Envelope 101
Before stuffing your business correspondence in any old envelope, stop and consider the possibilities these small presentations bring. Envelopes can do much more than just hold content, they can help promote your business and insure the important paperwork inside is actually read. Your printed return address is standard and for no additional cost, your business envelopes can be designed to draw maximum attention and stand out from the rest of the mail received that day!
To understand how to discuss cost savings with your envelope supplier, you first need to know how an envelope is constructed. For printed envelopes, flat sheets of paper are printed that contain several envelope shapes that are “nested” or positioned on the sheet so that they can be die cut out later. A remoistenable strip of gum adhesive is added in position as well. Once the envelope shape is cut out, the envelope is “converted”, meaning each envelope is folded and glued, leaving the remoistenable glue flap open. The parts of an envelope are:
Front or face. This is where the address and postage is displayed and normally, your return address.
Back. Opposite from the front, duh, this is where the flap of the envelope meets the body of the envelope when it is folded and sealed.
Flaps. These are the parts of the envelope that are folded in to hold the contents. Usually the side flaps are folded in first and then the bottom flap is folded up and glued in place. Once the contents are inside, the top flap is folded down and then sealed. The top flap comes in different styles—square, pointed, and sometimes with a tear-off section for remittance or a special offer.
Envelope Marketing Tip #1- If your business envelopes are printed with your return address you can add even more printed copy at no additional charge, if printed in the same ink color or colors. Perhaps you would like to add something special to call attention to an important offer inside or let the receiver know that the contents are time sensitive. Maybe you would like to include your website address on the envelope or just add a simple design element. If you are printing your return address anyway, be creative and use the blank areas on both sides of the envelope to promote your business and add interest to your mailings.
