How to ship music

[AndrewMeronek]

Specifically the packaging: for shipping things like scores and complete parts to minimize the chance for things to get damaged, especially the corners. Something like a cardboard mailer (with no side thickness) seems to me to be a bit of a gamble when the thickness of the stacked paper means such a mailer would be distorted, giving the paper room to slide around and get scrunched. The obvious 'ideal' solution would be a cardboard box of the dimensions of the paper (say, 8.5x11 in the U.S.) - but a 0.5" or 1" thick box of such dimensions isn't carried by USPS or FEDEX or Office Max or etc., at least as far as I've been able to find.

Does no one ship decent-sized hardcover books anymore???

[hyperbolica]

I sell books I've written, and send them out via the mail. I bought boxes if the closest size from Uline. If the box is bigger than the book, I take up the extra space with a toilet paper roll or wadded up packing paper.

You can get a special "media mail" rate from the post office too for books or documents.

I wind up making my own boxes from other boxes to get the right sizes for a lot of things.

For smaller sheets you might consider putting them in a tube rolled up

[BGuttman]

Most of the music I have received from people who should know (Luck's Music, Sheet Music Plus) have the music shrink wrapped to a cardboard stiffener and placed in a box. The stiffener is the same size as the box and the shrink wrap keeps the music from shifting around.

Single parts can be a problem. Even with a cardboard backing the USPS tends to bend them to fit a mailbox.

[AndrewMeronek]

Some good ideas!

I definitely use media mail for the USPS in the U.S. - the specific rules for media mail make just about no sense, but sheet music does apply.

[Gary]

I quit this hard-copy mailing years ago. I eMail the music for the recipient to print out at their end, reducing the total cost that would've been spent for mailing and packings. If the recipient feels better with something tanbible, I send a CD with the materials on it for printing out.

[BGuttman]

I quit this hard-copy mailing years ago. I eMail the music for the recipient to print out at their end, reducing the total cost that would've been spent for mailing and packings. If the recipient feels better with something tanbible, I send a CD with the materials on it for printing out.

Some of my players don't like this. Often they prefer the 10 x 12 inch standard music sheet rather than US Letter or A4 formats (yes, I know they are different).

[Gary]

I can understand that but, now that I think of it, I don't think I've used that larger format for at least thirty years. YMMV.

[Digidog]

Some of my players don't like this. Often they prefer the 10 x 12 inch standard music sheet rather than US Letter or A4 formats (yes, I know they are different).

Howcome you guys in the U.S don't like A4? That's the best.

How can anyone not like it?

Nowdays I almost always send PDF:s - it's as rare as a beak on a wolf that people who buy or commission note-jobs from me want them sent as hard copies.

[harrisonreed]

Hickeys ships their sheet music out and uses ... let's say, repurposed USPS and UPS mailers as rigid inserts around the corners of the music. They're free so I guess they think that is ok to do...

[BGuttman]

Some of my players don't like this. Often they prefer the 10 x 12 inch standard music sheet rather than US Letter or A4 formats (yes, I know they are different).

Howcome you guys in the U.S don't like A4? That's the best.

How can anyone not like it?

Nowdays I almost always send PDF:s - it's as rare as a beak on a wolf that people who buy or commission note-jobs from me want them sent as hard copies.

Daniel, it's hard as heck to find paper cut into A4 size in the US. American paper sizes are cuts from 34 x 22 inches where Metric sizes are standardized on A1 (841 x 594 mm, about 33 x 23 inches). A4 is a little narrower and a little longer than US Letter Size. I don't know that either is better than the other.

[harrisonreed]

It's not any better for music. Sheet music should be on like 10"x13" (and double that width if you aren't using comb binding)

Good luck finding a print service to do that size. Lulu won't do it for me, or any other self publisher.

Buying a printer that handles that size and can do a pro quality job is extremely expensive, it's like music publishers lobbied against being able to do it yourself lol.

[AndrewMeronek]

It's not any better for music. Sheet music should be on like 10"x13" (and double that width if you aren't using comb binding)

Good luck finding a print service to do that size. Lulu won't do it for me, or any other self publisher.

Buying a printer that handles that size and can do a pro quality job is extremely expensive, it's like music publishers lobbied against being able to do it yourself lol.

Yes, that's exactly why a lot of music was printed in 10x13 size: to make it harder to copy. And also, I suspect, harder to store, forcing people to by specially sized music folders.

[BGuttman]

It's not any better for music. Sheet music should be on like 10"x13" (and double that width if you aren't using comb binding)

Good luck finding a print service to do that size. Lulu won't do it for me, or any other self publisher.

Buying a printer that handles that size and can do a pro quality job is extremely expensive, it's like music publishers lobbied against being able to do it yourself lol.

Yes, that's exactly why a lot of music was printed in 10x13 size: to make it harder to copy. And also, I suspect, harder to store, forcing people to by specially sized music folders.

The adoption of the large size music sheets predates photocopiers by about a century. Copy protection was not on the horizon back then.

[Digidog]

Howcome you guys in the U.S don't like A4? That's the best.

How can anyone not like it?

Nowdays I almost always send PDF:s - it's as rare as a beak on a wolf that people who buy or commission note-jobs from me want them sent as hard copies.

Daniel, it's hard as heck to find paper cut into A4 size in the US. American paper sizes are cuts from 34 x 22 inches where Metric sizes are standardized on A1 (841 x 594 mm, about 33 x 23 inches). A4 is a little narrower and a little longer than US Letter Size. I don't know that either is better than the other.

