HongbaoBTC – Easiest way to gift Bitcoin

[salmaChan]

Hi everyone,

I'm a designer and developer. I wanted to share something I’ve been working on: https://hongbaob.tc

The idea came from a friend whose son received a Bitcoin paper wallet as a gift. It was a white piece of paper with a QR code on it. The gesture was amazing, but it didn’t feel special. That’s where we started thinking: what if gifting Bitcoin could feel more personal, more cultural, and more beautiful?

What is it?
HongbaoBTC brings together Bitcoin and the tradition of gifting with red envelopes (hongbao). We created a way to gift Bitcoin using custom-designed paper wallets inside elegant red envelopes.

It’s designed to feel personal and thoughtful:

• The wallet looks like a real banknote
• A portrait in the center (you can use your own photo or generate one)
• QR codes for both the public address and the private key
• Comes in different themes like Euro or Dollar style
• Fits perfectly into a red envelope for birthdays, weddings, holidays

And then comes the special part…

About the envelopes
We designed physical red envelopes just for Bitcoin.
They’re printed with gold foil, inspired by the hongbao tradition.
One side features a quote from Satoshi Nakamoto:

“It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on.”

The other side shows a bold Bitcoin seal. They feel premium, festive, and are made to impress at weddings, birthdays, holidays, or any moment you want to gift sats with meaning.

You can see a preview here:
📸
📸
📸
(Or view on the site:https://hongbaob.tc)

Why I built it
Bitcoin gifting can be intimidating. I wanted to create something physical, warm, and personal. A way to help people start their Bitcoin journey with curiosity and control, not just another app download.

We don’t hold keys. You generate the wallet and keep the private key. We just help you make it beautiful and tangible

Who it’s for

• Bitcoiners gifting to friends and family
• Parents giving Bitcoin to their kids
• Events and onboarding campaigns
• Anyone who wants to make self-custody feel special

Would love your feedback
Still improving things and testing ideas. If anyone has thoughts or feedback on the product, UX, or even creative ideas. I’m all ears.

You can check out the project here: https://hongbaob.tc
Thanks for reading

[SFR10]

Still improving things and testing ideas. If anyone has thoughts or feedback on the product, UX, or even creative ideas. I’m all ears.

It's nice that there's an offline mode as well, but it doesn't seem to come with a fully responsive design ^{[the recovery phrase, private key and public address fields automatically go behind the download PDF button (on smaller resolutions) and there's no way to scroll on that side of the page]}.
^{- BTW, where can we use those free credits (12, 24 and 42 credits)?}

[Vod]

I'm a designer and developer. I wanted to share something I’ve been working on: https://hongbaob.tc

Hey,

This is a working website that is accepting crypto payments.  Please move it (lower left) to Services. 

[examplens]

I didn't understand very well whether you offer the service of physical creation of this 'wallet' or the user has to print it themselves.

In order for Bitcoin as a gift to be independent of the creator, it must contain a private key. Where is PK in this case? (not printed by you as you claim)

[salmaChan]

Still improving things and testing ideas. If anyone has thoughts or feedback on the product, UX, or even creative ideas. I’m all ears.

It's nice that there's an offline mode as well, but it doesn't seem to come with a fully responsive design ^{[the recovery phrase, private key and public address fields automatically go behind the download PDF button (on smaller resolutions) and there's no way to scroll on that side of the page]}.
^{- BTW, where can we use those free credits (12, 24 and 42 credits)?}

It's still not responsive fully yeah, still working on it
The credits are used to create your own paper wallet (currency look alike with the face of the person you want to gift it too)
Something like this


1 credit = 1 paper

Thank you for the feedback 

[salmaChan]

I didn't understand very well whether you offer the service of physical creation of this 'wallet' or the user has to print it themselves.

In order for Bitcoin as a gift to be independent of the creator, it must contain a private key. Where is PK in this case? (not printed by you as you claim)

Fair enough, so the service is physical red envelopes (from the Chinese tradition called HongBao) and paper wallet generator, it does generate the PK, mnemonic and public address.
The user prints the paper wallet on his own, the envelope should be bought cuz printing them won't give the same quality.
I understand no one will take my word for that we don't save them so we did 2 things:

• The source code is public on Github : https://github.com/sbounmy/hongbao_bitcoin
• An offline mode where you put your own without going through the site online

[examplens]

Fair enough, so the service is physical red envelopes (from the Chinese tradition called HongBao) and paper wallet generator, it does generate the PK, mnemonic and public address.
The user prints the paper wallet on his own, the envelope should be bought cuz printing them won't give the same quality.
I understand no one will take my word for that we don't save them so we did 2 things:

• The source code is public on Github : https://github.com/sbounmy/hongbao_bitcoin
• An offline mode where you put your own without going through the site online

I'm sorry, but this is so risky that it should not be considered at all. Many things can go wrong, even if you have the best intentions.
In addition, the problem is that if it is a gift and it may be used for a long-term hold, it may be too long to store the PK generated by the third party.
There are already similar services, but they have built up a certain reputation so far. Although I would not trust them for larger amounts.
Also, there are some more reliable solutions, where the user manages everything themselves, and visually, they are quite decent as gifts. Check the Satochip card, for example.

