Gift Wrap:
What You Need to Know

My daughter Diane and I can’t explain it… we just love nice papers, especially gift wrapping papers. We’ve worked with many different materials for our wrapping projects. Some are great for one purpose but poor for another; some are good for just about everything, and others are not much good at all. We are pleased to share our findings!

Many creative wrapping projects are best executed with plain, neutral colored paper. If you are really into wrapping presents, it will be worth your while to purchase a good-sized roll of white wrapping paper as opaque as you can find.

It’s also a good idea to have on hand a supply of tissue paper in white and various colors. You will find it extremely useful for many creative approaches to wrapping gifts.

The general rule with gift wrap is that you get what you pay for. Check the total square inches/centimeters when comparison shopping. The least expensive papers tend to be very thin and even brittle. The corners of boxes or rough spots on product packaging will poke through easily unless you are very careful.

On many cheap papers the design, or even a chunk of the paper itself, will lift off if you need to readjust a piece of tape. Furthermore, cheap papers often have poor pattern or color registration (the different design elements don’t line up).

More substantial gift wrapping papers resist tearing, and many have a semi-gloss surface that accepts and releases tape beautifully. Look for gift wrap that is heavy enough to be sturdy, but thin enough to make a crisp fold.

The better wrapping papers have higher quality printing, and they often have more attractive patterns, too. Some papers, such as Hallmark, have a grid lightly printed on the back to help with measuring and cutting.

Note that a light-colored gift wrap, or one with a pattern printed on a light background, may not be truly opaque. If you can see through the top layer on the roll to the pattern beneath, the paper won’t hide the printing on a box or title of a book you’re giving.

You may have to spend a lot more money to get a light-colored wrapping paper that’s opaque enough to hide any surprise-revealing images beneath it. If you are budget conscious (aren't we all?), you’ll do better to select darker colors when you purchase less expensive papers.

When selecting a gift wrap, consider a pattern that will complement the shape of the gift. For example, a striped paper is great for a rectangular box – you can decide whether to orient it the tall way, the wide way, or even diagonally.

A gift that Diane wrapped illustrates the point: she wrapped a hexagonal box with a poinsettia paper that formed neat swirls with all six edges folded together on top. To complement the shape and the paper she topped the box with a flat poinsettia-shaped bow. A very eye-catching gift!

Clear or translucent cellophane used as an overwrap is a pretty gift wrapping idea that adds shine to the package. A light color allows the underwrap to show through, creating an interesting effect.

Cellophane wrap has the advantage of being available in extra-large widths, which makes it a fine choice for gift baskets. You can also enhance a gift bag presentation with cellophane, either alone or paired with colored tissue paper.

Diane recently used cellophane to wrap a few plants for an office friend. She placed them in a tray made from a box bottom (a deep, strong box top is OK) covered with green opaque paper. She centered the box on a large piece of clear green cellophane and drew that carefully up and around the plants.

To conceal the gift you might wish to line the cellophane wrap with tissue paper; but delicate gifts like plants are more likely to be handled carefully if people can see that the package contents are fragile.

Diane gathered the cellophane at the top and used a rubber band to hold it in place. She covered the band with curling ribbon, making lots of fluffy curlicues to hang down the front. To open the basket, Diane's friend snipped the curling ribbon and removed the rubber band. To take the plants home safely, she simply replaced the rubber band to hold things in place for her commute.

Foil gift wrap in solids or colorful designs can be very elegant, and it's a joy to work with. This is because the foils are applied to thin paper backing. The paper strengthens foil wraps, they hold a crease nicely, and they are completely opaque. Shiny ribbons coordinate nicely, as do metallic-colored jingle bells tied into the bow.

We do not recommend kitchen/aluminum foil because it wrinkles and tears easily – unless it's part of a gift wrapping project where wrinkling is desired (or can be avoided).

Expect to pay a premium for foil wrapping paper, but if you keep your eyes open you can sometimes find it at reasonable prices. Foil gift wrap should be at the top of your list when you chase the post-holiday sales!

