest-volume order |
| Green | Hari Raya packets in Malaysia and Singapore | Different festival, different colour convention |
| Pink, blush, champagne | Weddings and modern retail | Chosen by the couple or the brand |
| Brand colours | Corporate sets | Printed art paper rather than double-sided red card |
| Black, white, metallic | Design-led and limited editions | Usually small runs, often die-cut or embossed |
Which colour is acceptable is a cultural decision the buyer owns, not a printing constraint. Our production line prints any of them on the same equipment, and customs around colour vary between communities and families.
Red Packet, Red Envelope, Money Envelope: What's the Difference?
The words overlap, but three products are being confused in them, and only one is the festive packet.
| Term | What it actually is | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Red packet | Printed festive packet for a cash gift | Asia, and in international B2B enquiries |
| Red envelope | In general English, the same festive packet | North America and general English copy |
| Plain red envelope | An ordinary red paper stationery envelope | Mailing and stationery trade in the US |
| Money envelope | Neutral wording for a cash-gift envelope | Retail and general gifting outside a festival |
| Gift card sleeve | A small sleeve sized for a card | Retail, hospitality, corporate gifting |
If a brief says "red envelopes" and means plain red mailing envelopes, the order is a different product with different sizes and a different print setup. Worth confirming in writing before artwork starts.
What Should You Confirm Before a Proof Is Approved?
Approval is the last cheap moment in an order. Six items cover it.
| Item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Format | Portrait, landscape or square, with the finished size in writing |
| Stock | Art paper, double-sided red card, pearl or soft touch |
| Finish | Which processes, and on which parts of the artwork |
| Wording | Greeting, brand line and any names, checked character by character |
| Artwork compliance | Bleed, colour mode, outlines and foil separation |
| Quantity | Pieces per design, not just a total for the order |
Artwork compliance is where most reprints originate. The red packet template guide sets out the layer and die-line requirements for each format, and the design direction guide covers which finishes work with which artwork.
Conclusion
A red packet is a printed packet for a cash gift, made in three main formats and given at a short, predictable list of occasions. The naming varies by market, the colourway varies by occasion, and the production requirements are the same every time: correct format, printable artwork, a finish that suits the design, and a run of at least 1,000 pieces.
Once the format and occasion are decided, the rest is a production conversation. The custom red packet product page carries the range, the finishing options and the five-step ordering path, and the quote comes back within 24 hours of a complete specification.