# Custom printing poly mailers



## Andynot024

Im trying to get custom poly mailers for my clothing line (screen printed with my logo on it) but i have no idea where to look. Can anybody point me in the right direction?


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## kevinjh

Check out this company. They can provide you with these types of bags although their minimums may be more than you are looking for.

http://www.aplasticbag.com/


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## Andynot024

i checked them out and i think they might work, have you tried them out?


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## kevinjh

Unfortunately for myself their minimums are beyond my sales at the present time. I currently use plain mailers that I get from Uline and then use large custom printed stickers for advertising on them. It's not as nice as I would like but it serves the purpose.


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## Andynot024

yea thats what i do too. But im working on branding my company and getting the 250 might actually be worth it in the end.


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## NigelT

I'm in the exact position as you Andynot024. I found this company: Manufacturer of Polythene Envelopes and Poly Bags | Sefton Transmail

They do much lower quantites than the thousand I was being quoted for in the past.

They are in the UK however, but if you're not you can always ask if they do international deliery.


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## Andynot024

Yea they look pretty official, but the only problem is Im located in the states. I think i still will give them a call and see what there prices are like. It might be worth it. Have you tried them?


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## NigelT

I haven't made my order yet, no. So I can't give an official recommendation but I have already spoken with them, got samples of the mailers, and will be putting in an order unless I find a cheaper option.

The other thing to keep in mind (assuming they do ship to the US), is that it's only a one colour print. That's fine for me but may not be for others.


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## Andynot024

i think i might call and get some samples then, thanks for all the help.


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## NigelT

Hey Andynot024, did you magaed to sort out your polymailer bags?

We got our back and the came out pretty good. We haven't sorted out our website yet, but the few people we've shipped out t-shirts to have been impressed.


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## lben

OK, I know this is going to sound like a stupid question, but if they are screen printed on the bags, why can't we print our own bags from say Uline? What kind of ink would it take to do that? Or are they pad printed bags?


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## Bonelafide

I just emailed them about the mailers. I then noticed what looked like regular polybags in which i could get prints on also... 

Do you know if that is true? Id like to get some of those along with the custom mailers. 

Yours look great also Nigel.


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## jiarby

Loretta is 100% right... If you can screen print already then you just need some air dry nazdar corogloss ink (solvent based), some retarder, and cleanup chemicals. Use a high mesh count, and move fast. It dries quick. Use in a well ventilated area and consider using a respirator so you dont die.


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## Epic Media

here is a small tid bit for you all....here is a place in Philadelphia, where all the big independents get their poly mailers done, they also do some great box printing too!

derisorydesigns.com


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## youngsid

Epic Media said:


> here is a small tid bit for you all....here is a place in Philadelphia, where all the big independents get their poly mailers done, they also do some great box printing too!
> 
> derisorydesigns.com


Any idea what their minimums are?


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## Epic Media

I believe the minimum is 100 pcs. for poly mailers. Im not sure about the boxes.
tell them Justin from Monstros told ya!


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## turbaninc

I know these guys do it at MyPrintingBuddy.com. 

We got a 1 color job done from them 1k pieces and they came out amazing. 

But I think they do as low as 100 as well for regular sized polybags.


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## ryan barker

question: is this stuff really that important to the customer, enough so to go through the hassle and expense? sure, it looks nice, but does it have *any* impact on future sales?


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## lben

ryan barker said:


> question: is this stuff really that important to the customer, enough so to go through the hassle and expense? sure, it looks nice, but does it have *any* impact on future sales?


The only benefit I can see is that when the package arrives you know who it's from. Then it goes in the trash never to be seen or heard from again. At least if you sent them a pen with your name & phone on it, they'd see it everytime they used it. 

I think I'm going to start doing that. Include some little trinket with my info on it that they can use on a regular basis to keep my name right in front of them.


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## Epic Media

As an avid collector of tshirts, I have kept pretty much every printed poly mailer sent my way. I have framed 2 of them, and keep the others as well as the tags, stickers and ect. swag. 
If you look at the successful indie shirt brands, not only do they have quality items but they also are selling you the experience of buying from that store. It may be small but if done well it can have a great impact.


