The Ultimate Guide to Custom Bubble Mailers

Custom bubble mailers, also known as bubble envelopes, poly mailers, or padded mailers, are envelopes that are enhanced with an interior bubble lining. Similar to bubble wrap. This built-in cushioning provides excellent protection for the contents, making bubble mailers perfect for shipping small, fragile items. The “custom” aspect refers to the ability to have these mailers printed with your company’s branding. So, your brand can stand out from the beginning.

Why Bubble Mailers Are Popular

There are a variety of excellent reasons why this packaging type is so popular. The lead reasons are as follows:

Superior Protection

First, custom bubble mailers offer superior protection for shipped items. The built-in bubble wrap cushions its contents. Therefore protecting them from shocks and impacts during transit. This is particularly beneficial for delicate items such as jewelry, small electronics, or cosmetics. Bubble mailers are incredibly versatile. There are plenty of options, sizes, and variations to consider along the way. Furthermore, their lightweight construction keeps shipping costs down.

Branding Opportunities

Next, custom bubble mailers offer an excellent branding opportunity. The consumer immediately sees well-placed branding as they open the package. Additionally, you’d be surprised just how far you can go with unique designs and color palettes.

Eco-Friendly and Cost-Effective

Finally, many custom bubble mailers are made from recycled materials, and many are also recyclable themselves. This helps your brand send a strong message to consumers that your brand is eco-conscious and is actively working to reduce your carbon impact. Compared to boxes, for instance, bubble mailers are often more cost-effective. They are cheaper to purchase, require less storage, and, can also result in lower shipping costs due to their light weight. Now that we understand the value of using custom bubble mailers, let’s explore how to choose the right ones for your business.

Selecting the Right Custom Bubble Mailers

When selecting custom bubble mailers for your business, there are several factors to consider:

Size

Most importantly, bubble mailers come in a wide range of sizes and can be completely customized to fit your product. It’s crucial to choose the correct size for your products. This is to ensure they are adequately protected to avoid additional space. Remember, the mailer should be slightly larger than the item you are shipping to comfortably accommodate the item. Extra space inside the mailer will also allow for easy sealing.

Materials

Bubble mailers are typically made from either Kraft paper or poly plastic. Kraft paper mailers are sturdy and eco-friendly, while, on the other hand, poly mailers are water and tear-resistant. This gives you more options to consider for all your shipping needs.

Bubble Wrap Lining

The bubble wrap lining in a bubble mailer serves as a protective cushion for your items. The size and thickness of the bubbles can vary; larger bubbles, for example, provide more protection. But also add to the weight and bulk of the mailer.

Self-Sealing Closures

Most bubble mailers come with a self-seal closure for easy sealing. This helps streamline the pick and pack process, adding more efficiency to your warehouse. Some brands are even creating resealing envelopes. This is so the mailer can be used again, saving on materials and thus making the mailer more sustainable.

Customization Options

When it comes to customization, consider the printing capabilities of the manufacturer. Can they print in full color? Can they print on both sides of the mailer? A high-quality print job makes your mailers look professional and appealing.

Customizing Your Bubble Mailers

Now that you have a size and type in mind, you’ll want to consider what goes into designing your custom bubble mailer. Here are a few elements to consider:

Design, Messaging, and Print Quality

Bubble mailers should be designed to reflect your brand. You’ll want to use a catchy design that capitalizes on as much real estate of the packaging as possible all while fitting in with your brand’s aesthetic. Along the way, make sure to keep the design simple and clean for a professional look. Consider including a short tagline on your mailers. You can use things like your business slogan or motto. Finally, ensure you work with a reputable manufacturer like Prime Line Packaging which can deliver high-quality printing. Ask questions about the print process beforehand, so you can gain insight into how the proof of approval to the production process works.

Sustainability

As mentioned earlier, many consumers today are environmentally conscious. By choosing eco-friendly options for your custom bubble mailers, you can show your customers that you care about the environment too.

Using Custom Bubble Mailers Effectively

Once you have your custom bubble mailers, it’s time to start using them. Here’s what you need to know:

Packing and Sealing

When packing your items, place them in the center of the mailer and ensure the bubble wrap fully covers the item. Consider using bubble wrap to add a layer of protection to the item before sealing it in the poly mailer. Ensure the mailer is properly sealed before shipping. Most bubble mailers come with a self-seal closure, but adding some additional tape never hurts.

Shipping and Tracking

Due to their light nature, bubble mailers come with a reduced shipping cost that helps improve your bottom line and ROI. However, it’s important to consider the weight of the items you are shipping as well as the size of the mailer when calculating shipping costs. Consider using a tracking service for your shipments. This gives both you and your customers peace of mind by allowing you to track the delivery status of each package.

