Use These Packing Tips When Sending A Poster In The Mail

When you need to send a poster in the mail, either as a gift for a loved one or as promotional material for your business, it's imperative that the poster reaches its destination safely. Your first order of business is to buy a mailing tube of the correct size. This long tube, made of durable cardboard and fitted with a pair of plastic caps, will allow you to ship the poster after rolling it up. There's more to keeping the poster safe, however, than just using a mailing tube. To decrease the risk of the poster getting damaged while in transit, keep these packing tips in mind.

Skip The Elastic

It might seem like common sense to wrap the poster in an elastic before placing it inside the mailing tube, but doing so can risk damage that you might not suspect. First, a poster can develop a wrinkle beneath the elastic, especially if it is overly tight. Additionally, it can often be difficult for the recipient to remove the elastic without creasing one of the ends of the poster. Because the elastic shrinks the rolled-up diameter of the poster, the poster will also bounce around inside the tube. Instead of using an elastic, the best approach is to carefully roll the poster and slip it inside the tube. When you let go of the poster, it will slightly unroll — just enough to press against the inside of the tube and stay protected for the journey.

Limit The Risk Of Movement

Even with the poster pressing against the inside of the tube, there's a chance that the item could move a little during transit, especially sliding up or down toward the ends of the tube. To avoid this, you can simply cut two small circles out of a piece of scrap foam, which you can buy in the sewing aisle of your general merchandise store. Tape the foam circles to the insides of the two plastic caps that you'll place on each end of the tube to provide cushioning if the poster slides up and down.

Label The Exterior Properly

When your poster safely arrives at its destination, the last thing you want is for the recipient to hurriedly cut through the cardboard tube; this might seem easier than prying off one of the plastic caps, given that you'll have taped them into place. Avoid this risk by placing "Do Not Cut" labels in a couple visible locations on the tube. This should compel the recipient to carefully slide away the tape around the cap, pry it off and gain access to the poster.

For more information, contact Chicago Mailing Tube Co. or a similar company.

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