Christmas Ribbon Ideas
Why Smart Businesses Are Adding Custom Ribbon to Their Christmas Packaging (And the Results Will Surprise You)
Why Custom Printed Ribbon is a Total Game-Changer for Your Christmas Packaging
Hard to believe we’re already gearing up for Christmas again! Time really does fly when you’re running a business. We’ve been printing ribbons here in Essex since 2007 – that’s 18 Christmases we’ve helped brands make their mark. We started as a small family operation and we’re still very much that today, just with a bit more experience under our belts and a few more ribbon printers!.
The Thing About Branded Ribbon That Most People Don’t Realise
You know what’s funny? Most businesses spend ages perfecting their product, their website, their marketing – then they stick it in a plain box with standard ribbon and call it done. Massive missed opportunity.
I was chatting to Holly from a skincare brand last month. She told me something that really stuck with me: “We saw a 40% jump in people sharing our gift sets on social media after we started using your branded ribbon. Honestly, I didn’t expect such a big difference from something so simple.”
That’s the thing about custom ribbon – it looks like a small detail, but it punches way above its weight. Your customers are already going to unwrap your product anyway, so why not make that moment memorable?
What Our Numbers Actually Tell Us
We did a survey back in February (nothing fancy, just asked 506 of our lovely customers’ recipients what they thought). The results were pretty eye-opening:
Most people – 84% – actually kept the ribbon afterwards, in memory boxes, on the desk, or tied around a plant pot – either way they kept it. Two-thirds took photos that were shared online. And our favourite, 92% of businesses who tried our ribbon once came back for more printed ribbon within six months.
Those aren’t the kind of numbers you get from something that doesn’t work.
How People Actually Use Printed Ribbon
Christmas – gift boxes, hampers, those last-minute parcels you’re sending to customers. But we’ve noticed some clever uses over the years:
One charity we work with creates limited-edition Christmas baubles every year with their branded ribbon. Sells out every time, and people actually collect them. Smart thinking.
Corporate gifts get interesting when you add a bit of personality. Instead of looking like you bulk-ordered something generic, it shows you actually thought about it.
Day-to-day packaging is where it really adds up though. James from an artisan food company puts it perfectly: “Every subscription box gets our ribbon. It’s literally the one thing people always mention – makes them feel like they’re getting something special, not just another delivery.”
How We Actually Print the Stuff
People ask us this all the time. After 18 years, we’ve tried pretty much everything and settled on what actually works:
Hot foil is our bread and butter – works brilliantly on satin ribbon, gives you really crisp text and logos. We’ve got over 25 print colours to choose from, including all the metallics you’d expect. Most popular by far.
Full colour printing is where we go when someone needs something more complex – gradients, photos, intricate designs or they must match a brand colour. Uses a dye sublimation process that makes the colour part of the ribbon rather than sitting on top of it.
Specialist Ribbon Printing – well, that’s when people come to us with weird and wonderful requests. We’ve got connections for pretty much anything if you need something really unusual.
The Environmental Bit (Because It Matters)
Look, we’re not going to pretend we’re saving the world here, but we do what we can. Recycled PET ribbons (made from old plastic bottles), eco-friendly inks, minimal waste processes.
The way I see it, if your packaging looks good enough that people want to keep it and reuse it, that’s already better than something that goes straight in the bin.
Why People Stick With Us
Honestly? We just try not to be a pain to work with. You get one person handling your order from start to finish, not passed around between departments. If we can we offer free samples so you know what you’re getting. Quotes within the hour because nobody has time to wait around. We’re based in Essex – about half an hour from London if you ever need to send a courier to collect, and we do almost everything in-house. Whether you need five metres for a small project or five thousand for a major campaign, it’s all the same process.
Don’t Leave It Too Late
We’re already seeing the smart brands placing their Christmas orders. Not trying to panic anyone, but December always gets very busy and nobody wants to be scrambling for ribbon at the last minute.
If you want to see how printed ribbons can work for your brand, if you want to talk through options, we give you a proper quote – no obligation, no sales pressure.
Sometimes the smallest details make the biggest difference – order 5m and see what you could add to your gift wrapping.
- Call our team for friendly advice 📞
- Email us for a fast quote – you’ll hear back within the hour 📩
- Request free ribbon samples and feel the quality for yourself 📦