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## lben

To each his own. For me they are just more garbage to toss out. For you they are treasures to keep and cherish. So there are the 2 extremes. I don't know where other people fit in at, but one can only assume they don't have boxes and boxes of used poly mailers. Collectors are a breed in and of themselves. They see something special in things the rest of us overlook.


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## Dmaster555

lben said:


> To each his own. For me they are just more garbage to toss out. For you they are treasures to keep and cherish. So there are the 2 extremes. I don't know where other people fit in at, but one can only assume they don't have boxes and boxes of used poly mailers. Collectors are a breed in and of themselves. They see something special in things the rest of us overlook.


It's not at all about doing it for the collectors. It's about the customer experience. It's not your concern what they do with it once you send it out. It makes an impact them seeing your brand stand out from the rest, and knowing you went that extra mile for the customer.

Believe it or not, something that simple creates loyalty. People want the joy of moving through their bills and crap mail to find a beautifully designed box or polymailer. I know I love seeing mine in the mail.

Of course most people throw it out, but the impact it has on them is priceless.

The way you think, how do you expect to be successful? You're thoughtless about your customers.


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## NigelT

Dmaster555 said:


> It's not at all about doing it for the collectors. It's about the customer experience. It's not your concern what they do with it once you send it out. It makes an impact them seeing your brand stand out from the rest, and knowing you went that extra mile for the customer.
> 
> Believe it or not, something that simple creates loyalty. People want the joy of moving through their bills and crap mail to find a beautifully designed box or polymailer. I know I love seeing mine in the mail.
> 
> Of course most people throw it out, but the impact it has on them is priceless.
> 
> The way you think, how do you expect to be successful? You're thoughtless about your customers.


I agree 100% with you Dmaster. It is all about the customer experience. I had someone recently tell me that getting a t-shirt from us was like opening a Christmas present.

Another person wrote a blog article on it: Mayamada « Inspirational Geek

And this was something we didn't put too much thought into. We're working on a new product now and the packaging is going to play a huge part of it ahead of time.

The way a product is packaged is also shown to affect the way the product is percieved.

That kind of experience is what creates loyal customers and give them something to tell others - a form of marketing if you will.


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## lben

There again.. to each his own. I'm always excited to get a package of something that I've ordered delivered to my door. The anticipation, however has nothing to do with the packaging, but it does have everything to do with the contents of the package. I've had fancy bags and boxes arrive cut or with holes punched into the sides and some with contents spilling out. My first reaction isn't to drop to my knees and go into mourning over the damaged package. My first reation is to rip apart the package to make sure that the contents arrived unmangled. It's the contents of the package that creates the excitement and the repeat customers.

You can have all the fancy packaging in the world, but if you're shipping a crappy product no one is going to come back for more, and they might just return to you what they just got. Personally, I would rather have my customers anticipate receiveing a quality product that was made with care and a lot of love, than something that I threw together on an automated machine and then stuffed into a fancy bag or box.

Many years ago, I had to special order a name brand pair of pants from an expensive store. The product arrived in a nice fancy package with a pretty design on it. I was so excited. When I pulled them out of the package the first thing I noticed was that one leg was nearly 6 inches longer than the other. Then I noticed that they had forgotten to sew the seams down both sides of both legs. They were returned. Excitement was replaced with disgust. I never went back to that store, nor ever purchased another item of that brand.

Last year I got my much anticipated first screen printing press from Ryonet. I had ordered all kinds of extras and had spent weeks learning how to use power tools so that I could build a bench to put it on. One of the products was the yellow light for the darkroom. One of the packages that arrived was a large square box and when I opened it up it was filled to capacity with packing peanuts. I started digging through the peanuts to find the gallon containers of chemicals, pints and quarts of inks, and then my eyes caught sight of the little yellow bulb in the middle of that 75 pound package. I reached in gingerly, fully expecting to find shattered glass. Nope it was unscathed. Somehow, and don't ask me how because I have no idea how it survived a nearly 3,000 mile trek across the country in the middle of all those heavy containers, but it did. When I open a package that's what I want to find - contents that were packed with care. Just stuffing a shirt in a poly bag to me isn't packing with care, but it will do because shirts don't break.. as long as the shirt was worth the price I paid for it and holds up to repeated washings and wear I don't care how it got to me or what kind of package it came in.

