Soap Wrapping Paper

What is soap wrapping paper?

Soap wrapping paper is a printed sheet that folds round a bar, covers the faces and sides, and tucks or seals at the back. There is no box, so there is no tray to fill and nothing to assemble at the bench. You wrap, fold and place the bar on the shelf.

We print on white paper and cut each sheet to the bar you actually make. A 90 x 60 x 25 mm bar of about 100 g needs a different sheet from a 75 x 50 x 25 mm guest bar, and the proof shows the fold lines so you can check them before a single sheet is printed.

Wrap, box or sleeve: which suits your bar?

A wrap is the lightest way to dress a bar. It suits makers who cut a loaf into a dozen or more bars and want every one finished in a single afternoon. A box gives the corners some protection, a sleeve leaves the ends open, and paper sits snug against the soap. If you are undecided, this guide to box, sleeve or wrap compared sets the three side by side.

Paper is also the easiest format to keep ready. Print a run, leave the sheets beside the cutter, and wrap bars as they come off the curing rack.

What can you print on the paper?

White paper takes strong colour and fine line work, so illustrations, patterns and flat blocks of one ink all come out cleanly.

• Full colour for patterns, illustrations and photographs
• One or two ink colours for a simple, shop shelf look
• A repeat pattern that runs across the whole sheet
• A plain colour sheet with your logo and scent name in a small panel
• Spot varnish or foil on a logo for a touch of shine
• Embossing for a pressed texture you can feel under your thumb

Finishes are added on the quote, so tell us what you have in mind and we price it for your job.

How big should the sheet be?

The sheet is the bar plus enough overlap to fold and seal, so it changes with every cut. Start from the dimensions of your finished bar, not your mould, because a bar shrinks slightly as it cures. These are the sizes UK makers ask about most.

Our page on soap box sizes by bar weight lists more common cuts if yours is not here.

Can you wrap a bar that is still curing?

Wait. A cold process bar keeps losing water for weeks, and a bar that is still sweating can mark or wrinkle paper where the two touch. Let bars cure before they go in a wrap. Melt and pour bars firm up sooner, though they can bead on the surface in damp weather, so check they are dry first.

Fragrance oils are the other thing to watch. Some bleed into paper and leave a faint shadow, so wrap one strongly scented bar as a test before you commit to a full run. Brush any ash off a cold process top as well, because a clean dry face gives the sharpest fold.

A folded sheet is not a sealed pack, so the bar can still breathe a little. That is a help for fresh soap and a reason to keep wrapped bars out of the bathroom steam until they are sold.

How do you fold a bar neatly?

Practise on a blank sheet before the first wrapped batch. Once your hands know the folds, each bar goes quickly.

1. Lay the sheet print side down and centre the bar on it, with a long edge parallel to the sheet edge.
2. Bring one long side over the bar and press it flat against the soap.
3. Bring the other long side over the first and tuck the edge under for a clean seam, or seal it with a small label.
4. At each end, push the side flaps in to make a neat triangle, as you would round a present.
5. Fold the points down and seal them with a paper label or a dot of tape.
6. Turn the bar over, check the seam sits at the back, and press the corners flat.

What does a wrapped bar look like on a shelf?

Paper wins on shelf look when the print does the talking. A stack of wrapped bars shows pattern from edge to edge, which reads from across a market stall in the rain. Plain paper in one strong colour looks calm beside rows of rustic bars.

Try a different colour for each scent, or one pattern with a small coloured dot, and your range sorts itself for the customer. Gift shops like wraps because bars sit flat, stack in a basket and need no tray. Hotels like them because guest bars are quick to dress and quick to replace.

Will wrapped bars survive posting?

Paper keeps bars from rubbing against each other, but it will not stop a corner taking a knock. For posted orders, wrap each bar, then pack them snugly in an outer box so nothing slides. Our advice on packing soap for posting covers padding and spacing.

A hand tucked fold can open if a parcel is shaken, so seal the seam with a label on anything going in the post.

What details should the paper carry?

Soap sold in the UK usually carries the product name, weight, ingredients and the maker's details, and cosmetic rules apply, so check the current UK cosmetics rules for your own bars.

A wrap has one generous back panel, which suits a small ingredients block. If the text will not fit, add printed paper soap labels on the seam and keep the wrap for artwork.

From proof to doorstep

Send your bar size, fold style and artwork to request a quote. Every order is priced by email within one working day, and the free design proof arrives before printing starts.

Production takes 4 to 6 working days after you approve the proof, then delivery is free, tracked and lands in 2 to 3 working days across the UK mainland. Sheets start from £0.25 a sheet. Report a misprint or damage within 10 days and we reprint or refund.