Mylar wrap looks like an opaque plastic foil. It’s light but strong, and it comes in metallic colors. It’s especially nice under a Christmas tree, where it reflects the glow of the lights. Most Mylar wrap has something interesting on the back, even if only a standard silver color, so it’s usually reversible.

We’ve learned the hard way that Mylar must be cut very carefully, for once a cut is started the wrap will easily tear in undesired directions. Mylar does not take a crease as well as paper gift wrap, but this seldom causes a problem because it's not at all bulky.

Mylar lends itself to beautiful gift wrapping ideas. We recommend double-stick tape or clear, non-“magic” tape on all shiny wrapping papers because it’s easier to hide than a tape with a matte finish.

Best of all, strips of Mylar behave like curling ribbon. In this photo, Diane has used a deep blue Mylar gift wrap backed with silver for her brother Stephen’s birthday gift. She wrapped the box with blue side showing, and decorated it with strips of the wrap turned silver-side-out and a metallic silver bow. She garnished the bow with thin, curled strips of the Mylar. This pulled the colors together nicely, as the blue side matched the box and the silver side matched the bow.

Diane adds this observation: I’ve noticed that when curling Mylar strips with color-side-in, some of the color may flake off (like a powder). However, it doesn’t seem to be noticeable on the paper itself, and any that flakes onto your hands or scissors can be wiped or brushed off pretty easily.

Sometimes you can find Mylar gift wrap with designs and sparkles. The backs of these wraps are usually plain silver, but the sparkles show on the back as well. It’s nice for gift wrapping projects like gift towers, as you can wrap the boxes with either side showing and the curled strips give your tower a coordinated look.

Versatile tissue wrapping paper is a must-have for basic gift wrapping. Try the quick and easy tissue paper pouch in Gift Wrapping 101 and tissue wrapping paper will be a favorite of yours, too. It's also indispensible for many creative gift wrapping projects that involve disguising your gift or creating decorative effects.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Tissue Paper
Among other great features of tissue paper, it's inexpensive and easy to find in stores. It comes in a huge variety of colors and prints. In solid colors, it's reversible. It stores flat. It's pliable and can be softly crumpled to fill space, or packed down more firmly to provide a cushion inside wrapped gifts.

Tissue wrapping paper is also translucent, which yields interesting effects when you layer a light color over a darker one. Its pliability allows gathered edges to be fluffed, which is especially useful if you are not going to use a bow on your wrapped gift. Tissue wrapping paper makes beautiful paper flowers, too.

Among its disadvantages, the thinness is a mixed blessing -- tissue wrapping paper is fragile. It’s frustrating to carry a wrapped gift project to perfection, only to discover that a corner has poked through the wrapping paper. Sharp corners or rough spots on the packaging should be covered or cushioned if you plan to use tissue paper as your gift wrap.

Tissue paper easily puckers, spots and discolors under the tiniest drop of liquid, and it tears easily. Moreover, tissue easily reveals markings on the box within. It takes many layers, even using dark-colored tissue paper, to conceal the wrapped gift completely.

Tissue paper is the perfect gift box liner.
Tissue paper and gift boxes (especially clothing boxes) both come in so many sizes that it's unusual when your tissue paper perfectly fits your box. Here are some easy solutions:

• If the tissue is too narrow for the box, use two pieces overlapped side-by-side.
  
• If the tissue is too short to line the box AND extend over the gift, use two pieces overlapped end-to-end and center the overlap under the gift.
  
• If your tissue paper is too wide for the box, you don't have to cram the excess into the corners. Instead, center the tissue over the box and make a horizontal pleat across the center, adjusting until the edges of the tissue fall within the box.
  
• If the tissue is too long after bringing the ends up and across the gift, simply fold the ends under.
  
• If the tissue is way too big, fold it in half (for a tiny box, cut a piece of tissue) and use one of the above procedures.
  
• For odd-shaped and fragile items, make a nest of loosely crumpled tissue, place the gift on it, and crumple more tissue around and over the gift.
  

