Packing instructions for PaleoResearch Institute:

• Double bag everything, including large groundstone artifacts. Single layer bags tend to rip in transit. Plastic is preferred over paper or cloth.
• Put a tag with the sample number and all provenience info in between the 2 bags (Stuff written on plastic rubs off easily).
• Keep boxes under 50 lbs. (Be nice to your mail /UPS delivery people).
• Empty spaces in boxes are bad. Pack with Styrofoam or crumpled newspapers.
• Include a complete TYPED list of all samples, listing the provenience info and what type(s) of processing you wish for each sample and include contact info so that we can notify you of the safe receipt of your samples.
• Make sure heavy bags will not crush light botanical samples.
• Reinforce heavy boxes with enough tape that they hold together while being tossed around in transit.
• Remember that processing and analysis can take months. Do not wait to send your sample to us after arranging their processing and a possible due date. We need time to work on them in order to get them done by an agreed upon deadline.
• Do not send more than 4 liters of dirt for a macrobot sample unless you are willing either pay for the extra long processing/analysis times and/or pay for us to ship the excess dirt back to you. [For pollen and phytolith samples a cup or so of soil is usually sufficient.]