Sending plans safely by post: the packaging guide

The only moment when your originals are not in controlled hands is during transport. The good news: with the right packaging, sending plans and files by post is exceptionally safe – we receive shipments every day, and transport damage is the absolute exception. This guide shows you how to do it right.

Rolled plans: the cardboard tube is your friend

For rolled plans there is exactly one correct type of packaging: the sturdy cardboard tube (mailing tube) with firm end caps. It costs a few francs at an office supplier or at the post office and reliably protects against creases and crushing.

Here is how to proceed: roll the plans with the drawing facing outwards and not too tightly – this makes flattening before scanning easier later on. Several plans may go into one tube; a sheet of packing paper as the outermost layer protects the topmost plan. Choose a tube two to three centimetres longer than the plan width, so that the edges do not press against the ends. Fit the end caps and secure them with tape – done.

Avoid: rubber bands directly around the plans (they leave pressure marks), plastic pipes with sharp cut edges and folding large plans just to use smaller packaging. Creases are scannable, true, but avoidable creases remain avoidable.

Folded plans and small holdings

Plans that are already folded – for instance building application plans folded to A4 in the classic way – travel best in a padded B4 envelope or between two sheets of cardboard that you glue together at the edges. The cardboard prevents creases at the corners, which are typical with plain envelopes. From around twenty folded plans, it is worth switching to a flat cardboard box.

Folders and files: upright, snug, heavy enough considered

Lever arch folders belong upright in a sturdy box – just as on the shelf. Stacks lying flat shift around and the mechanisms press into one another. Consistently fill any voids with packing paper or air cushions: a box in which nothing wobbles will also survive a rough sorting facility. Calculate the weight realistically – a full lever arch folder weighs a good two kilograms, and per parcel we recommend a maximum of around 20 kilograms, for the sake of your wrists too. Secure loose stacks of sheets with a wrap of packing paper rather than with rubber bands.

Fragile and historical originals

Brittle tracing paper, linen prints or historical pieces deserve an extra layer of care: wrap them individually in tissue paper or place them in a clear sleeve before they go into the tube or box. Include a clearly visible note reading “FRAGILE – please handle separately”; such originals are placed by hand at our facility and processed separately from the machine batch. We document any pre-existing damage before processing – if you already take photos at home, you will additionally have your own reference.

Dispatch method: registered is a must, insurance is optional

Send every shipment as a parcel with track and trace – never as untracked letter post. Track and trace costs little and answers the most important question (“Where is my shipment?”) at any time. For valuable or irreplaceable holdings, add supplementary insurance; the postal service offers coverage at several levels. For very large holdings – several boxes or entire plan cabinets – ask us about a courier collection: above a certain quantity it is more convenient and often no more expensive than several individual parcels.

Checklist for dispatch day

Before the shipment goes to the post office, one last look: order number enclosed and clearly visible (it is in your order confirmation), sender details on the outside of the packaging, end caps or cardboard lid glued shut, nothing wobbles in the shake test, track and trace receipt tucked away. Not yet placed an order? Then order first – you will receive the delivery address and all details immediately by email, and the price calculator reveals in advance what your holdings will cost.