Washi Tape Gift Wrapping: Ways to Dress Up Plain Paper

Washi tape gift wrapping works best when you treat the tape as decoration, not as the thing holding the parcel shut. The adhesive is low-tack by design, so a seam closed only with washi can spring open on the way to the party. Wrap the present properly in plain paper first, then use tape to draw on it.

That order has an advantage: one roll of brown kraft paper and a handful of tapes can cover birthdays, weddings and winter holidays without buying a different printed paper for each.

What you need

• Plain kraft paper or solid-color wrapping paper with a matte, smooth surface
• Clear tape or double-sided tape for the structural folds
• Two to four washi tapes, with at least one 15 mm roll and one slim roll of about 5 mm
• Scissors and a ruler
• A pencil for faint guide marks

Two or three tapes that share a color look planned; five unrelated ones look like leftovers. If you are unsure which rolls belong together, the guide to mixing tape colors and patterns gives a simple lead, support and solid rule.

Which papers hold washi tape

Wrap the box with a real hold first

1. Cut the paper so it overlaps by about 1 in (2.5 cm) around the box and reaches a little over halfway up each end.
2. Close the long seam with clear tape, or with double-sided tape tucked under the overlap for an invisible join. Put the seam on the underside.
3. Fold the ends into neat triangles and fix each flap with clear or double-sided tape.
4. Run a fingernail along every edge of the box to sharpen the creases. Crisp edges make tape lines look straighter.

On smooth matte paper, a strip of washi can sit over a seam that is already secured, hiding the clear tape underneath. That is as much holding work as it should be asked to do.

Six ways to decorate the wrapped parcel

Faux ribbon cross

Run one strip of 15 mm or wider tape around the length of the box and a second around the width, crossing on top. Start and finish each band on the underside so the join is hidden, and overlap the ends by about 1/2 in (1.3 cm). For the bow, fold two short strips into loops with the sticky side in, press them where the bands cross, add two angled tails cut to a V, and cover the center with a small square of tape.

Off-center band cluster

Wrap three or four parallel bands around the box about a third of the way along rather than in the middle. Mix one wide tape, one standard and one slim, with narrow gaps between them. The cluster reads as a deliberate stripe and leaves a clear area for a tag.

Plaid

Lay wide or standard strips across the top of the parcel in one direction, spaced about a tape-width apart, and let them run down the sides. Then cross them at right angles with a slim tape in a second color. Because washi is slightly translucent, each crossing looks a shade darker, which is what gives plaid its woven look. Use a spare strip as a spacer to keep the gaps even.

Diagonal corner stripes

Choose one corner of the top face and lay four or five strips across it at roughly 45 degrees, each longer than the last. Let every strip run over the edges and down the sides, then trim the ends level with the bottom of the box or fold them underneath.

A tape-drawn tree or bow

For a tree, stack horizontal strips of decreasing length into a triangle and add a short vertical strip as the trunk. For a flat bow, form two triangles pointing toward each other from short strips, with a small square over the meeting point. Both sit well on the top face of a large flat parcel.

Torn confetti

Tear small pieces from three or four rolls, about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) long, and scatter them over the paper at different angles. Group them more densely at one corner and thin them out across the face. Torn ends suit this design, so no scissors are needed.

Mistakes that spoil a taped parcel

• Closing folds with washi alone. It may hold on the table and open in a bag or a warm car.
• Ending a band on a top edge. Tape ends lift first at corners. Finish underneath or in the middle of a flat face.
• Decorating a soft, lumpy parcel. Tape needs a firm, flat surface. Put soft items in a box, or keep to a single band and a tag.
• Wrapping far ahead in a cold or damp room. Cold, humid storage weakens the grip. Burnish again before you hand the present over.

Finish with a tag, and when to decorate the box itself

A parcel dressed with tape rarely needs ribbon, though a length of baker’s twine over a band cluster adds texture. For the name, a small card tag in the same tapes ties everything together, and the tutorial for washi tape gift tags shows how to cut and reinforce one.

If the present comes in a sturdy plain box, you can skip the paper altogether. Decorating the cardboard directly has its own corner and lid techniques, covered in the guide to washi tape gift boxes.