Tissue paper as filler
NOTE: We do not recommend tissue paper as packing material for shipping. If you pack it too loosely the gift will shift and compress the tissue, leaving more room for shifting and breakage. Bubble wrap and/or foam peanuts are a much better choice, as they can withstand compression and bounce back.

That said, tissue paper makes fine filler inside a wrapped gift, when the box is a little to big. For very fragile gifts, I prefer to protect the gift with a layer of bubble wrap, and then fill the box with tissue crumpled just tightly enough to prevent shifting. As a filler, tissue paper is way tidier than foam peanuts when your recipient opens the gift, and tissue is a more attractive filler than newspaper or movers' packing paper.

Save those scraps
You can flatten out used tissue paper to re-use for gift box stuffing (you'll probably want a fresh piece for the liner). Save scraps of colored tissue wrapping paper for creatively wrapped gifts and gift "disguises" or "costumes" - often a little is all you need, and a few wrinkles do not matter.

Sometimes, wrapping paper isn't the best choice. Here are some tried and true alternatives, along with a few gift wrapping ideas for special situations:

• For extra large items, try fabric. Advantages: A one- or two-yard cotton remnant from your fabric store will probably cost less than a roll of extra-wide wrapping paper. Even wider than fabric store remnants are bed sheets, curtains and tablecloths. Look for fabric that is opaque.
  
  Disadvantages: Fabric is not easy to tape or glue to itself (plastic or vinyl tablecloths are better), and clips may not stay put or be easy to conceal. You can fasten fabric snugly with straight pins. Pin right through into the box, if you can, and be sure to warn your recipient!


• Spray paint the box, especially if it’s huge or covered with unsightly printing. Spray paint the lid separately. Please do your spray painting outdoors or in a well-ventilated room or basement, and protect the surrounding area with a drop cloth or newspapers. When the paint is dry, crank up your creative energies and add a design with stencils (how about a doily?) or stickers, or draw a design with paints or markers. You can also cut out and glue on designs from gift wrap, to coordinate with other gifts.


• Try Self-Stick Paper (the kind that comes on rolls for lining shelves and drawers) to cover a gift box. Cover the lid separately, and the box can be used again and again. Self-stick papers are often waterproof, which adds protection for gifts you need to ship.


• Wallpaper comes in enough interesting designs to suit anybody’s taste. While you probably won’t want to purchase it specifically as a gift wrap, this is a good use for partial rolls left over from the dining room re-do. Wallpaper is usually very sturdy and is often water resistant. The disadvantage is that it’s usually too heavy to make a neat crease. But it’s very good for wrapping tubes.


• Road maps make fine wrapping paper, especially if your gift has anything to do with travel, vacation, or an automobile. Maps are also good for wrapping your gift for a man or boy, when you discover that the only gift wrap you have on hand is a little too cute or flowery.


• The Sunday comics make a colorful and entertaining gift wrap that’s great for kids of all ages. The colored ink is unlikely to rub off, but newsprint paper does tear easily.


• Use a dish towel to wrap a small gift for the kitchen. If you can find a matching or coordinating pot holder, slip it under the bow to help decorate the package. Or tie a wire whisk or a bunch of cinnamon sticks or parsley sprigs into the bow.

Make-it-yourself wrapping paper, created with your recipient’s interests in mind, will totally customize your gift presentation. Remember that roll of plain white paper? Well, there are stencils, rubber stamps, stickers, sponge or potato or block prints, paints and markers, tissue paper collage… give your creativity free rein!

Your computer can be a big help: public-domain clip art is available online, and you can purchase clip art books in art supply shops and bookstores. Better yet, you can scan in your own photos or the kids' drawings for a doubly personal touch.

If you print your designs on self-stick label stock (available at office supply stores), you can use them to cover unwanted markings on your gift box, or to decorate gifts wrapped in plain paper. You might also consider purchasing computer software for signs and banners, so you can produce designs for oversized paper.