Packaging - best practices

There are many new materials on the market and inventive ways of using available materials. The keys to safe shipping are:

• Keep your item from shaking or shifting, i.e. there should be no movement in the box on shaking.
• Use materials that absorb vibrations AND impact!
• External materials/boxes must have the strength to hold the weight of your items. When in doubt, reinforce packing boxes.

Best practices for packing are balanced against package weight and shipping costs. At Colt Paper we advocate safe packing methods.

 Here are some general standards we recommend:

• DO wrap items in a layer of paper, tissue etc. to keep from scratching the surfaces or decorative motifs. Do NOT wrap in newspaper!
• DO wrap the item in bubble wrap. Wrap not under or over but around it.
• DO tape items, to keep the protective material in place, but not to mummify. Too much tape may cause the receiver to damage the item when unpacking.
• DO double box, at least extremely fragile items.
• DO put at least 1.5" of packing peanuts or other packing materials around item.

We also recommend that you always check with your shipper for specific guidelines regarding appropriate shipping of packages.