I was just pulling your imperial leg - I had a hunch that A4-sized paper would be hard to find in the U.S, and I just wanted to mock your incomprehensible and confusing measurements with a jestering slight. I mean: Whats up with 1,685" or 5'7 3/4" eh?

I regularly buy sheet music from many U.S. editors, and on most printers, or copying machines, it's fairly easy to scale the format to what paper is in the machine in question - in my case from Letter (I guess it's called) to A4. I'd assume that it works the other way just as easily: That you can scale A4 to fit whatever proportions you have in your printer or "xerox".

[Posaunus]

Hickeys ships their sheet music out and uses ... let's say, repurposed USPS and UPS mailers as rigid inserts around the corners of the music. They're free so I guess they think that is ok to do...

I just received some music (Snedecor - Lyrical Études) from Hickey's in a (non-USPS) very sturdy 12"x10" brown cardboard mailing envelope. Arrived in perfect condition - postman respected the "Do Not Bend" sticker and dropped off the envelope at our front door instead of cramming into the mailbox.

Nice music, too. (And making me hone my tenor clef reading!) Thanks, Mr. Snedecor.

[Rosannestirl]

Interesting, I'm following the thread.

[olivegreenink]

I know this was a resurrected thread, but probably one of the threads I’ve seen that I can materially contribute to. I’m not a musician by trade - I am a creative director. And part of the team I lead is dedicated to print production and logistics.

What you’re looking for to handle single sheets is called a StayFlat Rigid mailer. Or a “photo mailer.” Do not bend stickers/stamps are quite useful as mentioned - though the honoring of the request is not guaranteed.

Out most common shipments are copies of bound proposals - using every imaginable type of binding method. We heat shrink (very fun btw ) 1-4 together depending on a number of factors including thickness...then we use the large diameter bubble wrap around the shrink wrapped sets. You want the bubbles facing inward if you plan to have multiple bubble wrapped sets so they pack tightly/flush (bubbles-out get caught on each other and can mess up the wrapping). You may want to look at the uline (or otherwise) foldable cardboard corner protectors. Also, agree that heat shrink wrapping individual bound copies to a chip board backing is good. Just be aware there a many, many types of shrink wrapping. If you don’t plant to need a whole shrink wrapping setup, the one-handed 8-12” rolls (with a handle) of movers stretch wrapping can be a great substitute. That’s what I use at the house - I got one at HD or Lowe’s.

Now most importantly - lol - after a career in both design and printing I can unequivocally confirm that A4 paper (and the rest of the global system) is superior to the US system in every way. First and foremost, The letter-sized equivalent (A4) and its 11x17 counterpart (A3) are the same proportion of length compared to width. Meaning an A3 is simply just a scaled up A4 (and an A4 is just a scaled up A5, etc.). In US sizes - though an 11x17 is indeed two side-by-side 8.5x11s...all the content would need to be redesigned to fit the different ratio.

Lastly, while earlier someone mentioned about the large sheets that get cut down to make the smaller music-sized sheets .... “parent sheets” come in a multitude of sizes as well .... there is actually no single standard. But do totally agree that sheet music long predates any consideration for copy protection

Cheers

[ExZacLee]

For shrink wrapping music for shipping, putting the cardboard on top and bottom works best in my experience - but I don't have olivegreenink's experience in printing so I'm not suggesting you disregard his valuable info above. Don't even need a "Don't Bend Me" sticker, any postperson trying to squeeze that in a mailbox is going to have a fit. I usually save any cardboard backing from legal pads, staff paper pads, etc and will cut to fit if necessary and stack a couple together if necessary to increase the rigidity.

There's a company called "ULINE" that makes a bunch of different mailers - check them out, may give you some ideas. I think they can do custom cut mailers and boxes. Skinny boxes instead of envelopes are probably what you're looking for.

For 9X12 (C4?) to 10X13 concert size sheets, use smaller print shops - call until you find one that can cut paper to size for you (calling Kinkos will give you a headache). 80 lb offset, cream is what i think i used last time i needed this. It was a few years back for parts and score for a musical - I think my printing bill was north of $500 not counting the rehearsal parts, the custom paper wasn't *cheap* but we haven't had to re-print those at all, and pasting edits onto the parts is much easier than trying to do so on bulk 20lb crap paper. Thin card stock (90lb? I think?) highly suggested if you're making stuff that's going to be abused, like for a tour book, musicals, rental stuff, etc. To avoid headaches when it comes time to print (especially if you're investing in your own printing setup) I highly suggest 9X12 - printers that can handle this size and the Tabloid Extra size (12X18) seem to be more common, at least in my neck of the woods. Regarding the A3/Tabloid (11X17) issue - for music use we don't want those sizes scaled up with the same ratio necessarily - we primarily use those as left and right pages folded (and for scores) so it's not an issue. Using such a large page in portrait orientation as a part would be undesirable and impractical in most situations.

Regarding 8.5X11, the great majority of commissions i take on now are formatted for this size specifically because most people prefer to get PDFs and they're usually printing with a $100 Epson that can't handle anything wider than 8.5". As long as your staff height is at least 7.5-7.7mm and you take extra care with your formatting and spacing, you're good. You can usually fit three of these on a stand (with a little bit of hang over). It's obviously not optimal, but no one should have a huge problem with it considering it's easily the most common format encountered now-a-days. Some of my clients prefer it because those 20 page piano parts are a little easier to manage on the piano desk, others because quick page turns are a little easier to negotiate. I'd rather have concert size, but it's not a deal killer...