Introduction
This page is for the person choosing a red packet design, not folding one by hand. It answers the questions that arrive before a print order: which directions exist, which fits the brand, where the logo goes, which finish earns its cost, and what artwork mistakes send a job back to the studio.
Three things are fixed before design starts: the format comes from the standard range or a custom die-line, the minimum order is 1,000 pieces, and the artwork has to survive a die-cutter, foil press and fold.
Written from the production side: decisions that cause reprints are production decisions in disguise.
What Are the Common Red Packet Sizes?
A red packet is normally made in one of three formats: 80 × 170 mm portrait, 158 × 80 mm landscape, or 90 × 90 mm square.
| Format | Dimensions | Opens on | Usual design behaviour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | 80 × 170 mm | Short edge | Tall front panel, reads top-to-bottom, the default for Chinese New Year |
| Landscape | 158 × 80 mm | Long edge | Wide front panel, suits horizontal wordmarks and ang bao markets |
| Square | 90 × 90 mm | No dominant edge | Compact, centred composition, popular for weddings |
Format decides more of the layout than most briefs admit. A portrait packet has a narrow front, so a horizontal logo lock-up has to shrink; a square packet has no natural reading direction, which pushes the design toward a centred emblem. The full size chart, including medium and large portrait variants, is on our red packet size page.
What Goes Into a Red Packet Design?
A red packet is not a single printed surface. It has five areas, and a design brief that ignores one of them usually comes back for a second proof.
| Area | What appears there | Design consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Front panel | Main motif, brand mark, festival greeting | The only area most buyers design carefully |
| Back panel | Banknote warnings, brand story, QR code | Needs a layout that survives small type |
| Flap | Closure tab, sometimes a secondary mark | Foil here cracks if the score is too tight |
| Inner flap | Message, blessing, campaign line | One-sided print misses an opportunity |
| Spine and edges | Colour continuity, lamination wrap | Pattern must tile across the fold |
Inner printing and insert cards turn a packet into a campaign piece, so decide them at brief stage.
Which Design Route Fits Your Brand?
Most orders land in one of five routes. Naming the route early speeds everything up, because each one implies a different production setup.
| Route | Visual signature | Best for | Production note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional motif | Clouds, lattice, knots, auspicious characters | Established brands, banks, property | Fine linework needs to clear the foil minimum |
| Zodiac edition | One animal motif per year | Seasonal corporate sets | Dated by design, so plan a second evergreen version |
| Minimal geometric | Solid colour, one mark, generous space | Tech, design-led, international brands | Relies on paper quality and a clean emboss |
| Brand colourway | Non-red base, brand palette | Brands whose identity fights red | Printed art paper rather than double-sided red card |
| Illustration | Commissioned artwork, narrative scenes | Lifestyle, retail, gifting | Complex art often suits print better than foil |
The zodiac route needs care. A Year of the Goat set is right for 2027, but a set that only works for one festival has no reuse value. The usual answer is two versions from one template: a dated festival edition and an evergreen version that carries the same layout into corporate gifting later. Our Chinese New Year red packet page covers seasonal planning.
How Does the Occasion Change the Design?
The occasion narrows the palette, the motif and often the format before the brand has any say.
| Occasion | Palette and motif | Format that usually follows | What buyers ask for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year | Deep red, gold, zodiac motif | Portrait 80 × 170 mm | Foil-stamped animal, auspicious wording |
| Wedding and banquet | Red or blush, floral, double happiness | Square 90 × 90 mm | Embossed pattern, inner message, name insert |
| Corporate gifting | Brand colour plus red accent | Portrait or landscape | Logo-forward, minimal motif, insert card |
| Milestone and birthday | Warmer palette, playful motif | Portrait or square | Variable names, small quantities per name |
| Retail and F&B promotion | Campaign artwork, coupon space | Landscape | Window or tear-off features |
Mixing two occasions in one packet wastes the design budget: a zodiac motif at a wedding looks like leftover stock, a minimal corporate packet reads as a giveaway.
Where Should the Logo Go?
