How to wrap a gift beautifully: a step-by-step guide, plus ribbon, awkward shapes and no-tape wraps

To wrap a gift beautifully, cut only as much paper as the box needs, fold every raw edge under before you tape it, hide the tape on the bottom, crease each fold firmly, and finish with one good ribbon tied snugly around the gift. Heavier paper, fewer pieces of tape and a single color story do more for the finished look than any trick.

This step-by-step guide covers the whole job: what you need, how to wrap a box like a pro, how to tie a bow that stays put, how to wrap a present without tape showing, what to do with bottles, candles and soft gifts, and which wrapping paper can go in the recycling. It is written for anyone giving something they chose with care, whether that is a hostess gift for Saturday or a box from our holiday edit.

What you need to wrap a gift

• Wrapping paper with some weight. Thin paper tears at the corners and shows every edge of the box through it. Paper with a printed grid on the back makes straight cuts easy.
• Sharp scissors made for paper. A clean cut is half of a clean edge; dull blades chew it.
• Double-sided tape and clear tape. Double-sided tape disappears under a fold; clear tape is for the seams nobody will see.
• Ribbon. Silk, velvet, grosgrain or cotton twill all tie well. Wired ribbon holds the shape of a bow; satin can slip, so knot it twice.
• A gift tag or card, and a pen that won't smudge.
• A gift box for anything soft, round or fragile, so you always have flat sides to fold against.
• Optional extras: tissue paper, washi tape, a wax seal or sticker, and a sprig of something green from the garden.

Clear a table before you start wrapping. A hard, flat surface gives you sharp creases; a bed or a carpet gives you soft, rounded ones.

Choosing the wrap: paper, kraft, tissue, cloth or a bag

The best gift wrap suits the gift and the person, and it should be easy to open. A quick comparison:

How to wrap a present: a step-by-step guide

This is the classic way to wrap a box, and it works for anything rectangular from a candle box to a robe.

1. Measure before you cut. Roll out your wrapping paper, print side down, and set the box in the center. Bring one side of the paper up and over the top of the gift; it should reach just past the middle of the top surface. Bring the other side over so the two overlap by about an inch.
2. Check the ends. The paper at each end of the box should reach about halfway up the sides of the box. Much more than that and the end folds turn bulky.
3. Cut the wrapping paper straight. Follow the grid on the back, or crease the line first and cut along the crease. Trim any extra paper now rather than folding it in later.
4. Fold the raw edge under. On the side of the paper that will finish on top, fold under a narrow strip, about half an inch, and crease it. This hem is what makes a wrap look professional.
5. Tape the seam on the bottom. Turn the box upside down so the seam sits on the bottom of the gift. Tape the first edge of the paper to the box, wrap it around, then pull the folded edge snug and fix it with double-sided tape under the hem so no tape shows.
6. Fold the ends into triangles. At one end, press the top of the paper down flat against the box, then fold in the two sides. Crease each fold firmly against the box: the paper left below now forms a triangle-shaped bottom flap.
7. Fold the bottom flap up. Fold the tip of the triangle under to make a clean edge, then fold the bottom flap up and fix it with double-sided tape. Repeat at the other end.
8. Sharpen the corners. Run a thumbnail along every edge of the box to set the creases. This step is the difference between a gift that looks wrapped and one that looks beautifully wrapped.
9. Add the ribbon (next section).
10. Add the gift tag last, tucked under the ribbon or tied to the bow, so the name is the first thing anyone reads.

How to tie a ribbon around the gift and finish the bow

1. Measure the ribbon on the gift. Wrap the ribbon around the box once in each direction, then add a generous length for the bow and its tails. Too long is easy to trim; too short means starting again.
2. Cross it underneath. Lay the ribbon under the gift with equal lengths on each side, bring both ends up and cross them in the center of the top, then take them around the other way, under the box and back up to the top.
3. Thread and pull. On top, thread one end under the crossing, pull both ends snug but not tight enough to dent the corners, and double knot the ends of the ribbon.
4. Tie the bow. Make two loops of equal size and tie them like a shoelace. Adjust the loops until they sit flat and even, and flatten the knot with your thumb.
5. Trim the ends. Cut each end of the ribbon at an angle or into a V so it won't fray; with silk or velvet, a sharp cut matters more than the shape.

A ribbon in one direction only, tied off to one side, looks modern and works well on long, flat boxes. On a small box, a bow can overwhelm the gift: a single knot with long, trimmed ends is often the more elegant choice.

How to wrap a gift without tape showing, or without tape at all

Hidden tape comes from two habits: fold every raw edge under before it meets the box, and put double-sided tape under the fold instead of clear tape on top of it. With those, the only tape anyone sees is on the bottom.

