Evolution of the Envelope

Since envelopes were not used until the middle of the 19th century, how did one send letters? As with the air we breathe, we all take envelopes for granted. No one really worries on where or how
envelopes are manufactured.

Mankind has always sought to improve ways of communicating and recording thoughts. Cavemen would often move from place to place, in search of food sources. If successful they would draw pictures on cave walls of the animals they had hunted, as a message for others to see. Although it was very difficult, other types of essages or records were engraved on stone tablets, as man evolved, the results were remarkably long lasting.

The first recorded “envelope” goes as far back as 2000 B.C. The Babylonians started using “Cuneiform” tablets. The tablets were made out of fresh wet clay, using a reed stylus they would scribe their symbols into the clay. The tablets were then hardened either by the sun or through baking them in ovens. After the tablets were harden they often were encased in an additional layer of clay, this casing was also inscribed with text and seals on the exterior of the package, this precaution would prevent anyone from tampering with the message by rewetting the clay and changing the tablet’s contents. Then the outer “envelope” was baked to harden. The Cuneiform could range in size from 1” x 1”, to a point you would have to use two hands to hold one.

Though less durable than stone, it was easier and quicker: sturdy enough for most records and long distances messages. It had to be cracked open to reveal the inner “letter

Cuneiform Tablet & “Envelope”

Shown here is a fragment of an original “envelope” 

SUPREMEX – INNOVA – PNG

REGISTERED ON CUNEIFORM

At the time Cuneiform tablets were being used, Ancient Egyptians were inventing the first substance like paper, as we know it. Papyrus was a woven mat of reeds, pounded together into a hard, thin sheet. The word “paper” actually comes from the word “papyrus”. Later on in history, the Ancient Greeks used a kind of parchment made from animal skins for the same reason.

The Persians, as early as 539 B.C., had established an extensive postal system that covered their huge empire. In a system similar to the pony express of the early days of America, horse riders rode in relays to deliver messages, of official parchment or papyrus scrolls. Though created by the Chinese in the year 105, paper didn’t reach Europe until the 12th century. As time went on and paper began to be used, the writer of a message had to fold the letter so it formed its own envelope. Then it was sealed by melting the end of a stick of wax over a candle and letting the hot wax drip onto the “flap” and the back of the letter.

The first extensive use of mailing envelopes can be traced back to an English educator and administrator named Rowland Hill, who advocated that the British adopt an inexpensive, prepaid postage rate based on a letters weight, rather than the distance it had to travel. In 1840, the British issued the first postage stamps, which were affixed to an envelope to prove the sender had paid the postage.

The “Penny Black,” issued in England in 1840, is considered the world’s first stamp.

John Dickson, of England, made a paper with a continuous thread of silk or cotton that the British Post Office adopted for envelope use in 1840. The stronger-made envelopes were hard to tamper with. They were called “Mulready envelopes” after the English artist William Mulready. This envelope represented a leap forward for Worldwide Communications.

In 1851, the British Crown transferred authority to the province of Canada for the management of its own postal system, whereupon Canada hastened to issue their first postage stamp. Sir Sandford Fleming designed the first ever postage stamp for Canada issued on April 23, 1851

With the use of a chisel, early envelope blanks were cut out of stacks of paper, then folded and pasted by hand. A single person making envelopes by hand was limited to two or three thousand a day. In 1851 Warren de la Rue, patented a machine for making envelopes, but the sealing and cutting were still done by hand.

Machines can now produce up to 1250 envelopes per minute. Today, what seems like a simple container for a letter is actually a complex variation of paper, sizes, and styles.

Paper

Without paper, obviously the manufacturing of envelopes would not be what it is today. We will not go into the development of making paper, but wood was not used in a large capacity in the manufacturing of paper, until the late Eighteen Hundreds.

For hundreds of years, cotton and linen rags were the papermaker’s raw materials. In 1666 in England, cotton and linen were prohibited from being used for burial shrouds, in order for the linen to be used in papermaking.

In this old historic paper museum they are manufacturing paper, the way it was done over 300 hundred years ago. It takes about thirty hours to prepare rag pulp. Old hemp and linen white rags are being used.

