When small parcels are involved, the decision is most often narrowed down to the poly mailer, the padded envelope, the rigid gift box, or the cardboard mailer. The price and weight of cardboard shipping boxes lie in the middle, and they are the only one among the four that offers crush resistance, full-color print, and curbside recycling. Empress Packaging produces online mailers and online cardboard shipping boxes made of cardboard for ecommerce brands in the USA.

Cardboard compared with the alternatives

Poly mailers are cheaper and weigh virtually nothing, and rain will not bother them. They do not offer any protection against crushing, which means that they can be used with soft materials such as T-shirts but not much more, and that the majority of curbside programs do not accept plastic film. Flat products like books or cables are padded to protect them against damage, but they are difficult to recycle because of a bubble lining glued to the paper shell. The four packaging boxes that present best are rigid luxury. They are fully assembled and heavy, and delivery of parcels will often require an outer carton. A retail packaging is delivered as a flat mailer, and the walls can be folded within a few seconds and protect the edges and corners that a film bag leaves open. Their weak point is water, corrugated becomes soft when it remains wet, so the brands that transport soft goods across wet climates sometimes use poly.

Protective packaging that must be passed.

One of the parcels is dropped and piled up beneath the other parcels. Corrugated is strong due to the reason that the fluted sheet between two liners is similar to a row of miniature arches. ECT is the edge crush resistance, written as ECT in pounds per inch, which is an indicator of the quality of the board in supporting stacking load, and therefore request it with flute and wall count when comparing quotes. Single-wall caters to light products, and heavier or more fragile products are catered to by the double-wall. To maintain the product in the box, it is cut by an insert.

Delivery of retail boxes to a consumer.

The retail carton that is printed and sent by mail will arrive with dented corners and scratched print. Those knocks get carried out in a custom cardboard box that surrounds the retail packaging. Online-only brands do not have to fill in the second box and only have to print the mailer, both inside and outside.

The best place for cardboard mailers.

Books and stationery require the hardness of edges, which a padded envelope is deficient in. Protective packaging contains a few tiny objects that will move around in a film bag. Folded knit garments and caps are kept in place in a cardboard mailer and boxed cosmetics are received with their corners still in place.

Ordering cardboard mailers

The mailers are ecommerce mailer packaging that is cut to the length, width, and depth of the product with extra space to allow the fold. It does single-color print runs on kraft to full wrap on white, and uses a water-based coating to cover the artwork, preventing scuffing and light moisture. Check print on arrival, corners, and print before approving a bulk run; ship a sample parcel to yourself.

FAQs

Q: Is cardboard less expensive than poly mailers?

A: By unit, typically not, as film is cheaper. Less spoiled orders and improved unboxing, which you may compare to your current damage and resend rate, is the argument in favor of cardboard.

Q: Do mailers made out of cardboard work with heavy products?

A: To a degree, and the degree is based on board grade. Share the weight of the products at quoting, where a carton with inserts or a double-wall board replaces heavier products.

Q: Can mailers made of cardboard be recycled?

A: Yes, curly recycles in the majority of US curbsides. Plastic film lamination can transform that, so inquire prior to selecting a finish.

Q: Is it possible to use a mailer instead of the outer carton of retail packaging?

A: Frequently, when the mailer is the size of the retail box with a little room, and the board weighs appropriately. Try a sample with an actual shipment.

Get a free quote on custom cardboard boxes.

To quote, provide the product size and weight and the volume you want to order. Quotes are free at empresspackaging.com, email query@empresspackaging.com  or telephone (888) 900-7629.