2D diagram

How to make a paper box from a printable template

Make a Paper Box (Open Template): try all 5 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.

Easy5 steps12 × 12 cm · One square

Cut and fold a small open box with a 4 × 4 cm base and 3 cm walls.

You need: Light cardstock, scissors, a ruler, a blunt scoring tool and craft glue.
Download the 12 cm box net ↓
Print at 100%. The center square must measure 4 × 4 cm after printing.
Start: Start with the printed 12 × 12 cm net on light cardstock, colored side up. Solid lines are cuts; dashed blue lines are folds.
Tips: Cut the four short corner slits as well as the outside outline. They free the tabs from the neighboring walls.
Score gently against a ruler. Hold the glued corners together until the adhesive grips.

Finish

Your box is ready

Let the glue set before placing a small, light object inside. The top stays open.

3D paper

Whole sequence Finish

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5 steps · press any step to watch it in 3D

Step-by-step diagrams

1
Cut the net
Cut the solid outside outline. Make the four short cuts between the tabs and the side walls.
2
Score the folds
Score the four edges of the center square and the four tab hinges. Keep the card intact along these dashed lines.
3
Raise the side walls
Fold the two walls without tabs upward until they stand at a right angle to the base.
4
Raise the tabbed walls
Fold the other two walls up. Keep the four tabs free outside the neighboring walls for now.
5
Close the corners
Fold each tab inward against the inside of its neighboring wall. Add a thin layer of glue and hold each corner.
✓
Finish
Let the glue set before placing a small, light object inside. The top stays open.

Keep folding

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Shapes

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