Margie Dana

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If you're in business, you handle envelopes. Long and lean or short and squat, the envelope is in your face with every mail delivery. It would take time and tens of thousands of words to cover all there is to know about envelopes - from manufacturing to printing to paper issues, plus design tips and postal concerns. I dare not attempt that here and now.

But for new print-buying professionals, envelopes present a bit of mystery. Where do they come from, anyway? I remember starting out in print production at Boston University's Office of Publications Production. It was way back in the '80s (and I had the hairstyle to match). I assumed that envelopes came from the print shop. Well, they do and they don't.

Printers don't make envelopes. They print them.

Envelope manufacturers make envelopes, by converting paper into envelopes. I had a conversation about this with Paul Raymond of Bruen Printing & Envelope in Ashland, MA. He was quite enlightening.

Worcester, MA, a Mecca

In New England alone, there are three very large envelope manufacturers: Worcester Envelope and National Envelope, both in Worcester, along with Mead/Westvaco Envelope in Enfield, CT. I learned there are several smaller ones, too. Raymond tells me that National is the largest privately owned envelope manufacturer in the country. It also owns Old Colony Envelope near Springfield, among others.

It turns out that Worcester, MA, is quite the Mecca of envelope manufacturing. The first successful envelope machine was patented by Dr. Russell Hawes in Worcester back in 1853. Also, the first mechanical self-gumming envelope folding machine was developed by Henry and David Swift, also of Worcester. Raymond thinks that at one time, the Worcester area had more envelope manufacturers than the rest of New England combined (doesn't it still?). In addition to the two mentioned above, Sheppard Envelope and Classic Envelope are in or near this central MA city.

Work with Your Printer

Typically, customers (end users, that is) don't deal with envelope manufacturers. They leave this to their printers. Most printers buy their envelopes from paper merchants as they do most of their other paper supplies. Others simply outsource the entire envelope project to envelope specialty printers, who have equipment specifically designed for printing nearly any variety or style of envelope.

If you're designing a job that will require a custom envelope, that's a different issue. You want to learn about standard sizes (among other things), which will keep your costs down. Printers who do a lot of envelope printing can guide you, so talk with them early to avoid costly problems.

Options Galore

Envelopes have their own terminology. There are Baronial envelopes (pointy flaps) and A-size envelopes (square or straight flaps), for example. Catalog envelopes have the flap on the short dimension, while booklet envelopes have them on the long side.

When you're measuring an envelope, always quote the smaller dimension first and then the larger one. The same applies when measuring a custom window, advised Raymond: height first, length, position from the left and from the bottom. When measuring for a custom window, always position the envelope with the flap at the top to ensure accuracy. Ask for a mockup proof of the envelope.

There are many different flap styles, seam styles, and sealing methods for envelopes. Don't get me started on window options - there are tons.

Trade Association

There's a major US trade association devoted to the manufacture of envelopes, at www.envelope.org, the site of the Envelope Manufacturers Association. I found some interesting statistics on this site, including annual US envelope shipments and sales.

At the end of 2005, there were about 195 billion envelopes manufactured in the US. Compare that to 1995, when there were 168 billion envelopes manufactured, or to 1985, when 150 billion were made.

I've been to many printing facilities, but never to an envelope manufacturer. I guess a road trip out to Worcester, MA, is in order. Let me thank Paul Raymond of Bruen Printing & Envelope for his enlightenment on the envelope. Bruen's web address is www.bruenenvelope.com, and their phone is 800.852.2226. Yes, they do envelopes. They PRINT them, that is, on something called a Jet press (not to be confused with an ink-jet press), manufactured by Halm Industries (www.halm.com).

Standard or custom, printed from stock or printed and converted, envelopes deserve close attention when you produce them, or else you could overspend. And they don't grow on trees. Technically speaking.

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