Pizza Box Design: How to Plan Artwork for a Printed Pizza Box
By the Avco Boxes team · Updated
Good pizza box design puts your logo, phone number and website or QR code on the lid in large, high-contrast shapes that hold up in one- or two-color corrugated printing. Keep text away from folds and flaps, choose white board for crisp contrast or kraft for a natural look, and switch to clay-coated boxes when you need full-color artwork or photos.
What to put on the lid
The lid is the part of the box people actually look at, usually for a few seconds on a counter, a car seat or a doorstep. Its job is to tell them who made the pizza and how to order again. In rough order of importance:
- Your logo or shop name, large and centered.
- Your phone number, big enough to read from across a table.
- Your website or online ordering link, or a QR code that goes straight to your ordering page.
- Social media handles, if you actively post.
- A short line such as your neighborhood, a tagline or "Order online".
Resist the urge to add the full menu, opening hours and every promotion. A lid with three or four clear elements is easier to read and easier to print than one crowded with small text. Hours and offers change; a box design should last through several reorders.
Designing for one- or two-color corrugated print
Standard corrugated pizza boxes are printed in one or two solid ink colors. That suits strong, simple artwork and punishes fine detail. The ridged board under the surface means very thin lines, tiny type and soft shading can print unevenly, and large solid areas of ink can show the texture of the board.
| Works well | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Bold logos with thick strokes | Hairlines and thin script fonts |
| Large, simple type for the phone number | Small text and long paragraphs |
| Solid shapes and outlines | Photos, gradients and soft shadows |
| Strong contrast between ink and board | Pale inks on kraft or light inks on white |
| A second color used for one accent | Two colors that must line up exactly edge to edge |
If you have two colors, use the second one with purpose: the phone number, a badge or a border, rather than splitting the logo into tightly interlocking parts. Leaving a little space between colors keeps the design clean if the two inks shift slightly on press. E flute has a smoother face than B flute, so it gives slightly sharper print detail.
Keep text away from folds, flaps and edges
A pizza box is a flat sheet that folds along score lines into a lid, base, side walls and a front tuck flap. Anything printed across a fold bends with the board and can be hard to read, and anything close to a cut edge risks being trimmed.
- Treat the flat top of the lid as your main canvas and keep important content well inside it.
- Keep the phone number, website and QR code off the side walls and front flap, which are narrow and partly hidden when boxes are stacked.
- Never run a QR code across a fold; it may not scan once the box is assembled.
- Work from the template for your exact box size, since each size has its own panel dimensions. The pizza box size guide lists every size.
For QR codes, use a dark code on a light background, leave clear space around it and make it large enough to scan comfortably from arm's length. Test it on the printed proof, not just on your screen.
White, kraft or clay-coated board
The board color changes how every ink looks, so decide it before finalizing colors. The inside of a corrugated box is kraft either way; the choice is about the outside.
| Board | Look | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| White corrugated | Clean and bright; inks print true to color | Maximum contrast, colorful logos, a modern look |
| Kraft corrugated | Natural brown; inks look darker and less saturated | Dark inks such as black, deep red or green; a rustic or traditional look |
| Clay-coated | Smooth white face built for full-color printing | Photos, illustrations, gradients and many-color artwork |
Choose clay-coated boxes when the design depends on more than two colors: a photo of your pizza, an illustrated scene, a gradient or a detailed brand pattern. The trade-off is range: clay-coated boxes come in fewer sizes than corrugated, so check that your sizes are available before designing around full color.
File prep and proofing
Clean files make for a faster proof and a better print. Before you send artwork:
- Supply your logo as vector artwork, such as an AI, EPS, PDF or SVG file, rather than a screenshot or low-resolution image.
- Convert fonts to outlines, or send the font files, so the type prints exactly as designed.
- Tell your printer which ink colors you want, ideally as specific spot color references rather than "red".
- Double-check the phone number, web address and social handles character by character.
- Review the proof at full size if you can, and scan the QR code from the proof before approving.
The proof is your last chance to catch mistakes. Check spelling, contrast and placement against the panels of the box, and approve only when everything reads clearly.
Printing your pizza box design with Avco
Avco makes custom pizza boxes in the USA in 14 corrugated sizes, from 7x7x2 to 18x26x2, with a white or kraft exterior, kraft interior, and E or B flute, printed in one or two colors. For full-color artwork, clay-coated pizza boxes come in five sizes from 10 to 18 inches.
Our artwork file prep page covers file requirements, and every order includes a free proof before production. Artwork setup is a one-time $75 per order, and production takes 7–10 business days after you approve the proof.
Frequently asked questions
- What should be printed on a pizza box?
- At minimum, your logo or shop name and phone number. Most shops also add a website or QR code for online ordering and their social handles. Keep it to a few large, clear elements on the lid.
- Can you print a photo on a corrugated pizza box?
- Not well in one or two colors. Photos, gradients and detailed illustrations need full-color printing, which is what clay-coated pizza boxes are for.
- Should I choose a white or kraft pizza box?
- White gives the strongest contrast and the truest ink colors. Kraft has a natural brown look but makes inks appear darker, so it works best with dark, bold artwork.
- What file format do I need for pizza box artwork?
- Vector artwork, such as an AI, EPS, PDF or SVG file, with fonts converted to outlines. Low-resolution images and screenshots do not print cleanly at box size.