How to ship posters and art prints without paying extra

How to ship posters and art prints: the short version

Most posters and art prints ship one of two ways: flat, between stiff boards in a rigid mailer, or rolled in a tube. Flat keeps paper and coated finishes free of curl and is cheaper to mail. A tube is the only practical choice once a print is too big for a flat mailer you can buy.

Whichever you choose, USPS decides the price by the shape and stiffness of what you hand over, not by what is inside. A print in a flexible large envelope can go at First-Class Mail flat prices, from $1.69. The same print in a rigid board mailer or a tube is a package and pays USPS Ground Advantage prices, from $7.90 at a Post Office and less online. The table shows which format fits which print.

Flat mailer vs tube: the best way to ship posters

A flat mailer is the better default for prints you sell. The print arrives flat and ready to frame, the buyer does not have to fight curl, and a cardboard mailer avoids the tube fee that USPS charges for cylindrical parcels. Rigid mailers with a cardboard back are made in common print sizes, so you can match the mailer to the print and avoid paying for empty space.

A tube is the right choice for large posters, canvas that has not been stretched, and anything bigger than the flat mailers sold in your size. Rolling puts curl into the paper, and thick or coated stock can crack if you roll it too tightly. USPS also treats a tube as a nonstandard parcel: Notice 123 adds $4.50 for cylindrical tubes or rolls on Ground Advantage, and a long tube can trigger the length fee instead. Per the Ground Advantage page, when both apply you'll only pay the higher nonstandard fee, not both.

Triangular and box-shaped poster mailers are sold as an alternative to round tubes. The Notice 123 fee is written for cylindrical tubes or rolls, but the length fees apply to any long parcel, so measure first and check the USPS price calculator for your exact package.

• Choose flat when the print fits a stock rigid mailer, has a coated or textured surface, or is signed and matted.
• Choose a tube when the print is larger than the mailers you can buy, or when several unframed posters ship together.
• Avoid tubes for small prints. A small print in a tube pays the same tube fee as a large one.

How to mail art prints: letter, flat or package pricing

USPS has three price shapes, and a print falls into one of them by size, thickness and flexibility. The rules come from the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 101) and the prices from Notice 123, the official price list.

A letter is a rectangular paper envelope no larger than 11-1/2" long x 6-1/8" high and no more than 1/4" thick. A small print with a thin card can go for one stamp at $0.82. If the envelope is rigid or lumpy, USPS treats it as nonmachinable and you pay $0.49 more.

A flat, or large envelope, is anything bigger than a letter that is not more than 15 inches long, 12 inches high or 3/4 inch thick, and no heavier than 13 ounces. The DMM rule that matters for art is this one: Flat-size pieces must be flexible. The piece must also be uniformly thick, with no more than 1/4-inch variance in thickness. A large envelope with a thick cardboard stiffener that will not bend fails the test, and under DMM 101.2.5 such pieces are considered parcels and must pay the applicable parcel prices.

Everything else is a package. That includes rigid mailers, boxes and every tube.

Zone 5 is a mid-distance zone used here as an example. Your price depends on the weight and the distance, so check the USPS price calculator with your own package.

How to ship prints flat in a rigid mailer

This is the method most print sellers use for anything up to the largest stock mailer size.

1. Protect the surface

   Slide the print into a clear, acid-free sleeve, or wrap it in glassine. This keeps out moisture and fingerprints and stops the surface rubbing against the board.

2. Sandwich it between boards

   Place the sleeved print between two pieces of stiff cardboard or foam board cut slightly larger than the print on every side. Tape the boards together at the edges, not on the print.

3. Use a rigid mailer that fits

   Put the sandwich into a rigid mailer close to its size. Less empty space means less movement and a smaller, lighter package. A note such as 'do not bend' can help handlers, but it does not change the price.

4. Weigh and measure

   Weigh the sealed mailer and measure its longest side. Ground Advantage prices go up by weight tier, and a parcel longer than 22 inches pays $4.50 extra.

5. Buy the label online

   Buy a USPS Ground Advantage label online. The USPS page says you get lower Commercial Rates when you ship with Click-N-Ship, and tracking and $100 of insurance are part of the price. Delivery takes 2-5 days.

How to ship posters in a tube

Use a tube for large posters and prints that will not fit a flat mailer.

1. Pick a thick-walled tube

   Choose a tube with walls stiff enough that you cannot crush it by hand, a few inches longer than the print's short side. Too narrow a tube rolls the print tightly and makes it hard to flatten.

2. Roll the print image side out

   Lay the print on a sheet of glassine or acid-free tissue and roll it loosely together with the sheet, image side out. Rolled this way, the print curls toward its back when it is unrolled and flattens more easily.

3. Secure without tape on the print

   Hold the roll with a paper band or a strip of tissue taped to itself. Tape on the print can lift the surface when removed.

4. Fill the ends

   Slide the roll into the tube and pack crumpled paper into both ends so it cannot slide. Fit the end caps and tape them on.

5. Label and pay the tube fee

   Measure the tube's length. On Ground Advantage you pay $4.50 for the tube, or the length fee if the tube is longer, since you'll only pay the higher nonstandard fee, not both.

Cheapest way to ship posters and art prints

The cheapest way to ship a small print is a letter envelope with a thin card stiffener, for one stamp at $0.82, as long as it fits 11-1/2" long x 6-1/8" high and still bends. For a larger print, the cheapest option is a flexible large envelope at First-Class Mail flat prices, from $1.69. Both have two drawbacks for anything you sell: there is no tracking, so you cannot prove delivery, and the envelope must bend, so the print gets little protection.

For prints you sell, the cheapest tracked option is usually USPS Ground Advantage with a label bought online in a flat mailer, because online labels get lower Commercial Rates and a flat mailer avoids the tube fee.

Example: a print shipped in a rigid flat mailer weighing half a pound to zone 5 costs $8.60 at a Post Office or $7.69 with an online label. The same print rolled in a tube weighing one pound to zone 5 costs $10.95 at retail, plus the $4.50 tube fee. Weights and zone are assumptions for the example.

• Buy labels online instead of at the counter to get commercial prices.
• Keep the package under each weight tier. Ground Advantage prices step up by weight, so a lighter board can drop a tier.
• Ship flat when the print fits a stock mailer, and you avoid the $4.50 tube fee.
• Keep the longest side at 22 inches or less to avoid the $4.50 length fee.
• Compare a Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope at $12.90 when a heavier print fits 12-1/2" x 9-1/2" and is going far.

How to avoid nonmachinable surcharges and shape fees

Most surprise charges on prints come from three rules. Know them before you buy supplies.

1. Letters that are stiff or lumpy are nonmachinable. A small print in a letter envelope with a thick board behind it pays $0.49 more. Use a thin card that still bends, or accept the surcharge.
2. Large envelopes that do not bend are packages. USPS says that for a rigid or lumpy large envelope you'll have to pay the package price. If you need a stiff board, buy a package label from the start.
3. Tubes and long parcels pay nonstandard fees. On Ground Advantage a tube adds $4.50, a parcel longer than 22 inches adds $4.50, and one longer than 30 inches adds $10.00. Only the higher of the tube and length fees applies.

For higher-value prints, add coverage. Ground Advantage includes $100 of insurance, and you can buy up to $5,000 in additional coverage against loss or damage.

Where Nation fits

Questions about shipping posters and art prints