It’s true: custom bubble mailers are versatile in their design, cost-efficiant, and a great packaging solution. They provide excellent protection for your items, are easy to use, and can be customized to reflect your brand identity. By selecting the right mailers and using them effectively, you can enhance your customer’s unboxing experience, boost your brand visibility, and potentially save on shipping costs.

Whether you’re shipping handmade jewelry, the latest fashion accessories, or hardcover books, custom bubble mailers can help you deliver your products safely while making a strong impression on your customers.

Affordability

Kraft paper mailers and corrugated cardboard boxes are classic and reliable means for shipping items, but the cost starts to add up the more you buy. Poly mailers and poly bubble mailers tend to run cheaper than paper product packaging, letting you stock up and be prepared for shipments at a lower price. Often, you can reuse poly mailers, which can also cut down on waste. Buy poly bubble mailers wholesale to save even more!

Waterproof

On a planet that’s mostly water, your packages are statistically likely to be left out in the snow or rain, or they may find themselves sitting in a puddle or other damp area. Poly mailers are composed of polyethylene film, which is waterproof and repels any excess water. Poly bubble mailers keep your products, gifts, or what have you dry, even if they’re not up high!

Space Saving

A box has a fixed height, weight, and depth. So does a poly bubble mailer, but its composition leaves it a little lighter and thinner, so it can fit into smaller spaces. This pays off when shippers need to stack and store your package along with others. A stiff cardboard box won’t budge from a space and takes up valuable room in a van, truck, or cargo hold of a ship or plane. A poly bubble mailer, however, can find space anywhere.

Durable but Flexible

The next part of the ultimate guide to poly bubble mailers addresses another big benefit: the fact that they’re both tough and soft at the same time. The composition of a poly mailer helps it resist the sort of punctures, bumps, dents, tears, and crushing that can affect cardboard boxes. Simultaneously, mailers are more flexible, which means they can take rougher handling without being broken or busted up. Their flexibility also allows poly bubble mailers to accommodate oddly shaped items and smaller, looser materials. And if you think strength only comes from extra layers of corrugated cardboard, know that poly bubble mailers come in different degrees of thickness. A lighter poly bubble mailer can provide as much protection as a thick cardboard package.

Extra Light

It’s hard to think of paper as being heavy, but remember where it comes from: wood. Wood is dense, and when you get enough of it together, it can weigh you down. Conversely, poly mailers are mostly air, and they don’t have the extra weight that paper products, especially corrugated cardboard, can load onto a pallet or shipping container. That can add up when it comes to postage and handling charges. Using lightweight poly bubble mailers can help you save big by reducing the weights of your shipments, which means you can send out more poly mailer bubble packages at far less cost than paper or cardboard boxes.

Padded Protection

It should go without saying that the bubble wrap interior is the true difference between poly bubble mailers and other envelopes, packages, and boxes. Lightweight and self-contained, it cushions and protects the contents—you don’t need to add extra packing material the way you do with shipping boxes and crates. The bubble wrap stays inside, too, so you can reuse or recycle it for future shipments.

Branding Purposes

Like any packaging, poly bubble mailers are great canvases for branding. Choose mailers in your company’s colors, or have them custom printed with your logo, slogan, and other marks of your brand. Poly bubble mailers also provide the opportunity to insert messaging and even the occasional gift to reward faithful customers and ensure they come back.

Go Greener

Poly bags are made of plastic, but that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. In fact, poly mailers take less energy to create than paper products, and while, as we mentioned, you can reuse them, many poly mailers are also recyclable. For reuse purposes, keep in mind that customers can use mailers with an extra self-sealing tape setup for returns, but let them know they can recycle mailers as well. The lightness of poly bags also means less stress on the cars, vans, trucks, ships, and planes that carry them. That means less fuel burned and less wear and tear on the roads and environment.

Ideal for Shipping Certain Products

Some products and materials are better suited for mailing in a poly bubble mailer, including advertising and marketing items, clothing and handmade products, cosmetics, health items, books, and more. Honestly, everything that you can ship in a cardboard box can be sent out just as well, if not better, in a poly bubble mailer. If you’re shipping an item that’s unlikely to break or become damaged on its journey, save a few bucks by sending it out in a poly bubble mailer.

Tips and Tricks

Be sure you’re getting the most out of your poly bubble mailers by using them properly. Make sure you’re not overstuffing a mailer with too large an item. Allow a little room between the edges and the thing you’re shipping—not too much room, though! You don’t want the item to shift around too much. Go for a fit that is snug without being tight. Remember that bubble mailers provide an extra layer of protection and thickness as well, so keep that in mind when packing it all together.

Those are the basics of poly bubble mailers! Keep this information in mind when deciding on the best possible way to ship your goods, and please contact us if you have any questions.