Tissue paper sits at an interesting intersection in retail packaging — it is both a functional protective layer and a pure brand experience element. When a customer opens a box and sees carefully folded tissue in a brand color with a repeat-printed logo pattern, they feel cared for before they've even touched the product. Here is what to know before you order.
Tissue paper types we source
Custom-printed tissue paper (flat sheets) — the standard format. Acid-free tissue sheets printed with your brand's logo, pattern, illustration, or full-color artwork. Sold flat and folded by the customer or brand when packing. Available in a full range of sizes.
Pre-folded tissue paper packs — tissue sheets folded and bundled in sets, ready to drop into a box without handling loose sheets. A minor efficiency gain for brands packing high volumes.
Single-color tissue paper (unprinted, colored stock) — a cost-efficient option for brands that want a signature color without a print setup fee. Bright, consistent color stock in dozens of shades available.
Kraft tissue paper — an unbleached, brown tissue paper with a natural, artisan aesthetic. Popular with eco-positioned and food brands. Can be printed or left plain.
Printed wrapping sheets (thicker MG paper) — a heavier-weight sheet than tissue, used for wrapping individual products rather than lining a box interior. Common in artisan food, bakery, and deli applications. Printed with a brand logo or pattern.
Wax paper and greaseproof wrapping sheets — a functional wrapping format for food products; resistant to oil and moisture; printed with a brand design and used in food service and specialty food retail.
Metallic and foil tissue paper — tissue in gold, silver, rose gold, or holographic finishes. Used for premium gifting applications, seasonal packaging, and luxury unboxing kits.
Pom-pom / decorative tissue sets — pre-cut and folded tissue bundles for decorative box filling or product cushioning, available in brand-matched colors.
Sizes and specifications
Standard tissue paper sizes vary by region, but common production sizes for retail use are:
50cm × 70cm — the most common retail tissue sheet; fits standard small and medium gift boxes
60cm × 90cm — larger format for apparel, homeware, and larger product boxes
Custom sizes — available at appropriate MOQs if standard sizes don't suit your packaging dimensions
Paper weight is measured in GSM (grams per square meter). Tissue paper typically runs from 17–22 GSM. Lower GSM means more translucent and delicate; higher GSM means more opaque and slightly more structured. For printed designs with fine detail, 17–19 GSM is standard. For wrapping sheets used to wrap individual products, 25–40 GSM is more appropriate.
Print methods
Flexographic printing — the standard method for tissue paper at volume; clean, consistent, and cost-efficient for one to four-color designs including logos, patterns, and repeat motifs
Digital printing — available for shorter runs and more complex artwork; allows photographic quality and full-color bleed designs
Repeat patterns vs. single-placement prints — repeat logo or pattern prints (logo tiled across the full sheet) are the most popular format for branded tissue; a single centered placement print is simpler and lower in setup cost
Design recommendations
For tissue paper, less is usually more. A simple repeat pattern — your logo at 20–30% opacity tiled across the sheet, or a small icon repeated across a colored base — is more refined and brand-appropriate than a dense, full-color design. Save the full-color artwork for your box exterior. Let the tissue be a textural brand whisper, not a shout.
Custom tissue paper is one of the lowest-cost, highest-impact brand investments available to a small retail brand. The per-sheet cost at modest quantities is negligible in the context of a total order value. But its effect on the customer's experience — the moment they open the box and see branded tissue rather than plain white — is disproportionately significant.
Tissue paper also photographs exceptionally well. A flat-lay or unboxing image with branded tissue visible is more compelling on Instagram, in press features, and in wholesale pitch decks than one without. It signals that the brand sweats the details — which is exactly the signal small brands need to send.
Shape Bend Form is a sourcing service built specifically for small and micro retail brands in the US, Canada, and Mexico. We work with vetted manufacturers in India and China to produce custom retail packaging, display stands, and brand extras — then ship everything direct to you via air freight. Think of us as your dedicated packaging sourcing team: we find the right manufacturer, negotiate your price, manage production, and get your order to your door.
No. We are sourcing specialists, not a factory. This is actually an advantage for you — because we work with multiple manufacturers across India and China, we can match your specific project to the supplier best suited to your materials, format, quantities, and timeline. You get access to a wider range of capabilities than any single factory could offer.
We currently serve retail brands in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
We work with micro and small retail brands across a wide range of product categories, including skincare and beauty, jewelry and accessories, specialty food and artisan beverages, candles and home fragrance, apparel and lifestyle, and subscription box businesses. If you sell a physical product and care about how it's presented, we can likely help you.
Sourcing overseas manufacturers on your own requires significant time, supplier vetting experience, language navigation, and quality oversight that most small brand founders simply don't have the bandwidth for. We already have established relationships with reliable factories, know how to read and negotiate quotes, and manage the production process so you don't have to. You focus on your brand — we handle the sourcing.