Tuck Top Mailer Boxes.

It's a corrugated tray with a hinged lid that folds over and tucks into the front wall, with no side locking tabs. That gives it the fewest die cuts in the mailer family, which means less board waste on the sheet and a lower cost per box. The lid holds by the friction of the tuck flap.

The tuck needs enough depth to grip, but not so much that the packer has to fight it closed.

Step up to a locking mailer when the contents are heavy, valuable or travelling through rough parcel networks. A tuck resists levering less than a fully locking box, so a heavy item pushing on the lid can work it open. For apparel, soft goods and books in a consolidated shipment, it is entirely adequate.

Do the sums honestly, since one lost parcel can wipe out the saving on a lot of boxes.

You can, but taping it throws away the main reason to choose the style. A tuck top earns its place by closing faster than a locking mailer, with no tape needed on the bench. If every box needs tape to be safe, a tab-lock or ear-lock design is the better buy.

A tear strip can be added if you want a tape-free box with a clear opening point for the customer.

E-flute corrugated is the standard weight, with B-flute as the step up when contents get heavier. Kraft liners take direct flexo print well and keep costs low, while a white coated liner gives brighter colour. Litho-laminated board is available when the print needs to be photographic.

Most of the fluting we use carries high recycled content, and a plain kraft box goes straight into curbside cardboard recycling after use.

One or two flexo colours on a kraft box is the economy route, and it reads well on a natural brown liner. Adding interior print gives the customer something to see when the lid opens without changing the structure. Full CMYK and matte or gloss lamination sit higher up the cost scale.

Keep heavy solid colour clear of the tuck flap crease, because ink coverage on a fold line is where cracking shows.

We see 8 × 6 × 3 in and 10 × 8 × 4 in most often, measured as inside length, width and depth. Every box is cut to order, so any size is possible. Since this style is chosen to save money, sizing tight to the product matters more than usual, because void fill and freight both eat into the saving.

Blanks ship flat and store in a fraction of their erected volume, which makes holding stock easy.

The smallest run we print in this style is 500 boxes, and orders can reach 100,000. The simple die keeps setup lighter than on locking mailers, so short runs stay reasonable. That makes it a sensible first custom box for a new line.

For a brand testing a product, a plain kraft tuck top with a one-colour logo is usually the least expensive way to get a printed box at that quantity.

Bulk production takes 7 to 10 business days after artwork sign-off, or 5 to 7 if you need it rushed. A sample can reach you in 5 to 7 business days so you can check the tuck depth with your own product inside. Shipping goes anywhere in the USA.

When you place the production order, the sample fee is taken off the total.