What custom mailer boxes are
A custom mailer box is a one-piece corrugated box, cut from a single flat blank and printed with your brand, that folds into a self-locking shape. It seals without tape and opens without a knife. The corrugated wall makes it stronger than a folding carton, which is why it is the usual box for shipping straight to a customer, and because the whole outside prints, it is also the first thing that customer sees.
MPress prints, die cuts, foils and glues mailer boxes in house at our 35,000 square foot plant on Howard Avenue in New Orleans and at MPress West in McKinney, Texas, then warehouses the finished boxes and releases them as you need them. Folding cartons and retail boxes come off the same presses through our custom packaging and folding cartons service.
What we print
The mailer formats we print:
- E-commerce mailers that go straight to the customer
- Retail-ready mailers and product boxes for the shelf
- Boxes with die-cut windows that show the product inside
- Corrugated shippers for heavier or bulk orders
Each prints in full color and can be finished with foil stamping, embossing, and soft-touch or spot coatings in our bindery and finishing department. Short runs go to digital printing, larger runs to offset.
| Stage | What runs in our own building | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Full color on offset, digital, and UV presses | Digital printing for shorter quantities, offset for volume | |
| Die cutting | Steel rule dies cut and crease the flat blank | Cutting and creasing in one pass is what makes the box fold square |
| Finishing | Foil stamping, embossing, soft-touch and spot coatings | A tactile or reflective cue on the printed panel |
| Structure | Dielines built to the product, and die-cut windows | The dieline keeps the box tight to the product; a window shows what is inside |
| Formats | E-commerce mailers, retail-ready mailers and product boxes, window boxes, corrugated shippers | Matched to how the box ships and sells |
| After print | Warehousing, pick and pack, and release on demand | Order in one run and pull from stock. Stock released through MPress Xpress can go out for delivery the next day. |
More on each stage: bindery and finishing, digital printing and fulfillment and warehousing.
Send your size, quantity, and artwork and we will quote the exact box. Request a quote or call (504) 524-8248.
How much do custom mailer boxes cost?
The price of a custom mailer box is set by five things: the finished size, the corrugated board, the print method, the finishing, and the quantity. Quantity is the largest lever, because the die and the press setup are a one-time cost spread across the run, so 5,000 boxes price far lower per box than 500. The die is a physical tool and can be reused on reorders, which keeps the cost per box down once it exists.
Size matters twice, because carriers price parcels by both weight and size, so a mailer box cut to fit its contents can ship for less than an oversized carton. Full-bleed color, foil and specialty coatings add cost per box.
| Cost driver | What it covers | Which way it moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Finished size | The box dimensions, length by width by depth, cut to the product it holds | A bigger box uses more board and can push the parcel into a higher carrier price. A box cut to fit lowers both. |
| Corrugated board | Board weight and corrugation grade | Heavier board and specialty stock cost more per box, and protect more. |
| Print method | Offset, digital, or UV | Digital skips plate setup, so a shorter run costs less to start. Offset lowers the cost per box as the run grows. |
| Finishing | Foil stamping, embossing, soft-touch and spot coatings, die-cut windows | Each finish prices on top of the base print, per box. |
| Quantity | How many boxes in the run | The largest lever. The die and the press setup are a one-time cost spread across the run, so the price per box falls as the quantity rises. |
The same drivers set the price of folding cartons on our custom packaging and folding cartons page. We quote the exact spec rather than a range, so send the size, the quantity and the artwork for a price per box.
What is the minimum order for custom mailer boxes?
MPress does not publish a fixed minimum for custom mailer boxes, because the workable quantity is set by the print method. Digital printing skips plate setup, which makes a shorter run practical, and lithographic offset rewards a larger quantity with a lower cost per box. Tell us the quantity you are considering and we will quote the run that fits.
What sizes and board can MPress print?
There is no standard size for a custom mailer box. It is specified as length by width by depth and cut to the product it holds, and our prepress team builds the dieline to that product before anything prints. Corrugated board is what makes the wall strong enough to ship: a fluted middle layer between two liners, specified by weight and corrugation grade alongside the box. Our steel rule dies hold a tolerance of about plus or minus 0.005 inch, which is what keeps the cut lined up with the print.
How long does a custom mailer box order take?
The schedule has four parts: prepress and the dieline, your proof approval, the print run, then die cutting, foiling, and gluing. Nothing runs until you approve the proof, so part of the calendar is in your hands. Finishing is the stage most schedules underestimate, and on a box it can take as long as the printing did. Because printing, die cutting and finishing, and the warehouse all sit in our own building, the job never waits on a truck to an outside trade shop. Send your in-hands date with the quote request and we will confirm the schedule before the job starts.
Can I get a sample before the run?
Yes. You approve a proof before anything runs, and because the plant is in New Orleans you can review a physical sample without waiting on a cross-country shipment, which catches structural problems before the full run. Working with the same team on the same equipment keeps color and construction matched from one run to the next, so a reorder matches the first box.
How a mailer box order runs at MPress
The order moves in five steps, all under one roof:
- Quote. You send the size, quantity, and artwork, and we price the exact spec.
- Prepress. Our prepress team builds the dieline and preps the files for print.
- Proof. You approve a proof before anything runs.
- Print, die cut, and glue. We print, die cut, foil, and glue the boxes in house.
- Warehouse and ship. We store the finished boxes and release them as you need them.
Why brands order mailer boxes from MPress
Printing, die cutting, finishing and storage all happen in one building, so the job is not passed between vendors. With offset, digital and UV printing in house, the press is chosen to fit your quantity. Through fulfillment and warehousing we hold the finished boxes and release them on demand, so you order in one run and pull from stock instead of storing pallets yourself.
Custom mailer boxes for New Orleans and beyond
Our plant is at 4100 Howard Avenue in New Orleans, and we work with brands across Louisiana and the Gulf South on their packaging. Because we warehouse and ship, the boxes go wherever your fulfillment center or storefront needs them.
