Every padded mailer is a sandwich: an outer facing laminated to bubble film. The bubble — the part doing the protecting — is identical in our poly and kraft lines. What you're choosing is the face, and it changes four things: weather resistance, weight, print quality and the story the package tells on a doorstep.
When poly wins
Poly film shrugs off rain, sits lighter on the scale, and costs slightly less at the same size. For high-volume DTC shipping where every gram of parcel weight is billed and packages ride in open carts, white or black poly is the rational default. Colored poly — we stock black, blue and pink alongside white — also does duty as brand signaling without printing.
When kraft wins
Kraft paper takes print beautifully — fine line work and small type stay crisp in a way stretchy poly film can't match — and its natural look reads as considered, sustainable packaging on the doorstep. The paper face is recyclable, which matters to brands making that claim on the listing. Kraft is the default for books, artisan goods, cosmetics and subscription boxes.
The honest trade-offs
Kraft absorbs moisture if a parcel sits in the rain; poly doesn't. Poly stretches around odd shapes; kraft creases. Kraft is a touch heavier per mailer. And on recyclability: the paper face is recyclable, but a laminated paper-bubble construction is not curbside-recyclable as a unit — brands should word claims carefully, and we'll help you get the wording right.
Plenty of shippers run both: poly for the rain-belt months and heavy rotation SKUs, kraft for the branded lines. Since both come off the same converting machines here, splitting an order across faces doesn't cost you a second supplier.
Quick answers
Is the protection different between poly and kraft?
No — the bubble lining is the same film at the same height. The facing changes surface properties, not cushioning.
Which prints better?
Kraft, clearly, for fine detail. Poly prints well in bolder 1–3 color designs. Both run through the same 1–3 color program here.
Are kraft bubble mailers recyclable?
The kraft face is recyclable paper, but the laminated mailer as a whole is not curbside-recyclable because of the bonded poly bubble. Word marketing claims accordingly.
