Custom Sleeves

Mailer Sleeves

Bespoke mailer Sleeves manufactured to order, with material and finish chosen around how the product ships.

Minimum order
100 units
Production
3–5 business days
Construction
sleeve
Delivery
US, UK, Canada, Australia

No obligation

Get a price

Name, email, phone and what you are packing and how it ships. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.

The more detail you give, the more accurate the quote.

Drop files here or browse

PDF, AI, EPS, SVG, PNG, JPG, WEBP or ZIP. Up to 5 files, 10 MB each.

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    What mailer sleeves have to cope with

    Mailer Sleeves hold a plain mailer or box that ships unbranded and is branded at the last moment. That is the starting point for the specification, because measure a filled, closed box. A packed carton bulges slightly and a sleeve has no tolerance for it.

    In service they are used for fulfilment operations that hold plain stock and brand it per client or per campaign.

    Where mailer sleeves are actually used

    Mailer Sleeves are specified for fulfilment operations that hold plain stock and brand it per client or per campaign. Measure a filled, closed box. A packed carton bulges slightly and a sleeve has no tolerance for it.

    • Fulfilment operations that hold plain stock and brand it per client or per campaign
    • Food service branding
    • Retail product banding
    • Gift presentation

    The substrate for mailer sleeves

    A light board — the sleeve carries no load and the box beneath provides all the structure.

    The options we would consider for this format are below; measure a filled, closed box. A packed carton bulges slightly and a sleeve has no tolerance for it.

    • Uncoated kraft board
    • C1S paperboard
    • Corrugated E-flute
    • Greaseproof paper
    • Recycled board

    Printing mailer sleeves

    This is the whole reason to use a mailer sleeve, so full-coverage print is usually justified here.

    Offset lithography, Flexography, Digital press are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.

    Finishing mailer sleeves

    This is the whole reason to use a mailer sleeve, so full-coverage print is usually justified here.

    Each finish below is a separate pass on the press or the finishing line, which is why they are quoted individually rather than bundled.

    • Matte lamination
    • Uncoated natural
    • Spot UV
    • Foil stamping
    • Emboss

    Sizing mailer sleeves

    Sized to the pack including any tape or closure, which adds a small thickness.

    Send the contents rather than a box size. Dimensions are taken from the box specification rather than from a filled and closed example.

    What moves the price

    Four things drive a quote more than anything else: the quantity, the print route, the board grade and the number of finishing passes. Dimensions matter too, but usually through how efficiently the shape nests on the press sheet.

    Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. If a cheaper route exists we say so at quoting rather than after the invoice.

    Getting them to you, and onward

    Sleeves ship flat in banded bundles and store in very little space.

    Delivery windows are confirmed in writing when your order moves into production, and we flag any risk to the date before you approve rather than after.

    What we need from your files

    Measure the circumference of the filled product, not the empty one, and add 10 mm for the glue lap.

    Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.

    Ordering mailer sleeves

    The useful starting point is the product, not the pack. Give us its measurements and the quantity, and we work the sleeve outward from there.

    We send a dieline sized to your product, check your artwork and issue a proof. For shipping formats we will also flag it if the pack looks a size larger than it needs to be.

    Testing the fit first

    A plain structural sample is the cheapest way to find a fit problem — far cheaper than finding it across a full run.

    Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.

    Reference

    Mailer Sleeves at a specification level

    ProductMailer Sleeves
    CategoryCustom Sleeves
    ConstructionWrapped band, glued or flat-supplied
    FitSized to filled product circumference
    Ships asFlat, banded bundles
    MaterialsUncoated kraft board, C1S paperboard, Corrugated E-flute, Greaseproof paper
    PrintingOffset lithography, Flexography, Digital press
    FinishesMatte lamination, Uncoated natural, Spot UV, Foil stamping, Emboss
    Minimum orderMinimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises.
    Lead time3 to 5 business days after artwork approval
    ShippingAcross the US, UK, Canada and Australia

    Specification builder

    Specify Mailer Sleeves in under a minute

    Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.

    • 100-unit minimum
    • 3–5 day production
    • Free dieline
    • No obligation
    Approximation only — proportions, colour family and finish character. Not a colour proof, and the panel shown is a placeholder, not your artwork.
    Packaging type
    Box style
    Quantity
    Colour
    Material
    Printing
    Finish

    Drop files or browse

    Up to 5 files, 10 MB each.

      Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. Final pricing depends on size, material, printing, finishes, and quantity.

      What you get

      What survives the journey

      Cut to the load

      Sized to the pack including any tape or closure, which adds a small thickness.

      The damage this prevents

      The sleeve is sized to the empty box, and a filled box is slightly larger than a flat-packed one.

      Where it has to work

      Specified for fulfilment operations that hold plain stock and brand it per client or per campaign.

      The detail that matters

      Measure a filled, closed box. A packed carton bulges slightly and a sleeve has no tolerance for it.

      This format sits in our custom sleeves range, alongside 23 other made-to-order formats.

      Answers

      Mailer Sleeves: questions buyers ask

      Specification, minimums and lead times for mailer sleeves.

      Do I measure the box empty or full for a sleeve?

      Full and closed. A packed carton bulges slightly compared with its flat specification, and a sleeve has almost no tolerance for that difference.

      How do I reduce dimensional weight?

      Measure the product rather than the box currently in use. Most operations we quote are running at least one size too large with void fill compensating, and dropping a band saves on every parcel mailer sleeves carry.

      Should the outside be printed?

      That is a brand decision, not a cost or protection one. For direct-to-consumer parcels where the customer opens it, print can be worth it. For business deliveries it usually is not.

      How exactly can you match our brand colour?

      On offset and flexo we hold the ink formulation, which gives a tight match run to run. Digital has a wider tolerance. If exact consistency across repeat runs matters more than short-run economics, we will quote the litho route.

      How long do mailer sleeves take to produce?

      3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Sleeve runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.

      What do mailer sleeves cost?

      Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. For this format the biggest levers are quantity, print route, board grade and how many finishing passes are involved. We quote each element separately so you can see where the money is going. An insert often lowers the total rather than raising it, because holding the contents still lets us drop a grade on the outer.

      Can I see a sample first?

      Yes. We can send a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure, or a printed prototype for colour and finish. Sample costs are normally credited against the production order. On mailer sleeves the thing to check is whether the contents still sit tight once the pack is closed, because movement inside is what causes damage rather than the board grade.

      Can you match packaging we already use?

      Send the current specification or a physical sample and we will quote to match it rather than proposing an alternative you would then have to re-approve internally. A physical sample tells us more than a specification sheet — board caliper and coating are usually described loosely and measured exactly.

      Where do you deliver?

      All 50 US states, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, on the same timeline everywhere: 3 to 5 business days of production after artwork approval, then 5 to 7 business days in transit. Every run is made to order and shipped directly to your address rather than pulled from stock, so you receive current production rather than whatever has been sitting in a warehouse. Freight is costed separately by weight, volume and destination. If you are shipping to a fulfilment centre rather than your own address, send their receiving requirements with the order — pallet height and labelling rules are usually fixed and refusals are expensive.

      Can I order mailer sleeves in a custom size?

      Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the sleeve around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.

      What happens after I approve the quote?

      We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and sleeves then take 3 to 5 business days.

      Can you hold the specification for repeat orders?

      Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. That includes the ink formulation, which is what keeps a brand colour consistent between runs rather than drifting a shade each time.

      Next step

      Quote Mailer Sleeves

      Send the dimensions, the quantity and how it ships. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.