When you think of custom packaging mailers, you might picture heavy, white cardboard boxes with a product label stuck to the front, or a giant polystyrene sleeve with product info printed on it. That is pretty much what most mailers look like, but there are two issues that limit their use. First, you can’t put anything in the mailer besides mail, and second, mail isn’t actually a good use for these kinds of mailers. If you look at these two factors, you’ll find that custom mailers are actually quite useful.

Mailing products through the use of boxes is inefficient, and it’s very expensive as well. Cardboard boxes are cheap and they’re also easily damaged. Even if you take all reasonable precautions, such as wrapping the item in acid free paper, corrugated cardboard might warp and therefore tear up before you even receive it. So really, there are no benefits to mailing through a corrugated cardboard box.

By contrast, corrugated cardboard and other types of packaging materials are great for both shipping and packaging. Because they are lightweight, they can be shipped and packaged cheaply. They are also versatile, so it’s easy to have different colors and designs printed up on them so you can customize your mailers in any way you’d like. In addition, they don’t have to stand up to the elements nearly as much as traditional mailers do.

In the final analysis, you absolutely can use boxes for mailing products. But you should use them differently. For example, rather than packing a box full of product information, why not use a card with a product description on the front, and then put that inside the box. You can put other kinds of small literature inside the box as well, just as you would if you were mailing out brochures. That way, you get to maximize the effectiveness of your packaging materials, while saving money on the mailing part of the equation.

The bottom line is that there is no reason to avoid mailing with corrugated boxes or other shipping-related products. But you might want to think about how you’d actually handle receiving a package if you received one. Boxes are designed for easy lifting and easy transporting. They don’t offer much in the way of protection from damage, unless they are very heavy. And even then, it’s best to use a packing tape to hold them closed. So in short, you shouldn’t be packing anything up in boxes.

You should use something different for shipping. Use corrugated boxes and other packaging materials that will provide a more durable, protective home for your products during shipping. Then, use a marketing company or printing house to customize your marketing material for mailing. Make sure that your brochures are eye-catching and informative, and that they also provide useful information. Then leave the rest up to professional mailing services. These companies can help you get the most from your packaging materials, while saving your business money on the mailing part of the equation.