Shipping flat

[mmotorcycle]

Sorry I am a retard. For some reason I thought you were shipping like 100 posters or something. not enough sleep.

[morst]

I would like to see the photos. I am looking for a nice cheap way to send small items (<=9x12) flat. When sending out 20-100 prints, time is a really big deal and so is cost. Yet, prints this size are not suitible for tubes.

For example, I sent out some 4x6 prints this week. The print sale price is hardly the value of a nice EB tube combined with the postage it brings with it. $8 shipping is overkill for a $5 print. I was able to ship them in CD bubble packing and at a first class rate which is about 10-20% of the tube cost. But I don't have a lot of confidence in that method. I will find out I guess.

more weight = more postage. more protection usually means more weight. at what point does it make sense? there has to be a better way.

Oh, yeah- SMALL stuff shipped flat is really easy.

When I ship handbills, I take a USPS box #1095, cut it in half the short way, and slice off all but the self-adhesive flap,

Open each half up, and then use cheap paper photo corners to keep two corners of the card in position, or corner out a used envelope. Once the card or HB is in place, fold the cardboard over, and seal the adhesive flap. Then secure all 4 edges with tape and mail it, You need to use regular cardboard instead of the red white and blue stuff to avoid paying priority rates, or it will cost $3.85. First class they only weigh like 2-3 oz max.

Does that make sense?

[sunsetbrew]

Not 100% sure.. send me something so i can check it out.

[morst]

Not 100% sure.. send me something so i can check it out.

ok, well, I just received my NOT TRIANGLE prints, and my very postman crammed the envelope into my mailbox, bending them at the last possible second in the pouring rain here in madison.

not bad, but a "mint snob" like myself notices these things.

if you want to use the padded envelopes, that's helpful, but be sure to place a piece of cardboard on either side of the objects to be shipped, to prevent bending, and piercing, like MMM said.

Also, if you can have them marked FRAGILE and DO NOT BEND that sometimes helps.

I guess I wll send some handbills to your Apex address so you can see what I'm talking about.

Nice thick ink on the NOT TRIANGLES!

[sunsetbrew]

That sucks in a major way. I means it says do not bend on the envelope. I am sure the delievery guy just ignores that stuff. I guess he/she thought that I only used the bubble packer because I was out of envelopes.

[mmotorcycle]

Why is it important to ship one poster flat? Why not in a tube?

[sunsetbrew]

Really talking about smaller prints that don't really go in a tube.

[mmotorcycle]

got it. I'd be so afraid that a post person would try and stuff the damn thing in the mail box.

[morst]

I means it says do not bend on the envelope.

Uh, did you forget to stamp mine? it does not say do not bend. . .just has some stripes of color and another "sunsetbrew" sig on it. . .

not a big deal on this one, but good to shoot it out on a small thing.

[cushway]

One of the easiest methods for shipping posters flat is to use plain old cardboard, ----use four peices, but, when taping it together make sure that the fluting is running perpendicular to the next sheet of cardboard--this actually makes it quite strong and much less likely to torque.

[glkaiser]

If you don't mind spending some $$ to ship your posters flat and safe, my company (Uline) sells artwork shippers that are pretty much impossible to screw up.
The outside of the box is lined with hard plastic...and the inside is cushioned. You can ship these via FedEx and UPS.

http://www.uline.com/AdvSearchResult.as ... rk+shipper

There are 2 sizes....
31x36x3" and 43x53x4"

They are made for shipping with frames, but you could easily ship just a print by putting the print between acid free paper and corrugated pads. Then tape the pads together.

Let me know if you have any questions....

[Yamar]

Mmm... those look nice...