In fact during the Civil War, rags and cotton became very scarce. To get additional supplies of cloth to manufacture paper, Augustus Stanwick imported mummies from Egypt to the United States. The mills then made paper, out of their wrappings.
(we do not know what happened to the rest of their remains)

The Converting of Paper

To transform paper into envelopes is done by using two different techniques. There is the conventional method, of sheeting the paper from large jumbo rolls, next die cutting out blanks, followed by folding the blank into a envelope on a high speed folding machine.

Types of Envelopes

Today’s machinery can manufacture envelopes in an almost endless number of sizes, shapes, and styles in order to meet the specific requirements of our customers. Envelopes are also made from many different styles, colours, finishes and weights of paper. Imagination and creativity in mixing these elements into original designs are extremely important to the envelope industry.

Although there are many envelope styles in use, there are only two basic construction types: open side or open end. These two basic designs can lead
to dozens of different envelopes.

Window Film

Glassine window film is inherently hazy and is prone to buckling under humid conditions. It has long been recognized that glassine windows pose significant impediment to the automation of envelope stuffing and distribution.
Envelopes with glassine windows experience a much higher rejection rate from automated equipment then envelopes with plastic windows (AVP). Rejection is caused by glassine’s inherent haziness and it’s moisture sensitivity which causes buckling or distortion in humid or moist conditions.
This buckling of the film, and the resulting distortion of the envelope, can cause machines to jam, creating headaches for companies attempting to automatically stuff large quantities of envelopes.

Plastic window film (polystyrene) replaced glassine many years ago as the material of choice for envelope windows because of its optical clarity and stability.
Envelopes with plastic windows (polystyrene) lend themselves readily to automated stuffing, sorting and distribution while still providing for confidentiality and envelope quality and stability.
The ability to clearly and consistently read the name and address from envelopes is critical to the success of the Postal Service’s modernization program.
Polystyrene has been the clear choice because it meets and exceeds the demands of customers,
U.S. and Canadian postal services, and the public.
Consequently, polystyrene film comprises 90% of more or the window film produced today.

Avpexine window film (polystyrene) is a clear window film material. Reading something behind it is like looking through your car windows in the winter.

Clearview window film is a very clear window film. Reading something behind it, is like looking through your car windows after you get them washed.

Glassine window film is inherently hazy. Trying to read anything behind glassine is like reading something behind wax paper.

An outlook has no window film behind the window opening, and does not follow postal regulations with today’s automated postal systems.

The Outlook Envelope Company first invented the outlook/window in 1902, which to this day is still in business.

Measuring Window – Size & Position

Horizontal versus Vertical

When measuring a window whether for size or window position, always be sure the flap is at the top of the envelope.

For window size measure the vertical dimension first (north/south) then the horizontal dimension (east/west). If the vertical size (north/south) is the largest dimension, then it is called a vertical window.

Measuring Window Position

The first measurement for window position is measured from the left edge of the envelope, to the beginning edge of the window

The second measurement for window position is measured from the bottom edge of the envelope, to the beginning edge of the window.

Printing

Lithography – (Litho – Offset – Outside Litho – Halm Jet Printing)

Lithography printing is done before (flat sheets) or after the manufacturing of envelopes.

The basic principle on which it works is that oil and water do not mix. A litho printing plate has nonimage areas, which absorb water. During printing, the plate is kept wet so that the ink, which is inherently greasy, is rejected by the wet areas and adheres to the image areas.

Artwork is produced digitally with graphic design software. An image setter is then used to produce films (negative). When printing with more than one colour there is a separated film for each ink colour used. (See Four Colour Process Printing). Each film is used to make a printing plate by a

The plate surface has non-image areas, which absorb moisture and repel ink, the plates, which can be made of a variety of materials, are attached to the plate cylinder. The plate is kept moist throughout so that ink only adheres to image areas.

During every cycle of the press the ink image is first transferred to a rubber surfaced blanket or blanket cylinder and from there to the paper. This indirect method is the ‘offset’ after which the process is named.

Guidelines for Litho Envelope Conversion

The purpose of this guideline is to inform you of standard specifications and tolerances for the conversion of Litho printed envelopes. If you have any questions, please consult your Account Manager.

Before creating a new envelope design, it is strongly recommended that a blank of the envelope or a 1 up die line be secured from your representative. Our most popular layouts are available as an electronic template.

Note: It is suggested that you do not use a previously printed envelope or an envelope from a competitor at the creative stage. Slight variations are difficult to detect until the actual conversion and it can be a very costly venture to repair or replace the product at the converting stage.