[salmaChan]

Fair enough, so the service is physical red envelopes (from the Chinese tradition called HongBao) and paper wallet generator, it does generate the PK, mnemonic and public address.
The user prints the paper wallet on his own, the envelope should be bought cuz printing them won't give the same quality.
I understand no one will take my word for that we don't save them so we did 2 things:

• The source code is public on Github : https://github.com/sbounmy/hongbao_bitcoin
• An offline mode where you put your own without going through the site online

I'm sorry, but this is so risky that it should not be considered at all. Many things can go wrong, even if you have the best intentions.
In addition, the problem is that if it is a gift and it may be used for a long-term hold, it may be too long to store the PK generated by the third party.
There are already similar services, but they have built up a certain reputation so far. Although I would not trust them for larger amounts.
Also, there are some more reliable solutions, where the user manages everything themselves, and visually, they are quite decent as gifts. Check the Satochip card, for example.

I see but i really want to make it so user can print his own at home + having your face on it would make it more special as a gift

[salmaChan]

Hi everyone,

I'm a designer and developer. I wanted to share something I’ve been working on: https://hongbaob.tc

The idea came from a friend whose son received a Bitcoin paper wallet as a gift. It was a white piece of paper with a QR code on it. The gesture was amazing, but it didn’t feel special. That’s where we started thinking: what if gifting Bitcoin could feel more personal, more cultural, and more beautiful?

What is it?
HongbaoBTC brings together Bitcoin and the tradition of gifting with red envelopes (hongbao). We created a way to gift Bitcoin using custom-designed paper wallets inside elegant red envelopes.

It’s designed to feel personal and thoughtful:

• The wallet looks like a real banknote
• A portrait in the center (you can use your own photo or generate one)
• QR codes for both the public address and the private key
• Comes in different themes like Euro or Dollar style
• Fits perfectly into a red envelope for birthdays, weddings, holidays

And then comes the special part…

About the envelopes

We designed physical red envelopes just for Bitcoin.
They’re printed with gold foil, inspired by the hongbao tradition.
One side features a quote from Satoshi Nakamoto:

“It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on.”

The other side shows a bold Bitcoin seal. They feel premium, festive, and are made to impress at weddings, birthdays, holidays, or any moment you want to gift sats with meaning.

You can see a preview here:
📸
📸
📸
(Or view on the site:https://hongbaob.tc)

Why I built it
Bitcoin gifting can be intimidating. I wanted to create something physical, warm, and personal. A way to help people start their Bitcoin journey with curiosity and control, not just another app download.

We don’t hold keys. You generate the wallet and keep the private key. We just help you make it beautiful and tangible

Who it’s for

• Bitcoiners gifting to friends and family
• Parents giving Bitcoin to their kids
• Events and onboarding campaigns
• Anyone who wants to make self-custody feel special

Would love your feedback
Still improving things and testing ideas. If anyone has thoughts or feedback on the product, UX, or even creative ideas. I’m all ears.

You can check out the project here: https://hongbaob.tc
Thanks for reading

The app has many styles to use for the paper wallet like Ghibli, Pixar, Comics etc
I'm creating a new style (Bust of Satoshi), can you help me decide which is better?

[salmaChan]

Just shipped the new dashboard 🎉

• Bitcoin Calendar : no excuses to celebrate and gift BTCs
• Mobile first : 40% of our traffic is from mobile based on Plausible Analytics
• Analytics on paper wallets (views + likes)
• Payment Methods : ₿ Wallet, Credit Card / Bank Transfer by Mt Pelerin

Check it out https://hongbaob.tc/dashboard
Preview: https://youtu.be/i7owGvOl0Ds

[salmaChan]

Just shipped BTCTC & Lightning payments 🚀

@hongbaobitcoin
 use BTCPay Server payment processor :

• 0% Fees & No Third-party
• Open-source, censorship-resistant and free.
• Self-hosted: 9$ / mo (soon)

API is not as great as Stripe but it does the job.
Dev time : 2 weeks

Check it out:
https://hongbaob.tc/