Have you ever shipped a magazine, or an important document, only to discover your items were bent during shipment and arrived at the destination all out of shape? This happens fairly frequently, as mail service employees are known for bending items to fit them into smaller areas. But you can avoid this unfortunate incident by simply using a stay flat mailer instead of a standard envelope. These are specially manufactured to make sure any documents contained within can’t be easily bent. This way you provide an extra layer of protection that other envelopes can’t offer. This means you can send magazines and documents, even records, without having to worry about how they will arrive at their destination.
The main thing will be finding the right type of stay flat mailers for you. They come in a wide variety of sizes, and you can find one guaranteed to fit any document, magazine or record. Another thing you’ll want to consider is the material used to ensure that the package cannot be easily folded. But first, measure the object that you are planning to send, so that you can have an accurate reading for how large an envelope you need. The advantage of stay flat mailers is that they will keep your items from being bent, but buying a mailer that’s too large means the items will still be vulnerable to jostling. To avoid this, only purchase an envelop that’s just big enough for the items that you’ll be sending.
Another thing to consider is the type of material that the stay flat mailers are made from. Most use a sturdy cardboard, but the problem with this is that it can still be bent during shipment. Plus, because the surface is more sturdy, the item can be bent beyond recognition. Although you can avoid this by purchasing more expensive, but also much more reliable stay flat mailers that feature plastic protection. Some mailer envelopes have a thin layer of plastic that is much more resistant to bending, so you can really guarantee the quality of the items you are sending.
Don’t forget to underestimate the type of padding you may still need to include within the package. Usually stay flat mailers don’t really feature any padding of their own, so you’ll need to pack the item yourself. Using packing peanuts or a layer of bubble wrap never hurts. Stay flat mailers may resist bending, but they don’t resist jostling or tremors from large trucks and airplanes. To completely avoid this, you’ll want to ensure each envelope is packed appropriately so that items inside can’t easily jostle about.
When you’re looking to purchase stay flat mailers for any purpose, you’ll want to go to a store that provides packing supplies. Usually office supplies stores are the best choice, as they usually feature everything you would need to ship packages. That means stores like Staples and Office Depot are bound to have a few options for stay flat mailers that will be to your liking.