PhaedrusZen 55 Posted October 16, 2014 I'll be using 2" tubes with plastic caps to ship larger decals to customers, and was wondering if it matters at all whether I ship with the vinyl rolled to the inside or outside. I know the vinyl itself would be fine rolling to the outside since that's how it was originally on the roll, but does that change once the transfer tape is added? Also curious if I need to tape the ends of the tubes in addition to using the plastic caps. I've got 100+ orders going out on the 17th, and trying to get it dialed in before I ship. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted October 16, 2014 I cannot think of any masked decals that would be ok to ship in a 2" tube - would be a very tight bend when masked - with that said in boxes I ship mask out Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwp99 283 Posted October 16, 2014 I just shipped out a 22" x 14" in a 3" tube that I thought was rather tight. I couldn't imagine using a 2" tube. I shipped mine vinyl out, with application tape installed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arty-rc 719 Posted October 16, 2014 Last graphic I mailed was 36 "x 14". I took a corrugated box, cut it down and fabricated a 4" square by 15" long box. Added old newspaper inside to pad the ends. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pshawny 410 Posted October 16, 2014 Vinyl facing out. I use 3" tubes, 4" tubes, and 8"x8"x26" boxes. It will depend on the type transfer tape, the size of the decal, and sometimes what the design is. Taped decals will roll up a lot easier and nicer one direction than the other. Too tight with paper tape and you will get tunneling. Oracal 651 with R-Tape AT75 application tape could be rolled up to fit a 2" tube. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhaedrusZen 55 Posted October 16, 2014 You guys are making me cringe. I'm working for someone else, who orders all my supplies. I've currently got large decals (about 36" long and 18" tall) taped and ready for customers to apply on their own, that should be ready to ship tomorrow. I've been using Oracal 631 with Oracal high tack tape. I've got 130 orders, so I don't think custom cutting boxes is feasible for me. At this point I'll have to cross my fingers and hope for the best. I'll let you know if I get any customer feedback on the shipping with 2 " tubes. As for the original question, I'll be doing vinyl out. Appreciate the feedback! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted October 16, 2014 I have been shipping for years 2006... I roll my decals loosely, My smallest box is 6" W x 4" H x12"L.. From Uline.com . And I also make very large decals. I only use boxes with open tops long ways. I have never used those round tubes... 2" sounds pretty tight to me... I hate to even use the triangle tubes from USPS. I do once in a while. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhaedrusZen 55 Posted October 20, 2014 So, first of the orders shipped, and 2" is REALLY tight. I'm hoping that they don't get damaged, but hey, the boss gets what the boss wants... I did learn a nice new trick. When I asked my employer about shipping in the tubes, she told me I needed to place masking tape on both short edges before rolling to keep the transfer tape from coming up. It was adding additional time to the process, and I realized that instead of doing that, I can just trim the top and bottom of the decal and leave about an inch of transfer tape overlapping on either side, then just fold it over. Presto, edges taped, and no massive quantities of masking tape needed! It also makes use of the inch or so of overlapped tape I've been laying down past the decal to keep it in place while applying the tape. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhaedrusZen 55 Posted March 15, 2015 Followup post almost 6 months later. I've been shipping anything that doesn't fit inside a 9x12 inch flat mailer inside of those 2" tubes and haven't had any customers with issues so far. What works for one person might not work for another, but I thought I'd mention it for those who are looking to maybe save some time or money in shipping costs. When I have 200 decals to ship out at once (Typically they're all either the same or similar design, with the same dimensions), the tubes make it relatively quick and easy. We do ship the decals with a set of instructions for the customer to go over the decal with a credit card, or a squeegee if they have one, prior to removing the backing paper for installation. I have seen some tunneling on my longer decals, but have not seen it affect the decals themselves. I'm using tubes that are anywhere from 9" to 24" so there's a pretty good range to work with. Worth trying out if you haven't! Especially if you're hand building your shipping boxes each time you send a decal out. (That would definitely be a little cheaper, I'd assume, but I wouldn't have the time to build 200 boxes/ custom flat mailers prior to my shipping deadlines, even if they were all the same size... =/ ) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 393 Posted March 16, 2015 What is tunneling? And thanks for coming back with the follow up. Cal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted March 16, 2015 Can, when rolled to tightly the masked vinyl will come loose from the backing and create tunnels that are not tight to the backing. air release is even worse yet and has to be rolled very loosely or it tunnels. unmasked chrome and metalics will do it too when rolled to tightly 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TonZaga 10 Posted March 16, 2015 I order the free USPS priority tubes in both 25" and 34" long. They are triangular and give nice room inside. Shipping is never usually over $7 and comes with $50 insurance 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhaedrusZen 55 Posted March 16, 2015 I order the free USPS priority tubes in both 25" and 34" long. They are triangular and give nice room inside. Shipping is never usually over $7 and comes with $50 insurance I'm paying just over 50 cents a tube (Sometimes cheaper when I can order more at once), and am able to ship First Class, so shipping is between $1.93 & $3.47, with very few exceptions. My rates for priority with a "free" priority tube would cost me $5.75 minimum. The extra room and insurance would be nice, but for the added cost plus assembly time for the triangle tubes (it's minimal, but adds up when you have to put 200 of them together at once), I'm happy to ship a new decal out if it should happen to get lost or damaged using the smaller, cheaper tubes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
