product packaging

Is It The Right Idea To Switch From Cardboard Boxes To Mailers?

Richard TottenLeave a comment

Whenever we think of product packaging and shipping, we have a picture of a cardboard box arriving at a doorstep in our minds. Although the use of cardboard boxes has only increased, companies have deviated away from the use of traditional boxes. Many companies have also decided to use envelope mailers instead of cardboard boxes.

Companies using mailers usually go for bubble or padded mailers due to their added strength and ability to endure harsh shipping environments. This way of packaging products is quite popular among companies selling small e-commerce goods.

There question here is whether or not these mailers are right for your product packaging applications.

Why are people switching to mailers?

One of the reasons people turn away from shipping boxes and choose mailers is the shipping cost. If you are shipping a lot of goods, you may be quite worried about cost implications caused by dimensional weight. With the help of envelope mailers, you can save a lot of space in the shipping containers. It can help save costs significantly.

Durability during shipping, however, is one of the top concerns with mailers. Any product shipping and delivery process can involve a lot of vibration and friction, both of which can be detrimental to the product. The good thing about modern-day mailers is that they can provide great protection to the products during shipping.

Another benefit of using mailers is that they support your sustainability cause. With most consumers and companies looking for greener packaging solutions, using mailers can be a great option.

Type of product that is a good fit for mailers

The versatility and protection provided by a mailer allow you to pack any product in these mailers. Products you can pack in these mailers and ship to your customers include clothing, books, consumer goods, jewelry, and electronics. Any product that fits in the mailer is a candidate for this packaging solution. You can even ship the most fragile items using these mailers. The interior padding of these mailers protects the fragile product quite nicely.

Selecting the right envelope mailer

Once you are sure that you need mailers to pack your products, now is the time to choose the type of mailer for your packaging application. You can choose either bubble mailers or padded mailers.

Bubble mailers are ideal for the packaging of semi-fragile products and smaller items. These mailers have a protective bubble lining on the inside to ensure the safety of the product during transit. The outer layer of these mailers can be made of Kraft paper or plastic.

Padded mailers are a more durable packaging option for your products. The material used in making these mailers is an extra-strong fiberboard that can provide support to sensitive documents.

Now, what option you should choose depends entirely on your packaging needs or preferences. If you are selling a variety of goods, you may benefit from both types of mailers. The best way to decide which mailer may be the right fit for your needs is to ask your packaging vendor.

Difference Between Shrink Film And Heat Seal Tubing

Richard TottenLeave a comment

Shrink film generally proves to be a suitable packaging material for many products. Nonetheless, you may sometimes end up having issues with a shrink film. After finding out that shrink wrapping didn’t work well, now you are back to searching online to find a solution to your problem.

In such a scenario, shrink may not be the appropriate material for your products. Another quite similar-looking alternative is heat seal tubing, which may be the right solution you needed in the first place. On the other hand, you may have purchased heat seal tubing but what you needed was shrink film.

Many people confuse heat seal tubing with shrink films due to their almost similar appearances. In this article, we will discuss the characteristics of both to help you understand their differences.

What is shrink film?

Shrink film is a packaging material consisting of soft formulations of plastic. Materials used in the creation of shrink film are polyethylene, polyolefin, and polyvinyl chloride. Other plastic formulations are also used to make specialty films.

The application of shrink film requires the use of shrink packaging equipment. It may include sealers and heat tunnels, both of which are the crucial parts of shrink packaging machinery. A conveyor belt moves products into the heat tunnel where they are heated. This heat shrinks the film uniformly around the product.

Shrink film is used for packaging several consumer goods, including video games, electronics, food products, game boards, and a lot more. Based on your requirements, you can consider buying perforated or heat-sensitive shrink films.

What is heat seal tubing?

Heat seal tubing is also known as poly tubing, and it is a plastic tubing substrate. It usually consists of polyethylene, but other formations are also available. You can ask for those formulations from your packaging vendor.

This tubing comes in the form of tube-shaped packaging film. It is ideal for the shipping, storage, and protection of products. The purpose of this film is to protect wrapped products from contaminants such as dust, dirt, and moisture. From this perspective, this film functions pretty much in the same way as the shrink film. This tubing, however, is thicker than shrink film. That adds much to its ability to resist punctures.

Heat seal tubing may be the right choice if your products are elongated or oddly shaped. You can cut this tubing into custom lengths, depending on the dimensions of your products. After cutting a particular length of the tube, you will have to place the product inside and seal it using a sealer. This sealed product is then moved into the heat tunnel, where film shrinking takes place.

This method of product packaging has several applications in the packaging and shipping industry. You can use it for packaging flag poles, curtain rods, gift wrapping rolls, and other oddly shaped objects and products. You can also purchase printable versions of heat seal tubing if you want to promote your brand through packaging design.

Whether you should choose shrink film or heat seal tubing depends entirely on your packaging requirements. The best way is to discuss your requirements with your packaging vendor before purchasing.