Custom Vinyl Record Mailers

Board Grades and Protection

Most record mailers use single-wall corrugated board, which is light enough to keep postage reasonable and stiff enough to stop bending. E-flute gives a smooth surface for printing and a slim profile. B-flute is thicker and more cushioning, the better choice for heavier box sets or parcels that pass through several depots.

For extra protection, a pair of corrugated pads either side of the record stops impacts reaching the sleeve. Some mailers have these built in as fold-in flaps; others use separate pads that drop in. Corner protection is worth having for anything valuable, rare or collectible.

Some sellers slide the disc out of the jacket and post it in its inner sleeve beside the jacket, if collectors prefer that. This stops the disc pushing through the seam if the parcel is dropped.

On long courier journeys, where a parcel is handled at several depots and rides more sorting belts, the extra cushioning of B-flute and separate pads is money well spent. A single LP on a short hop is usually fine in a well-made E-flute mailer. For box sets and bulk shipments to retailers, the air float boxes with suspended inner walls keep the stack off the outer wall.

Designing Custom Vinyl Record Mailers

Record buyers love packaging, and a printed mailer is a natural extension of the music inside. Labels often print their logo boldly on the outside, with a pattern or artwork that echoes their catalogue. Record shops add their name and website so the parcel advertises the shop on every doorstep.

Inside printing is especially effective. The moment the mailer opens, the buyer sees a message, an illustration or a list of upcoming releases. Some artists print lyrics or a short thank you note inside, which fans photograph and share.

Clear handling marks matter too. A printed instruction such as please do not bend on the outside encourages couriers to treat the parcel gently. Place it where it can be seen at a glance alongside the shipping label area.

For limited releases, a printed mailer can become part of the collectible itself. Numbered mailers, artwork that matches the sleeve or a special colour for a pre-order run all make the parcel feel like a special event rather than a routine delivery. The free proof drawn on the mailer dieline shows the inside and outside panels flat so artwork can be placed around the fold.

Sizing for Records and Box Sets

A standard LP jacket is a little over 310 mm square, so mailers are made just larger to allow the record to slide in without forcing. Gatefold sleeves and records with obi strips or inserts need a touch more depth.

For seven-inch singles, mailers are sized around the 180 mm sleeve. Ten-inch records, picture discs and box sets each need their own size. If you sell a mix, a small family of sizes covers most orders without overstocking.

Send us the formats you post and any extras that go in, such as posters, download cards or prints, and we will suggest internal dimensions.

Check your largest jacket rather than the average one. Some reissues and deluxe pressings come in thicker board or with a wraparound obi, and a mailer sized only for standard sleeves will be too tight for those releases.

Packing Tips From Experience

Keep the record snug. If a mailer has spare room, a sheet of card or a filler pad stops movement. Put the record in a protective outer sleeve to prevent scuffs from the corrugated board.

Seal the mailer with tape across the closing flap even if it has a tuck or adhesive strip. It discourages accidental opening. Avoid stacking heavy parcels on top of record mailers during dispatch, as constant pressure can warp the disc over time.

Store flat mailers somewhere dry and level. Corrugated board that has been kept in a damp corner loses stiffness, and that is exactly the property you are paying for when you post vinyl.

Keep a few spare mailers at the packing bench for returns and replacements, so a damaged order can go back out the same day.

Measure the Thickest Sleeve You Post, Not the Average

Record mailers are ordered by sleeve thickness as much as by format. Pull out the heaviest item you ship, a gatefold with a booklet or a double LP with an obi, and measure its width, height and thickness at the spine. That sets the internal size. Count how often you post one record, two records and box sets, because a family of three mailers usually beats one big one that lets a single LP slide. Decide whether the disc travels inside or outside the jacket, since outside adds a few millimetres. Where a release is posted in bulk to shops, a corrugated folding box that holds twenty is the better carton.

Prepare the outside artwork, a handling line and, if you want it, an inside print. Email those with the sizes, monthly volume and flute preference and a custom quote comes back within one working day with a free design proof after it. Mailers are made in 4 to 7 working days once approved and delivered flat, free and tracked, to UK mainland addresses in 2 to 3 days. A self-released single can order a short run, and a crushed batch reported within 10 days is reprinted or refunded.