Wrapping paper is usually not difficult to cut until you find yourself short. You place the object in the center, your paper looks nearly ready for use, and now one side just doesn’t make it to the fold. When that happens, novices tend to stretch too much, add a strip, or just cover it up with more tape. Material allowance avoids that situation with enough paper to wrap the object, create folds, overlap to the seam, and close the package.
Material allowance is extra paper that you allow for the object. Not all material allowance is waste, although. Some of it becomes the overlap area that closes the seam. Some of it becomes the fold area at the corners. You don’t necessarily get to see all the allowance when the finished package is ready because of how the paper is tucked in, which is more obvious when you are wrapping a box, a book, a candle, or a small product with solid sides. When you do not have allowance, your folds become strained and you can have too much allowance, meaning you could have some thick and chunky corners because several layers stack up in the same spot.
Allowance is best understood when you do a test wrapping with an empty box and scrap paper before you use your nice kraft paper or patterned wrapping paper. Place the item in the center of your paper. Pull the sides around the item and check the location of the seam. Now look at the short ends of the paper. Are you pulling the paper way past the center of the end? You will likely get some very bulky triangular corner folds. Does your paper almost not cover the end at all? You could end up with an exposed tucked-in area or need excessive tape in order for the ends to close. You want enough allowance to comfortably reach both sides without having a too-tight wrap.
Your item’s shape has an effect on how much allowance you need. It is easier with a rectangular flat box because the fold lines are predictable. It takes more skill to account for allowance when your item is a round tin, a soft textile item, or a product with a raised lid because the paper can move when you are wrapping it. You also need to factor in material stiffness; you need extra allowance for stiff wrapping paper compared to soft tissue paper because stiff paper cannot conform to corners as well. The pattern on your paper could have an effect on where the seam or the tape band or the printed label will appear on your finished package.
One of the challenges of learning to wrap packages is cutting paper based on only the top of the object. It is easy to tell from above if your wrapping paper is wide enough, but not easy to tell from the top if it has enough paper for the sides, for height, and for the overlap. Before you cut your wrapping paper, lift it to the sides of your item without actually creasing it. Move it around the whole object to see if you have enough material. This simple step helps you identify whether or not you will have a clean seam and how much paper you need to make the corner folds on the short ends of the box look balanced.
It can help to make a direct comparison between the two options. Cut a couple test pieces of scrap paper for the same empty box, one very slightly short and one slightly too generous, and use both. Then just wrap them. You will see that a too-small wrap ends up pulled tight and shows some exposed edges or needs so much tape you do not need to finish it. You will see a too-big wrap has so much material it bunches up, looks really chunky at the corners, and has uneven tucked-in edges. You will want the better option to be in between those two, where your wrapping paper folds nicely and does not fight you.
Before you actually finish the wrap, look at your cuts and double-check that everything looks good. Are both long edges overlapping without having to be stretched into place? Are you able to make the corners lay pretty flat so the package looks tidy? Is your seam in a decent spot that you are not embarrassed to have visible? Will your tape or adhesive dot be able to hold the package in place rather than serving as a bandaid? Material allowance is not just about whether you have enough wrapping paper for your object; it is about allowing yourself the space to make the package look good, be protected, and be ready to use.