Literature Mailers Cut to Your Sheet Size
A literature mailer is a shallow, stiff box with a hinged lid that keeps flat items flat through the post. It suits brochures, art prints, invitations, workbooks, swatch books and anything else that must not bend.
From £0.25 a box exact price on a written quote, within one working day
- Free design proof before anything is printed
- Production takes 4 to 6 working days after proof approval
- Free tracked UK mainland delivery in 2 to 3 working days
- Misprints or damage reported within 10 days with photos are reprinted or refunded
- Low minimums, quoted per job
Specification
What literature mailers from us are made of and how they are measured. Anything not listed here, ask in the quote.
| Style | Hinged lid along the long edge, front tuck, optional thumb cut-out |
|---|---|
| Board | Brown kraft or white-lined; E-flute 1.5 mm standard, B-flute 3 mm for thick stacks |
| Size range | 160 x 115 x 15 mm to 450 x 320 x 80 mm, inside |
| Common sheet sizes | A5 148 x 210 mm, A4 210 x 297 mm, A3 297 x 420 mm, plus square prints |
| Plain, one colour, two colours or full colour; outside, inside the lid or both | |
| Finish | Matt or gloss varnish; white underprint on kraft |
| Inserts | Board stiffener sheets, tissue, slot for a cover letter, quoted with the box |
| Supplied | Flat, in bundles, with a free design proof before printing |
| Price | From £0.25 a box; exact price depends on size, board, print and quantity |
How to measure for a literature mailer
Measure the largest sheet in the pack, length then width. Add 5 mm to each so the sheet lies flat without the corners catching on the walls. A4 at 210 x 297 mm becomes an inside size of 215 x 302 mm.
For depth, stack everything that goes in and measure the pile with a ruler held upright. Add 3 mm. A 12 mm pile of brochures becomes a 15 mm inside depth, which keeps the lid snug so the sheets cannot slide.
Which board for which job
E-flute at 1.5 mm keeps a literature mailer thin enough for the Large Letter band and stiff enough to stop a print creasing. Choose B-flute at 3 mm when the pile is more than about 40 mm deep, or when a thick catalogue would otherwise bow the lid.
Design Your Literature Mailer Box
Drop your logo on a real photo of our literature mailers, set the size and quantity, and send it. A designer sets up the real dieline and sends a free proof.
Your logo is placed on a real photo of our box. A designer redraws it to scale on the dieline and sends a free proof before anything is printed.
What is a literature mailer?
It is a one-piece corrugated box that is wide, long and shallow. The lid is hinged along the back edge and closes with a tuck flap at the front. A thumb cut-out in the front wall lets the customer lift the lid without a knife.
The point of the shape is flatness. Sheets lie on the floor of the box and the lid presses them gently, so nothing curls, folds or slides to one end.
The photos show four versions: plain kraft with a brochure, white outside with cards, white with a magazine and a deeper white box holding a stack of printed paper.
Who sends literature mailers?
Anyone whose product is paper or something equally flat.
- Print studios posting art prints, giclée editions and photographic prints.
- Wedding stationers sending invitation suites and sample packs to couples.
- Estate agents and architects posting property brochures and plans.
- Training providers sending workbooks, certificates and course folders.
- Fabric and wallpaper sellers posting swatch books and sample cards.
- Small publishers posting zines, magazines and thin paperbacks.
If the item is a thick book or a framed print, an end open mailer box for books is usually the better shape. Literature mailers are for stacks up to about 80 mm.
What size literature mailer fits A4?
Paper sizes are fixed, so most literature mailers fall into a few sizes. The table below gives inside sizes with 5 mm of clearance on length and width and a modest depth. Change the depth to match your own pile.
| Contents | Sheet size | Suggested inside size | Likely band |
|---|---|---|---|
| A5 brochure, up to 10 sheets | 148 x 210 mm | 155 x 215 x 15 mm | Large Letter |
| A4 pack, up to 20 sheets | 210 x 297 mm | 215 x 302 x 20 mm | Large Letter |
| A4 magazine or thick workbook | 210 x 297 mm | 320 x 230 x 40 mm | Small Parcel |
| A3 print, flat | 297 x 420 mm | 305 x 425 x 15 mm | Small Parcel |
| Square print | 300 x 300 mm | 305 x 305 x 15 mm | Small Parcel |
Our typical starting size is 320 x 230 x 40 mm, which takes an A4 magazine with a cover letter on top. Treat it as a starting point. Every job is cut to the size you give us.
Can a literature mailer post as a Royal Mail Large Letter?
Yes, when it is thin enough. The Large Letter band allows 353 x 250 x 25 mm. An E-flute literature mailer with an inside depth of 20 mm measures about 23 mm outside, which fits with room for a label.
A4 at 210 x 297 mm sits well within the length and width limits. A5 does too. A3 does not, so A3 prints post as a Small Parcel at up to 450 x 350 x 160 mm.
Depth is the figure that catches people out. A box of 30 mm inside is a Small Parcel no matter how light it is. Check the current band limits before you order, and read the guide to mailer box sizes and postal bands if you are near a line.
Why does the lid hinge along the long edge?
A long hinge means the lid opens like a folder and the whole sheet is visible at once. The customer sees the print face up, not the edge of a stack.
The front tuck flap slides down inside the front wall. On a shallow box there is not much wall for it to grip, so we cut the tuck a little deeper than on a standard mailer and add the thumb cut-out. Pull from the cut-out and the flap releases cleanly.
Side flaps on the lid fold down over the short walls and stop dust and post-room grit reaching the sheets.
Which board keeps prints flat?
