This is one of the most common questions we get, and the honest answer is: it depends. Both are excellent solutions, and we sell both because different businesses need different things.

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Choose paper void fill if: Your customers specifically want plastic-free packaging, your brand is premium or gift-focused and presentation matters, you need a plastic-free option for regulatory or corporate reasons, or you're packing low volumes and want the simplest possible option. Also if you have heavy items like engineering, industrial or automotive, the Padded Paper System produces a better suited heavy duty material.

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Choose air cushions if: Speed and throughput are your priority, you need the lowest possible cost per parcel, storage space is limited (flat film rolls are more compact than paper rolls), keeping parcel weight down is important, or you need bubble-style protection for fragile items like glass, electronics or home & giftware.

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Choose both if: You ship a mix of products — some that benefit from paper presentation and some that need the speed, protection and lower packing costs of air cushions. Many of our customers use air cushion pillows for general void fill and paper for wrapping or presentation.

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Not sure? Talk to Tom — he'll give you an honest recommendation based on what you actually ship.