Letterbox packaging exists to solve one problem: getting a parcel through the door without the recipient being at home. A pack that fits the letterbox is delivered first time, costs less to send because it sits in a cheaper carrier band, and removes the failed deliveries and redeliveries that make flat, low-value orders uneconomic.
Depth is the specification
Length and width are set by the product. The depth is set by the carrier, and it is the dimension that decides whether the pack ships in the Large Letter band or the more expensive parcel band above it.
That is why these packs are designed from the outside in. We take the band the pack has to sit inside, subtract the board thickness and the closure, and design the internal dimensions from what is left. A few millimetres of unnecessary depth on a subscription programme is a higher postage rate on every order, every month.
Board and construction
E flute single wall is the standard choice. It is thin, takes print cleanly and holds its shape through the postal network. B flute is available where the contents need more cushioning and the band has room for it.
Construction is usually a shallow die-cut mailer that folds up from one blank with no tape and no assembly, so the pack goes together in one motion on the bench. Where the contents are flat and need to be held firmly, a book wrap with multiple crease positions may be the better format, and we manufacture both.
Print and presentation
Subscription programmes live on the moment of opening. Up to two-colour flexographic print, Pantone matched, goes on the outside for brand recognition on the doormat and on the inside so the pack opens onto something considered. Print is applied inline on the same pass as cutting and creasing, so there is no separate print stage, handling or lead time. Our guide to print methods covers when a full-colour option through our print partners is worth the difference.
Closures and returns
A tuck-front closure needs no tape. An inline peel and seal strip adds a tamper-evident close and takes seconds off each pack, and a second strip lets the customer reseal the same box to send a return. For apparel and subscription ranges, where returns are part of the model, that second strip is usually the cheapest returns solution available.
Supplied for trade programmes
Letterbox packs are manufactured in pallet quantities on our single-pass line, with print, cutting, creasing and peel and seal application in one operation. Specifications are locked for repeat supply so that every call-off matches the first delivery. Send us the product, the carrier band and the annual volume and we will design the blank and quote the run, or read how to brief a corrugated manufacturer for everything worth including in an enquiry.
