There are many different types of envelopes available and this can make choosing the best ones suited to you a difficult task. Most people have more important things to do than to study the whole range of paper envelopes available on the office supplies market in order to choose the right ones, so we have created a quick simply guide covering the main factors in an effort to make choosing the correct envelopes quick and easy.
Sizes
Envelopes are available in a range of different sizes. The most popular choices are C4, C5, C6 and DL. The illustration to the right displays the size of each in proportion to an A4 sheet of paper.
C4 Envelopes (324x229mm) – Hold an A4 sheet unfolded
C5 Envelopes (229x162mm) – Hold an A4 sheet folded once or an A5 sheet unfolded.
C6 Envelopes (114x162mm) – Hold an A4 sheet folded twice or an A5 sheet folded once.
DL Envelopes (110x220mm) – Hold an A4 sheet folded twice or an A5 sheet folded once.
Paper Quality
Choosing the right quality envelopes that offer the very best in paper quality and finish, and will help your business deliver that right impression.
Professional range – These are high quality envelopes that offer the very best in paper quality and finish, and will help your business deliver the very best impression.
Environmental range – For the more environmentally conscious, these products have environmental accreditation.
General Office range – A more basic offering in terms of quality of paper, but still good value for money.
Envelope Colour
A simple choice or either white or manila. Neither colour has any particular advantage over the other, it’s simply down to personnel preference.
Window & Non-window Envelopes
Pretty self explanatory, window envelopes have a clear see through area to allow the address to be visible if it is printed on the document enclosed. Although a little bit more expensive than non-window envelopes, window envelopes do save time and possibly money compared to using addressing labels.
Pricing In Proportion
Pricing in proportion is Royal mail’s postage structure for the UK market. The criteria for pricing rather than weight is a combination of size and weight and volume. There are three categories of mail:
A. Letter – Max weight 100g
B. Large Letter – Max Weight 750g
C. Packet – Max Weight N/A
Envelope Seal
There three main types of envelope seal:
1. Gummed – Moisten adhesive flap and press to seal.
2. Self Seal – simply fold flap again back of the envelope and press to seal.
3. Peel & Seal – Peel back strip to reveal adhesive and press against back of the envelope to seal.