E-flute at 1.5 mm is standard. It is stiff across the short span of a literature mailer, so a print cannot bend inside it, and it keeps the outside depth low for the Large Letter band.
B-flute at 3 mm comes in when the pile is heavy or deep. A 60 mm stack of catalogues on E-flute can bow the lid between the hinge and the tuck. On B-flute the lid stays flat.
For single valuable prints, ask for a board stiffener. It is a plain sheet of E-flute cut 2 mm smaller than the inside, laid under the print. It costs little and takes the flex out of the base.
How should a literature mailer be printed?
Two of the photos show white board outside with plain kraft showing inside the lid. That is the white-lined board left unprinted inside, and it looks tidy with a one colour logo on the lid.
Full colour on the lid works well because the lid is one large flat panel with no folds crossing it. A print studio can show a sample of the work on the outside. A stationer can print the couple's names on a card slot inside.
Plain kraft, as in the first photo, needs no print at all. Many print sellers add a single colour stamp on the lid and a message inside and leave it there. Lay out either version on the Design Your Mailer Box page and we proof it free.
How do literature mailers arrive and pack?
They come flat, in bundles, with the creases already made. The base walls fold up, the end flaps lock the corners and the lid folds over. One box takes a few seconds once you have done the first.
Flat bundles stack on a shelf like reams of paper. A hundred E-flute literature mailers in A4 is a pile about 200 mm high.
Every order is quoted in writing within one working day, and a free design proof goes out before any ink is used. Production is 4 to 6 working days after you approve the proof, then free tracked UK mainland delivery in 2 to 3 working days.
What goes wrong with literature mailers?
Four things, mostly.
- Ordering the depth for a single brochure, then posting a pile of five. The lid will not tuck.
- Forgetting clearance. A 297 mm sheet in a 297 mm box has to be forced in and the corners dent.
- Choosing B-flute for a thin pack and losing the Large Letter band to the extra board thickness.
- Printing the artwork across the hinge. Ink on a crease cracks; keep solid colour 5 mm from fold lines.
Send us the sheet size and the pile height and we will flag any of these before the proof.
How to order literature mailers
Prices start from £0.25 a box, quoted in writing for your size and print.
- Tell us the sheet size, the pile depth and roughly how many boxes you need.
- Say whether you want kraft or white board, and plain, one colour or full colour.
- We send a written quote within one working day.
- Send artwork or ask for a plain layout, and we return a free design proof.
- Approve the proof. Nothing is printed before that.
- Production in 4 to 6 working days, then delivery, free and tracked, in 2 to 3 working days.
Any misprint or transit damage reported within 10 days with photos is reprinted or refunded. Start by sending your sizes through the written quote request form.
Related mailer boxes
Other closures and finishes that start from the same idea.
End Open Mailer BoxesShort-end opening for books, frames and setsFrom £0.25 a box
Side Loading Tab Lock MailersSlide in from the side, lock with two tabsFrom £0.25 a box
White Mailer BoxesWhite-lined board, printed or left plainFrom £0.25 a box
Folding Small Mailing BoxesFlat-packed, folds up in seconds, from 100 mmFrom £0.25 a boxLiterature Mailers questions
Will an A4 literature mailer fit through a letterbox?
A 20 mm deep E-flute literature mailer measures about 23 mm outside, which is inside the Large Letter band of 353 x 250 x 25 mm. Whether it passes a particular letterbox depends on the slot, so ask us to keep the depth low if that matters.
Can a literature mailer hold a single art print without bending?
Yes. The short span and E-flute board keep the base stiff, and a board stiffener sheet under the print removes any flex. Most print studios also add a sheet of tissue over the face.
Does the literature mailer have a thumb cut-out?
It is optional. The cut-out in the front wall, shown in the first photo, makes the lid easy to lift. Leave it off if you want a fully closed front for a plainer look.
Can I post a literature mailer without tape?
Yes. The front tuck and the side flaps hold the lid shut. If the pack is heavy or the box is near full, a strip of tape across the tuck is a sensible extra.
What depth can a literature mailer be?
From 15 mm to about 80 mm inside. Above that the lid becomes long enough to bow, and a standard mailer box is a better shape.
Can the inside of a literature mailer lid be printed?
Yes. The lid is one flat panel, so a message, a pattern or a full colour image prints cleanly inside it. Two of the photos show the kraft inside left plain, which is also fine.
Is a literature mailer the right box for a swatch book?
Yes for swatch books up to about 80 mm thick. Give us the closed size of the book and we add clearance. Ring-bound swatch books need a little extra depth for the rings.
Can literature mailers be made in A3?
Yes. An A3 print at 297 x 420 mm goes into an inside size of about 305 x 425 mm. That is outside the Large Letter band, so it posts as a Small Parcel.
Can you add a slot for a cover letter inside a literature mailer?
Yes. A die-cut slot in the base or a card pocket inside the lid holds a letter or a compliment slip in place. It is quoted with the box.
Do literature mailers come in white as well as kraft?
Yes. White-lined board gives a clean white outside, with kraft showing inside the lid unless you ask for it printed. Three of the photos show the white version.
How thick is the board on a literature mailer?
E-flute is 1.5 mm and B-flute is 3 mm. Most literature mailers use E-flute so the finished box stays thin and stiff.
Can a literature mailer carry a certificate in a card mount?
Yes. Measure the mount, not the certificate, and add 5 mm each way. A board stiffener under the mount keeps it flat in the post.
Your question is not here? Ask on WhatsApp or call +44 7578 382054.
Tell us what you post
Send the product, a rough inside size and a quantity. We reply in writing within one working day with a price and a free design proof. Prefer to talk? Call +44 7578 382054 or message us on WhatsApp.