Before you even start cutting wrapping paper, or opening a box, the work on the package has begun. The first thing you want to do with the item itself is think about it as a shape. A mug, for example, has a protruding handle to account for. A candle jar is heavy and hard edged. A scarf is soft and flexible, whereas a delicate ceramic object might require more space. Using a measurement tool now helps you to see the details of the package before you cut your paper or pick out a carton that is too large to fit.
Measure length, width and height on the largest points of the item using a tape measure or ruler. Don’t just look at the front of the item and only measure straight edges, turn it to take a look at anything that might be sticking out, whether that is a lid, a handle, a corner or a raised decorative feature. If an item is fragile or might be damaged by contact, make note of where it should not touch an outer wall of a box. This extra bit of thought helps to distinguish a package that fits properly and snugly inside its wrapping from one that looks great on the outside but rattles inside once it is sealed.
For wrapping paper, you aren’t just measuring the object. You also need a bit of excess paper to account for overlaps and folds and tucked edges. If the wrapping paper fits perfectly around an object it will either pull too tight or rip at the corner of the item, leaving you needing a significant amount of adhesive to hide the edge. Take a few minutes to first lay your object on a sample piece of your paper and follow the line where it would go around the item. See where the end would land and if the corners have enough paper to fold without piling paper up into a large lump.
If you’re using boxes or mailers you need to measure your item then think of the space you want to give to protecting it. If the box you use is almost perfectly matched to your item dimensions you could run into issues where a fragile part of your item is pressing up against an edge in the box, and if it is too large it may require a large amount of paper or foam fill to protect it. You aren’t trying to find the largest possible box for this step. You want to allow enough room to wrap in cushioning along the bottom, sides, and top without letting your item move excessively in the box. A simple way to verify if the fit is too loose is to fill your empty package and give it a slight tilt, if it moves around you have some space to add some filler.
A great test to perform is to measure the same item a couple of times. One time quickly where you note length, width, and height, then another more carefully where you note fragile edges, rough surfaces, unbalanced weight distribution and where to place the item in the box. Reviewing your two sets of notes, you can see the differences between the measurements and how the second set could be very helpful in deciding on what to use for your final package.
Use your measurements when deciding on which wrapping, kraft paper, tissue paper, paper bags, mailer, or corrugated carton to use rather than eyeballing it. Tissue paper is a thin wrap and will often need a box or bag to provide structure, whereas a corrugated mailer is stiffer, you may need to give your crease lines a bit of thought and be more patient with your folding. A small product with a flat edge could be easily wrapped up with a paper band and label, but an irregular shape would require an insert or some additional padding in a box before you add paper to decorate.
Once the item is packed it is good to give it a final review: did it need too much adhesive to be properly sealed? Does it need excessive wrapping to cover a hole? Is the object tightly secured in the package? Does it need more packing material? If your answer to any of these is yes, try wrapping the object in a different manner. Measuring an object is not just one extra step you must go through before you can wrap the item; this is the part of the process that prevents rushing through the job of wrapping, wrapping your object too loosely, using too much padding to fill the box and ultimately having to make last-minute changes to get things right.