To wrap without any tape, use cloth. The Japanese furoshiki is a square wrapping cloth, traditionally silk or cotton, used to wrap and carry goods; in 2006 Japan's environment minister, Yuriko Koike, showcased a specially designed furoshiki to promote environmental awareness. A large scarf, a linen tea towel or a square of fabric works the same way: place the box diagonally in the center, bring two opposite corners over it, then tie the other two corners in a square knot on top. The cloth becomes part of the gift, which suits a cook (a tea towel around a bottle of olive oil) or someone who would wear the scarf.

How to wrap awkward shapes: bottles, candles, soft gifts and round gifts

Bottles of wine, olive oil or spirits

Roll the bottle in a rectangle of paper or a tea towel, gather the excess at the neck and tie it with ribbon or twine, the way a florist ties a bouquet. The neck gives you a natural place for the bow and the tag. A wine bag or cloth wrap is safer for anything heavy.

Candles and anything in glass

Put a jar candle in a small box first, cushioned with tissue paper, then wrap the box. Paper pressed straight onto glass wrinkles and slides, and a box protects the glass.

Sweaters, scarves, robes and other soft gifts

Fold the piece neatly around a sheet of tissue, lay it in a flat box, and wrap the box. Wrapping a soft gift directly gives you lumps and crushed folds; a box gives you clean edges, and the reveal of folded cashmere in tissue is part of the present.

Round or cylindrical gifts

Roll the gift in the paper with about an inch of extra paper to cover the seam, then pleat the paper at each end toward the center, a fold at a time, and cover the center with a round sticker or a wax seal. For a sphere, gather the paper at the top and tie it with ribbon instead.

Large gifts

For a big box, join two widths of paper with double-sided tape on the back side of the paper before you wrap, or wrap only the lid and the base of the box separately so it can be opened without tearing anything. For something too big to wrap at all, a large ribbon and a tag are enough.

Gift wrapping ideas that make a present look considered

• One color story. Kraft paper with a silk ribbon in deep red, or white paper with a navy velvet ribbon. Two colors look chosen; five look like whatever was in the drawer.
• Wrap a set to match. If you are giving several gifts to one person, wrap them in the same paper and ribbon to make your gifts look like one collection on the table.
• Something natural on the knot. A sprig of rosemary or eucalyptus, a dried orange slice or a cinnamon stick tucked under the ribbon costs almost nothing and smells good.
• A real tag. A heavy card with a handwritten line says more than a printed sticker. Write the name and one sentence, not just "To" and "From".
• Let a good box show. If the gift comes in a handsome box from the maker, wrap it in tissue and ribbon only, or just tie the ribbon around the box itself.
• Hide the price. Remove the sticker before you start wrapping and tuck the gift receipt into an envelope inside the card.

When a gift bag or no wrapping is the better choice

Gift wrap is not always needed. A gift bag is the right call for heavy, fragile or very irregular gifts, as long as the tissue is folded rather than stuffed: lay two sheets in the bag in a cross, put the gift in, then fold three or four sheets loosely and stand them up at the top. An experience gift, a gift card or tickets look best in a good envelope with a handwritten card, perhaps paired with a small object, as we suggest in our last-minute gifts guide. And a host who is busy at the door will be glad of a gift they can set down without unwrapping.

Eco-friendly gift wrap: what can be recycled

Plain paper wrap can often be recycled; foil and glitter paper usually can't. Cornwall Council in England gives a simple test: if you scrunch paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, you can recycle it, while foil or glitter paper goes in the rubbish. Rules differ by town in the United States: Pittsburgh Public Works, for example, says wrapping paper, tissue, glitter and metallic paper are not recyclable in the city, nor are ribbons or bows. Check your own city's guidance before the holidays, choose plain or kraft paper if you want the wrap to be recyclable, and keep good ribbon to use again.

The lowest-waste wraps are the ones that are themselves useful: a cloth, a tea towel, a reusable box or a basket.

Set up a wrapping station before a busy season

If you have more than a few gifts to wrap, set everything out on one table: paper on the left, the gifts in the middle, scissors, tape, ribbon and tags on the right. Cut tape pieces in advance and stick them to the table edge. Wrap all the boxes first, then all the ribbons, then all the tags. Working in batches is faster, and every present comes out looking like part of the same wrapping job.

Editor's note

Beautifully wrapped presents come down to restraint: good paper cut to size, edges folded under, tape out of sight, one ribbon and a handwritten tag. If you only change one habit, fold the raw edge before you tape it. For how we choose the gifts that go inside, see How We Pick.