And that doesn't say I don't care about my customers or that I don't take their feelings into account. When someone orders a mug from me I want the package to arrive securely and intact. But I especially want the contents to arrive unbroken. That is caring about my customers and their feelings.


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## NigelT

That's a very good point too. 

Ultimately it is about the product as that is what will get used over and over. I wasn't suggesting packaging needs to distract from or mask a poor quality product, only that if done right it can add to the whole experience.

But each to his own as you say


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## John Wilson

At the moment we just use plain poly mailers but print a really nice postage sticker for it

Would love to got mailers printed up but at the moment we use 3 different sizes of mailers so it would need to be done in stages i'm sure as getting 3 different sizes printed up at the same time would be costly


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## ryan barker

'The way you think, how do you expect to be successful? You're thoughtless about your customers.' ~ dmaster555

you're out of line here. not only are you saying iben is a bad businessperson that's dooming her business over, of all debatable things, something that is going to wind up as landfill 99.37% of the time, you're saying she doesn't care about her customers, either. maybe she cares enough about her customers not to charge them extra for packaging, ever think of that? 

by your logic, the fancier the package, the more that person is likely to buy another shirt. hogwash. people will buy another shirt because of the quality of the shirt, nothing more, nothing less. people will know their shirt is in a pile of mail, to suggest otherwise is just stupid, and it's the knowing their shirt has arrived that inspires excitement, not the fanciness of the soon-to-be-trash. it's not a christmas present, it's not an engagement ring ~ those may warrant extra packaging attention because it's a special event. 

the whole 'buying experience'... not buying it. a positive buying experience entails easily buying what you want and receiving exactly what you ordered in a timely manner. that's something a customer really cares about and remembers, not the packaging so much. okay, sure, it's good if something is packaged all pretty, but, c'mon, only a few select people even care. i promise you that no one but only the utter fool has ever bought another crappy shirt just to receive the packaging. and if your customer talks more about the poly mailer than he does the shirt, you've failed as a designer. then how successful do *you* plan on being?

i'll say it's nice to get something in a nice package. then i think to myself, gee, i think i would rather have saved the fifty cents or couple of bucks instead for something going directly into the trash bin. i mean, i've already bought the thing, why are you keep trying to sell it to me? i'm certainly not getting fancy packaging for free. 

if i've done everything right, that is providing exactly what they order, get it to them in a timely manner, and have made it easy on the customer to purchase it, a nice poly mailer only minimally adds to it, but it in no way makes me pick your design over someone else's. it's fluff. it's pleasant fluff, but fluff is supposed to be pleasant. but, i don't go to a restaurant because i like their dishes, i go there because i like their food. 

if you really want to impress your customer, give them a call and ask if they got the package on time, in good condition and how they like their shirt, then thank them for being a customer and you hope they check back often. i promise you that will trump a fancy shirt bag every day of the week.


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## Quese

NigelT said:


> Hey Andynot024, did you magaed to sort out your polymailer bags?
> 
> We got our back and the came out pretty good. We haven't sorted out our website yet, but the few people we've shipped out t-shirts to have been impressed.


What size did you end up getting and how well does 1 shirt fit?


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## edenscancer

[media]http://www.monstermashpress.com/assets/sheet.pdf[/media] These guys do some classy polymailers.


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## edenscancer

They do however only offer one color on white or black mailers, with a choice of metallic gold, white, or black though. I've seen their work and it's good. 80 cents if you order in bulk and around 1.20 for 50 and under


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## JimCPP

There are a number of options for poly mailers. Unfortunately, minimum quantities will be a problem for many smaller shops. Our company, for example, has a minimum order quantity of 3,000 bags. This is due to press set-up and converting equipment set-up costs that have to be factored into the cost of the bags.

I'm working on an informational blog site for custom poly mailers. (http://custompolymailers.com) The site isn't done yet, but the section explaining Flexographic Printing is pretty much done. It will help you better understand the steps in the process for printing on poly film. I'm hoping to get the How a Poly Mailer is Made page finished soon, so you can learn about the process of converting flat film into a finished poly mailer bag.
Feel free to post comments on the blog site as it develops to help me ensure that I'm providing the information you need and answering the right questions.


