A die cut mailer looks simple because it is one piece of board. That single blank is exactly what makes its dimensions worth understanding: everything you change in the interior size ripples out into the flat area, and the flat area is what you pay for.
Anatomy of the blank
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Base panel | The floor, sized to the interior length and width |
| Side walls | Set the depth, and they are doubled on a roll end design for rigidity |
| Dust wings | Fold in at the ends and lock into the side walls, closing the corners |
| Front tuck | The lid flap that tucks into the front wall to close the box |
| Locking tabs | Small cuts that hold the wings and the tuck in place without tape |
| Score lines | Creases that let the board fold cleanly, placed with the board caliper in mind |
The roll end construction is why a mailer feels sturdier than its board weight suggests. The side walls are effectively doubled, which stiffens the box along its longest span.
Why depth costs more than footprint
Increase length or width and you add board on two axes of a flat panel. Increase depth and you add board to both side walls, both dust wings on each end, and the front tuck. That is why a 10 x 8 x 2 inch mailer and a 10 x 8 x 4 inch mailer are not close in price despite sharing a footprint. If you can pack the same goods flatter, do, and if you are auditing spend, audit depth first. The same logic drives the dimensional weight carriers bill you on, which is set out in mailer box dimensions.
Turning a product into an interior dimension
- Arrange the contents exactly as they will be packed, including tissue, a card and any filler.
- Measure the arrangement as one block, not item by item.
- Add a small clearance so the tuck closes without the lid bowing. A bowed lid is the sign of a mailer that is a fraction too shallow.
- State the result as interior L x W x D. Everything else, including the blank size, is derived from that by the dieline.
Scoring, caliper and tolerance
Score placement depends on the board caliper, because a thicker board needs its folds set slightly wider apart to end up square once folded. This is a normal part of drawing the die, and it is why a dieline drawn for one board grade should not simply be reused on a heavier one without checking. If you plan to change board grade on a reorder, say so at quote stage. For the underlying document, see what a dieline is.
Ordering a custom mailer size
The minimum order is 100 boxes. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, since flat area, board grade and print all move the number. The die, the plates, dieline design support, free US shipping and a digital proof are included, so a size cut to your product carries no tooling premium over a common one.
Production runs from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery, across rush (expedited production plus air freight, a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job), standard (air) and cost saver (sea) lanes, quoted per product.
Send your packed measurements
Send your packed arrangement measurements to /quote/ and we will draw the dieline around them.
