Glossary of Envelope Terms

ADHESIVES:

Back Gum: Used as a permanent seal for envelope seams.

Self - Sealing: Latex gum is applied to the seal flap and the back of the envelope and sticks only to itself. It is made from rubber-based materials.

Peel & Seal: Pressure sensitive gum is applied to the seal flap and covered by release paper.

Regular Gum: Remoistenable adhesive activated by water. Applied to seal flap of envelopes.

BANG-TAIL: Perforated coupon attached to the body of a return envelope; must be torn off before the envelope is sealed. Used for remittance envelopes and other direct mail applications. May have one or two tear off coupons.

BAR CODE: Pre-printed code used for electronic postal scanning.: Generated by postal service for OCR scanners. Space is critical at the bottom of the envelope for proper bar code printing.

BASIS WEIGHT: See Substance Weight.

BLANK: A die-cut sheet of paper before it is folded into an envelope.

BLEED: In printing, an image that extends off the page or envelope. Envelopes with bleed generally may be printed before they are folded, or after on offset presses.

BLIND EMBOSS: Raised design stamped in paper, without foil or ink. Can be done before the envelope is folded so that design is not debossed onto the back of the envelope.

BOOKLET: Large, open side envelope for catalogs, annual reports, brochures. This style is gaining popularity over the traditional catalog
(open end) envelopes because it can be used with automatic inserting machines. Construction, open side envelopes with two side seams.

BRC: Business Reply Card

BRE: Business Reply Envelope

BRM: Business Reply Mail

CALIPER: Thickness of a sheet of paper, measured in units of 1/1000th inch (points or mils).

CAMERA-READY: Copy or art which is ready for photography.

CLASP: Metal fastener sometimes used with regular gum on catalog envelopes, allowing for repeated opening and closing of the envelope.

CLOSE REGISTER: When 2 or more colors come within 1/16" of each other. This adds complexity to the requirements and must be disclosed at time of quotation.

COATED PAPER: Paper that has been coated with clay and other materials to improve printability. More often used for envelopes requiring four-color printing, in direct mail and other applications.

COMMERCIAL: General term for the most common style of business envelopes. Open side, diagonal seams, with or without windows.

CORNER CARD: Return address and other identification of the sender in the top left corner.

COUPON: See Bang-tail.

DIAGONAL SEAM: Seam style frequently used in commercial open-side envelopes and announcement, invitation and baronial envelopes.

DIE: Precision tool used to cut out envelope blanks, windows or other shapes.

DRILLING: Creating the holes for envelopes. Interoffice and bank teller envelopes are often drilled to ensure that all contents are removed by the recipient.

DUMMY: Hand folded mock-up to exact specifications prior to production; proof.

EMBOSSED FINISH: Finish or pattern applied to paper. When embossing after printing: please state at time of quote. Registration is critical.

FACE: The front or side of the envelope without seams.

FIM: Facing Identification Markings; pre-printed bars on the face of the envelope, as specified by the Postal Service to expedite the automated processing of Business Reply mail.

FLAPS EXTENDED: Term used to describe the packing of envelopes with seal flaps open in a vertical position.

GRAIN: Direction in which most of the fibers lie on a finished sheet of paper. Paper folds more easily with the grain, it offers greater resistance to being torn across its grain, and demonstrates greater tensile strength in the direction of the grain.

INSIDE TINT: Printed design on the inside of the envelope, used for added security and/or for marketing interests.

KRAFT: Paper grade made from unbleached, bleached or colored wood pulp by the sulfate process. Kraft papers have a coarser finish than woves and are noted for their strength. Most commonly used in the manufacture of catalog and booklet envelopes.

LAID: Type of finish, characterized by a closely lined appearance.

LATEX: See Adhesive Self - Sealing.

MANILA: Semi-bleached chemical sulphate paper. Light ecru color commonly associated with manila stock or file jackets.

OFFSET PAPER: General description of any paper primarily suited for offset printing. Can be coated or uncoated. Characterized by strength, lack of curl and freedom from foreign surface material. Finish can be vellum or smooth.

OPACITY: Paper property that measures degree to which paper stops light form passing through. The more opacity a paper has, the less show-through it permits of the envelope contents. Inside tints are added for increased security.

OPEN END ENVELOPE: The open end envelope has its opening on the shorter dimension and usually has a center seam on the back; however there are several side seam models in use.

OPEN SIDE ENVELOPE: The open side envelope has its opening on the longer dimension and has either diagonal or twin side seams.

