Did you know that... In ancient times, to keep correspondence secret, a piece of paper with information written on it was folded, for example, with its four ends inward and secured with a seal.
It was only in modern times that envelopes began to appear. Using them showed respect for the person to whom the letter was being sent. Soon, mainly in Great Britain, in 1840, the postal reform came into force, which was to standardize the mode of sending letters. At this time, a machine for producing envelopes was also created. In 1877, the custom of securing letters with an envelope became popular and spread in other countries.
Types of envelopes and their sizes.
Envelopes have also gained popularity in various shapes and sizes adapted to the size of the shipment.
- C envelopes
A4 envelope - also called C4 envelope, its dimensions are 324x229mm, it can have an address window on the right side, it can easily accommodate an A4 sheet and an A3 sheet folded in half.
The C5 envelope has a size of 162x229mm and can accommodate an A5 sheet of paper horizontally and an A4 sheet of paper folded in half.
C6 envelope - the smallest of the available types of envelopes, its size is 114x162mm and can accommodate an A6 sheet of paper, an A5 sheet of paper folded in half and an A4 sheet of paper folded in quarter.
- B envelopes
B5 envelope - size 176x250mm, fits a stack of A5 sheets of paper and a B4 envelope or newspaper
B4 envelope - has a size of 250x353mm and can also accommodate a stack of A5 sheets of paper and a C4 envelope or newspaper.
- DL envelopes - envelopes used primarily in commercial correspondence, due to the different proportions of the sides, they do not belong to group C or B, they have a size of 110x220mm and can accommodate an A4 sheet of paper folded into 3 equal parts.
- E Envelopes - used to send multiple separate envelopes to different recipients in one shipment. They have a size of 280x400mm and can accommodate, among others: B4 envelopes.
Types of closures for postal envelopes
- Envelopes with a moisturizing strip - they are equipped with a layer of glue that must be moistened before sealing, water activates the glue and makes it possible to close the envelope .
- Self-sealing envelopes with a strip - the glue is located behind the silicone paper, which must be removed to seal the envelope.
- Self-sealing geared envelopes – The envelope is equipped with glue that is on both sides of the closure and will only stick when both layers are connected.
Envelope types
- Letter envelopes - as the name suggests, these are classic correspondence envelopes .
- Expanded envelopes - These envelopes have an expanded bottom and are dedicated to document files, e.g. catalogs or invoice files.
- Bubble envelopes - Due to the fact that they are lined with bubble foil on the inside, they are intended for transporting delicate items.
- Foil packages - Cheap packaging most often chosen for shipping textiles due to protection against waterlogging.
- Shipping envelopes - courier envelopes , have an adhesive layer on one side and are usually placed on the front of the package or pallet along with the invoice or bill of lading.
How to address an envelope?
This seems like a simple activity, but due to the development of e-mail, sending letters is a rare practice. Sender and addressee, first of all, we should find out what the difference is between them. The sender, as the name suggests, sends the letter, and the addressee is the person who receives the envelope. The sender should put his/her details such as name, surname and place of residence along with the postal code in the upper left corner.
The details of the addressee, also known as the recipient, such as name, surname and place of residence along with the postal code should be located in the lower right corner. Don't forget about the postage stamp placed in the upper right corner.
Want to learn more about envelopes? See our blog post