Logo placement is what buyers revise most.
| Placement | Effect | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Upper centre | Formal, traditional, symmetrical | Crowds the festival greeting if both are large |
| Lower centre | Subtle, lets the motif lead | Can disappear under a hand holding the packet |
| Back panel | Discreet mark for gifting | Wasted if the packet is handed over face up |
| Flap | Repeated mark, brand reinforcement | Foil on a tight fold cracks |
| Pattern repeat | Logo as a textile-style motif | Needs a vector pattern with a clean repeat |
Size follows the finish more than the brand guideline. A logo that works as flat print can lose its counters as a foil stamp, and a mark with hairlines will not hold in emboss.
Which Finishes Suit Which Design?
Foil suits metallic marks and wording, emboss suits blind relief on coloured card, spot UV suits pattern highlights, and lamination suits full-coverage print. Pairing them wrongly is why a proof looks nothing like the mock-up.
| Finish | Design language | Suits | Avoid when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foil stamping | Metallic accent, mirror shine | Logos, wording, line motifs | The linework is finer than the foil can hold |
| Emboss or deboss | Raised or recessed relief, no added colour | Blind patterns on coloured card, premium feel | The artwork depends on fine detail |
| Spot UV | Localised gloss against matte | Pattern highlights, a modern contrast | Placed against a trimmed edge |
| Lamination, gloss or matte | Surface sheen and protection | Full-coverage print, colour depth | The design leans on a tactile uncoated feel |
| Window | Product or note visibility | Retail and campaign packets | The packet must stay fully opaque |
| Die-cut shape | Silhouette and novelty | Gifting and limited editions | The shape weakens the flap or spine |
Foil and emboss are often confused, and the difference matters when briefing a supplier. Foil stamping transfers a metallic film onto the sheet under heat and pressure and sits flat with a mirror surface. Embossing raises the sheet itself between matched dies and adds no colour. The two can be combined in one pass as foil emboss, which is why a logo can be both metallic and raised. Our printing and finishing page compares the two in more detail.
How Does the Format Change the Layout?
The same artwork rarely survives a format change. Three rules cover most of the adaptation work.
| Format | Reading direction | Space that disappears | Adaptation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait 80 × 170 mm | Top to bottom | Horizontal width | Stack logo above motif, not beside it |
| Landscape 158 × 80 mm | Left to right | Vertical height | Use a horizontal lock-up and a single baseline |
| Square 90 × 90 mm | Centre outward | Corners after die-cutting | Keep the mark inside the safe circle |
Bleed also matters: 2–3 mm beyond the trim so trimming never exposes a white edge, with important content inside a safe margin.
What Artwork Mistakes Cause Reprints?
The same handful of faults recur across orders, and most are visible in a file review before anything is printed.
| Mistake | What happens in production | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| No bleed | White slivers on the trimmed edge | Add 2–3 mm bleed |
| Foil detail too fine | Film breaks up, edges look ragged | Keep foil linework at the minimum the process holds |
| Spot UV at the trim edge | Chipping when the packet is cut | Pull the effect inside the trim |
| Reverse type too small | Fills in on textured stock | Use positive type for small wording |
| RGB artwork | Colour shifts after conversion | Design in CMYK for print |
| Logo as a bitmap | Soft edges, especially under foil | Supply vector artwork |
| Text not outlined | Font substitution changes spacing | Outline or embed fonts |
| Die-line drawn by hand | Cut misses the fold and seam | Use the supplied die-line |
Finishing minimums belong in the brief: foil linework has a floor and blind emboss cannot hold finer detail.
What Is the Minimum Order?
The minimum order for custom red packets is 1,000 pieces, and the quotation comes back within 24 hours of a complete specification.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Minimum order | 1,000 pcs |
| Digital printing | Available within that minimum, and supports variable data |
| Offset printing | From the same minimum upward, with colour stability at volume |
| Quote response | Within 24 hours of a complete brief |
| Factory | Foshan, China, established 2010, ISO 9001 certified since 2016 |
Quantity follows the design. Variable names, multi-version sets and small wedding runs all change how the fixed setup spreads across the order, so state quantity per design rather than one total. Start with the quote request form and include format, finish and quantity per version.
Conclusion
Red packet design is a short list of decisions made in the right order: format, design route, occasion, logo position, finish, artwork compliance. Get them right and the proof usually matches the mock-up.
Two deserve extra time. The finish has to be chosen against the artwork's detail level, not after it, and the format before the layout is drawn, because a portrait packet will not accept a landscape composition. The custom red packet overview covers the full range if the brief is still open.