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## JimCPP

Well.....I am "them." I work for Custom Poly in the sales dept. I've worked with several customers in the T-Shirt and Sweatshirt market space providing custom printed mailers, so I know there are some satisfied customers out there.

If you want to email me at [email protected]custompoly.com I can email you a sample picture of a bag we did recently, or I can mail you physical samples if you provide me with an address.

I read the thread and posted mostly to explain that minimum order quantities are always going to be an issue for small shops as the manufacturing realities don't allow for extremely small runs. Our minimum is 3,000 mailers. The Custom Mailer Bags site has pages that explains the printing process and I'm still working on pages that explain the converting process to help users understand better what all is involved in making a mailer.

Hope the information is helpful. Let me know if you want some samples, pricing or more information.


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## s2ksaad

I've read thru all the comments, I have my own design studio for my clothing line. We have a plotter and our own press. I too am looking for custom bags for my launch, I will be wanting to print on black poly mailers however, I can do it. I just need to know what kind of ink to use. And what is the flash point of them. They are the mailers not the bags im talking about. 

I have all the equipment and an extra press I can set-up for this. If you guys can help me figure it out i can make some for us...


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## markjan1

Is there anything wrong with shipping T-shirts in a poly mailer without a clear poly bag?

Regards
Mark
sticker printing


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## s2ksaad

Nope, there is nothing wrong with sending them in those mailers, I however have aquired the ink and the mesh, retardant and colors thru ryonet. Enrique who is the manager at their los angeles location gave me a great walkthrough on how to achieve the desired result. The ink dries fairly quickly. Anywhere from 5-30 mins depending on which one you use, so I will be making custom bags for myself and attach pics of the end result. 

In terms of making it custom, I feel it adds a little extra touch and is something your customers can really appreciate. It shows the level of detail and attention put towards the whole package. I also have made three layered 3d die cut hangtags that will be arriving soon, so I am excited about that as well...


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## stmpolythene

Hi, just a quick note to say that in response to NigelT's post Sefton Transmail are able to help with custom printed poly mailers. Shipping to the US is possible. It is possible to order as little as 100 custom printed poly mailers but they are only available with 1 colour print. Print for up to 4 colours would be a minimum of 1,000. Print for up to 8 colours would be a minimum of 5,000.
Thanks,
Andy.


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## tshirtsbyrenee

NigelT said:


> Hey Andynot024, did you magaed to sort out your polymailer bags?
> 
> We got our back and the came out pretty good. We haven't sorted out our website yet, but the few people we've shipped out t-shirts to have been impressed.


 

You live in the States or the UK? I went to the site, looks cool but not sure if theyship here. Just starting out as well. And I ordered polys from Uline and have stickers, but I really like the way our bag looks.


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## jfisk3475

Discount mugs has a lot of ad stuff.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using T-Shirt Forums


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## graphixrob

Epic Media said:


> As an avid collector of tshirts, I have kept pretty much every printed poly mailer sent my way. I have framed 2 of them, and keep the others as well as the tags, stickers and ect. swag.
> If you look at the successful indie shirt brands, not only do they have quality items but they also are selling you the experience of buying from that store. It may be small but if done well it can have a great impact.



I feel you on this, I have kept all my polymailers as well. I keep them all for creativity when I produce my own.


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## tylerx

You can probably screen print them yourself with water based inks? Not sure tho but its an idea.


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## WesMan316

I've been talking to a few ink companies and should be able to start making custom mailers in a week or two. 

.50 cents a piece min order of 50 if anyone is interested. 


"Everything is impossible until its done. Do the impossible, everyday"


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## selanac

Wesman, did you notice you have 4 billion posts?

What size mailers? Is that full color?


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## WesMan316

selanac said:


> Wesman, did you notice you have 4 billion posts?
> 
> What size mailers? Is that full color?


LoL yeah I noticed that. I figured the glitch would clear itself up. 
The mailers right now would be 9 x 15 in one color. I could do bigger sizes and more colors but I would have to quote that individually.


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## 13 Stitches

youngsid said:


> Any idea what their minimums are?


The site says 12, but there is no pricing on it-have to call or fill out form.


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## in2infinity

The way to go with this would be with a flatbed UV cured ink-jet printer. Full color, full bleed, 1200 dpi effective resolution - near photo quality. As a digital machine you can make as few as 1 economically.

