A padded envelope, also known as a padded or cushioned mailer, or jiffy bag in the United Kingdom, is an envelope incorporating protective padding to protect items during shipping. The padding is usually thick paper, bubble wrap, or foam.
A padded envelope, also known as a padded or cushioned mailer, or jiffy bag in the United Kingdom, is an envelope incorporating protective padding to protect items during shipping. The padding is usually thick paper, bubble wrap, or foam.
Mailing envelopes and small packages may receive as many as 27 handlings during shipment with the maximum drop height of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft). [1] The contents of the mailing envelopes often need protection from shock and vibration damage. Cushioning or padding can be built into the mailing envelope to help protect the contents.
Several constructions are available. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The exterior envelope can be made of a heavy paper, paperboard, corrugated fiberboard or plastic film.
The padding material can be recycled newsprint, foam, bubble wrap, or other cushioning materials.
Many mailers have an integral flap that has a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a gummed (water-activated) adhesive, or tape to allow easy and secure closure.
A Life Cycle Analysis was conducted to compare a Kraft paper mailer with newsprint padding to a LDPE plastic mailer with air bubble padding. Both had advantages and disadvantages; overall, the Kraft padded mailer had a higher overall environmental impact compared to the LDPE bubble mailer. The study recommended use of future products with lower mass and which use renewable resources. [6]
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card.
Corrugated fiberboard, corrugated cardboard, or corrugated is a type of packaging material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines" or "corrugators" and is used for making corrugated boxes. The corrugated medium sheet and the linerboard(s) are made of kraft containerboard, a paperboard material usually over 0.25 millimetres (0.01 in) thick.
Shrink wrap, also shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a handheld heat gun, or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.
SEE, legally the Sealed Air Corporation, is a packaging company known for its brands: Cryovac food packaging and Bubble Wrap cushioning packaging. With over $5.5+ billion in revenues in 2023, it is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, led by Chief Operating Officer Emile Chammas, President, Dustin Semach, and CEO Patrick Kivits.
Coated paper is paper that has been coated by a mixture of materials or a polymer to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight, surface gloss, smoothness, or reduced ink absorbency. Various materials, including kaolinite, calcium carbonate, bentonite, and talc, can be used to coat paper for high-quality printing used in the packaging industry and in magazines.
An overwrap or wrap is a method of sealing a contained product, typically as part of retail packaging. It is often made of plastic film or paper. The wrap is applied over the bare product or can be applied over another form of packaging. It is typically used to protect products, but can be used decoratively.
Molded pulp or molded fiber is a packaging material, that is typically made from recycled paperboard and/or newsprint. It is used for protective packaging or for food service trays and beverage carriers. Other typical uses are end caps, trays, plates, bowls and clamshell containers.
Package cushioning is used to protect items during shipment. Vibration and impact shock during shipment and loading/unloading are controlled by cushioning to reduce the chance of product damage.
An antistatic bag is a bag used for storing electronic components, which are prone to damage caused by electrostatic discharge (ESD).
An inflatable air cushion is a bag of fabric or plastic that can be inflated to provide cushioning. Unlike bubble wrap, inflatable air cushions have a check valve to allow the cushion to be inflated or sometimes deflated.
Bubble wrap is a pliable transparent plastic material commonly used for protecting fragile items during shipping. Known for its cushioning air-filled bubbles, it has also become a cultural icon, celebrated for its satisfying popping sound and alternative uses as a stress-relief tool. Regularly spaced, protruding air-filled hemispheres (bubbles) provide cushioning for fragile items.
Corrugated box design is the process of matching design factors for corrugated fiberboard or corrugated plastic boxes with the functional physical, processing and end-use requirements. Packaging engineers work to meet the performance requirements of a box while controlling total costs throughout the system. Corrugated boxes are shipping containers used for transport packaging and have important functional and economic considerations.
Drug packaging is process of packing pharmaceutical preparations for distribution, and the physical packaging in which they are stored. It involves all of the operations from production through drug distribution channels to the end consumer.
A multi-pack also known as multipack is packaging that combines or holds multiple items or smaller packages.
Currency packaging includes several forms of packing cash for easy handling and counting. Many systems use standard color-coding or are marked to indicate the amount in the package.
Tear tape, also known as tearstrip or tear-off ribbon, is a narrow adhesive tape used to open packaging. The backing is often a narrow oriented polymer such as polypropylene but other polymers, yarns, and filaments are also used. Many tear tapes use a pressure sensitive adhesive but others have a heat-activated adhesive system.
A security bag is a heavy duty bag used to contain high-value products, documents or legally sensitive items. Envelopes with security features are called security envelopes as well as security bags. Cash for deposit in a bank is often placed in a special deposit bag with security features. When they are used to contain items related to a crime, special evidence bags are used. Authentication of signatures and chain of custody are often required.
Package handles, or carriers, are used to help people use packaging. They are designed to simplify and to improve the ergonomics of lifting and carrying packages. Handles on consumer packages add convenience and help facilitate use and pouring. The effect of handles on package material costs and the packaging line efficiencies are also critical. A handle can be defined as “an accessory attached to a container or part for the purpose of holding or carrying.” Sometimes a handle can be used to hang a package for dispensing or use.
Jiffy Packaging is a packaging manufacturer primarily based in Winsford, Cheshire, England. It is most famous for its Jiffy Padded Bags, whose name has become a byword for padded envelopes in British English.
Overpackaging is excessive or unnecessary packaging. It is defined by the Institute of Packaging Professionals as "a condition where the methods and materials used to package an item exceed the requirements for adequate containment, protection, transport, and sale".
