How to choose the corrugated paperboard for your mailer box
Left are the characteristics of common single corrugated and double corrugated. You can choose according to your specific carton requirements.
Single corrugated types (from thin to thick, from flat to cushioned):
F Flute: About 0.8mm thick. Very thin, extremely flat surface, excellent printing effect, close to cardboard effect. But the strength and cushioning are the lowest, mostly used for inner packaging.
E Flute: about 1.5mm – 1.8mm thick. One of the most commonly used single flutes for mailing boxes. It has good surface flatness, suitable for high-quality printing, and has certain compression resistance and buffering capabilities, suitable for cosmetics and small electronic products.
B Flute: thickness is about 2.5mm to 3.0mm. Thicker than E flute, with better cushioning and puncture resistance. The surface is smooth, but the printing effect is not as good as E flute. Suitable for glass bottles, ceramics, heavier electronic products, etc.
C Flute: thickness is about 3.5mm-4.0mm. This is the most common type of corrugated paper for shipping boxes, with better cushioning and compression resistance. The surface flatness is not as good as E flute and B flute, and the printing effect is average.
A Flute: thickness is about 4.5mm – 5.0mm. The cushioning effect is the best, but the surface is uneven and the strength is not as good as C type corrugated. Rarely used for mailing boxes.
EB double-layer corrugated cardboard, a combination of E type corrugated cardboard and B type corrugated cardboard, with a thickness of about 4.0 ~ 4.5mm. This is a very popular high-strength mailing box. It combines the good printing surface of E type corrugated cardboard and the excellent cushioning and strength of B type corrugated cardboard to provide excellent protection. For heavier, fragile or high-value products.
Before choosing a specific corrugated board type, you need to evaluate the weight and fragility of the product, printing requirements, shipping distance, cost, and the availability of internal support and padding.
Design custom mailer boxes tips
- The unique cardboard design avoids excessive tape and locks, simplifying the unpacking process. If you need surface printing, it will show your brand, color, font, pattern and other visual elements, retaining the best image for users.
- Simplicity is beauty. Simple and modern design is popular. Appropriate white space can make the design look more atmospheric.
- Avoid too large or too small size, choose the right corrugated type and box structure to ensure that the product is effectively protected during transportation.
- Consumers are gradually paying attention to environmental protection, and using environmentally friendly materials is also a social responsibility of your company.
Printed mailer box equipment
Before printing, design with the help of software tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, CorelDRAW, ArtiosCAD, etc. Transfer the design file to the CTP platemaker. The proofing equipment may be a digital or die-cutting proofer.
Offset printing is the most commonly used high-quality printing method, suitable for large-scale production, suitable for single-color, two-color and multi-color printing.
Flexographic printing presses are suitable for direct printing on corrugated cardboard, with fast speed and low cost.
Digital printing presses are suitable for small batch orders, variable data printing, no plate making, and fast production speed.
Screen printing presses are suitable for special effect printing, such as local UV, thick ink, special ink.
Equipment that may be used in the post-production process: laminating machine, glazing machine, hot stamping/silvering machine, die-cutting machine, waste stripping machine, box gluing machine, paper mounting machine, etc.
Auxiliary tools: paper cutter, color management tool, thickness gauge, bursting tester, edge compressive strength tester, etc.
Benefits of custom logo mailer boxes for your new brand in 2025
Customized packaging can increase your brand awareness and make your new brand look professional and mature, rather than a small seller.
Strengthen your brand memory in the minds of consumers. Mailing boxes printed with your logo and brand elements promote your brand invisibly throughout the entire transportation process from the courier to the end customer.
Improve customer shopping experience. Consumers in 2025 will pay more attention to experience. A well-designed unboxing process can bring joy and surprise.
Deliver brand value, packaging design is an excellent carrier to tell brand stories and help you establish emotional connections with consumers.