Best part... you can print boxes, bags, stickers, etc all on the same machine so your materials match across the line.

We've done box print runs as small as 25 in full color on standard uline white boxes for under 2 bucks a box. Our press doesn't print white so we're limited to white boxes/bags (or black on a colored bag) if you want accurate color reproduction. But since you can print full color/full bleed that shouldn't be a huge issue.

The only downside is that it is truly best used for short runs. It can only print so fast so if you get over runs of a couple hundred, the printer speed limits the cost reductions. When you graduate to those quantities you'd have to move to screen printing.

I would avoid trying to DIY this with solvent inks and a screen press unless you're already set-up and using solvent inks. Solvent inks are awful and to stink up your environment and stock the necessary nasty chemicals just for this would be more hassle then its worth.


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## T-Styles

Great thread, we are in the market for these as well. Thanks for all the info!


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## Kmpr12

Hi,
I'm very interested in pricing an order with you guys at sonicweapon.


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## wilcomail

Im in the market for mailers also.


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## sonicweapon

wilcomail said:


> Im in the market for mailers also.


I've noticed people responding to possibly Me (Sonic Weapon) about being interested in print services. 

I originally posted examples of our past work to show people we can do it, not really to spam, or to keep contact with anyone who responded afterwards. We dont' want to be mis-using this forum.

This is a message board for T-Shirts, NOT a place for me to be conducting business, so if anyone has any questions, PLEASE respond or send those comments or questions to us by visiting 

Contact | SONIC WEAPON (sorry if this is spamming, trying to REDUCE this on this thread)


THANKS!


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## DonkeyRags

IMO, custom printed poly bags are great for established brands - not so much for folks just starting out. You will want to focus instead on establishing a core set of great selling designs, then use those to fund your marketing plans.

Depending on your pricing and sales volume, a less expensive option could be to ship in corrugated mailers, and adding a sticker on top. It looks great and the corrugated box is a much more premium look than a poly mailer.

-William
What Inspires You?


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## Em11

wilcomail said:


> Im in the market for mailers also.


Owlbear Printing (Owlbear Printing) prints polymailers as well and will ship em anywhere in the US.


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## cwfessler

kporter1 said:


> Hey Everyone looking for Polybag mailers...I have an AMAZING guy located in Los Angeles that works with VERY LOW minimums and does a great job and extremely quickly. He has been printing slightly iridescent silver on black bags for me for quite some time and have zero complaints. He is very affordable and if anyone wants his contact info - please PM me and I'll get your connected - Kirk


Thanks for the head's up, but is there a reason you can't post his info. here?


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## salmanravoof

Anyone have any idea where can I get custom poly mailers in Bangalore, India? We are looking for small quantities (~500) right now. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA.


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## maxsaintfestin

kporter1 said:


> Hey Everyone looking for Polybag mailers...I have an AMAZING guy located in Los Angeles that works with VERY LOW minimums and does a great job and extremely quickly. He has been printing slightly iridescent silver on black bags for me for quite some time and have zero complaints. He is very affordable and if anyone wants his contact info - please PM me and I'll get your connected - Kirk


Hey dude, tried pming you but your inbox is full. Could you post's the guys info here?


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## selanac

Guys and Gals, why not screen print your own? Just find the proper ink and print off what you need. 

Anyone have an idea of what the want it to look like? I'll do one just as a example. and tell you what i did to make it.


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## Renne Dreamer

Andynot024 said:


> Im trying to get custom poly mailers for my clothing line (screen printed with my logo on it) but I have no idea where to look. Can anybody point me in the right direction?


There is a company named Universal Plastic or Plastic Universal, don't remember really clear, but they have loots of poly products. Let me check if I can find their website o email


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## Renne Dreamer

email and website [email protected]


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## TWELVEANDTWO

tylerx said:


> You can probably screen print them yourself with water based inks? Not sure tho but its an idea.


Are you still doing poly-mailers?


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## SMovement

I'm looking to have some poly mailers printed also. Did anyone find a decent company that doesn't require 1000+? I was wondering if I could do it on my Artisan 1430 but I fear with the ink I use it would just smudge...

Jonny


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