OUTSIDE SINGLE SIDE SEAM: Single seam construction on open-end envelopes, where seam is glued on top or back panel. Can be right or left side.

POSTAGE METER STYLE: Commercial window envelope with the flap at the bottom for mail metering machines.

PATCH MATERIAL: Translucent or clear material covering window (Glassine, Polyclear or Cello).

PRINTING:

PRINTING: The choice of a printing process depends upon the quality of the camera ready art, the number of ink colors, the paper stock and the level of quality desired.

Dry Offset: Similar to wet offset, but requires a coarser screen, normally 100 to 120 lines per inch. Uses a printing plate with a raised surface.
Produces printing quality higher than flexography but lower than wet offset.

Flexography: A form of rotary letterpress, using flexible rubber or photopolymer plates. Most common type of envelope printing. Fast drying process, suitable for screens with 65-105 lines. AVERAGE quality and clarity, but does not meet wet or dry offset.

Jet Printing: General term for printing presses set up for take from stock and print. Fast, high-quality turnaround, screens to 150 lines.Service in as little 3-5 working days.

Letterpress: Similar to flexographic printing. Uses screens of 65 to 85
lines. One of the least expensive printing processes. Good quality and
clarity.

Lithograph: See Offset Printing.

Offset Printing: Also known as wet offset or lithography. Offers highest
degree of precision, clarity and quality. Uses screens of 133 lines or more. Uses a flat printing plate. The paper is then converted into envelopes.

REAM: 500 sheets of paper.

Self - Sealing: Latex gum is applied to the seal flap and the back of the envelope and sticks only to itself. It is made from rubber-based materials.

SOFTWARE COMPATIBLE ENVELOPES®: Envelopes designed with 1 or 2 windows for automated business communications. Commercial, catalog and booklet are the stock compatibles available. Works with thousands of software applications.

SPLIT SEAL GUM: Gum pattern on seal flap when envelopes are to be used on automated inserting equipment. Gum is broken where flap covers envelope seams; prevents flap from sticking to the back panel during storage in humid conditions.

STRING-AND-BUTTON: Mechanical closure with a string attached to the flap and a button on the body of the envelope. Used mostly in interoffice envelopes.

STRIP-AND-GRIP: Type of pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the flap and covered with a protective strip until the envelope is ready to be sealed.

SUBSTANCE OR BASIS WEIGHT: Weight measure in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper in its basic size. Different grades of paper are sold in different basic sizes. Therefore, basic weights of different grades of paper cannot be compared directly, a 24 lb. white wove is comparable to a 60 lb. offset, not to a 24 lb. offset.

STANDARD PAPER WEIGHTS:

16 lb.Used for overseas air mail envelopes.
20 lb. Used for commercial envelopes where strength and opacity is not a factor.
24 lb. Workhorse of envelope papers-used for most open side official and commercial envelopes.
28 lb. Used for most open and catalog envelopes and large sized commercial envelopes.
32 lb. Used for heavy duty envelopes and clasp envelopes.
40 lb. Used for large envelopes, expansions, heavy duty envelopes or envelopes used for storage and frequent reference.

TEXT: Type of high quality paper, manufactured in white or colors from bleached chemical wood pulp and/or cotton fibers. Manufactured in a wide variety of finishes, including antique, vellum, smooth, felt-marked and embossed. Often has matching cover stock in envelopes, most often used for annual reports, brochures or other prestige mailings where an envelope that matches or complements the enclosure is desirable.

THUMB CUT: Found on envelopes manufactured without flaps, such as filing and film storage. Can be cut on one side, or double thumb cut , through face and back for easier removal of contents.

TOP: When referring to envelope specifications, the dimension of the envelope with the opening even if it is on the side relative to the address, corner card, etc.

TWIN INSIDE SIDE SEAM : Type of seam configuration on open side envelopes where seams tuck beneath back panel.

TWIN OUTSIDE SIDE SEAM : Type of seam configuration on open side envelopes where seams fold over back panel.

WATERMARK: Translucent mark visible when sheet of paper is held up to the light. Available when paper is manufactured or a printed design may also be used.

WINDOW: Opening in the body of the envelope positioned to show mailing address, return address and/or special messages. Customized windows can be created in almost any size. Can be left open with no patch, and may have as little as a 1M minimum in manufacturing.

WINDOW POSITION: Location of the window on the envelope, as measured from the left and bottom edges of the envelope. Window edge should be no closer than 3/8" from the side end bottom (to allow space for gluing window material). Note:5/8" from the bottom is now required for automation discounts of a standard commercial envelopes.