Like most industries, the envelope industry has its own technical terms or jargon. The following list summarises many of the terms and definitions used.
Banker
Diamond shape or V-flap opening on the long edge, also known as invitation envelopes.
Bangtail
Special type of wallet incorporating a perforated flap. Extension from the throat e.g. Barclaycard envelope.
Basketweave
Manilla Paper with a weave effect finish, traditionally used for Heavy weight manilla papers typically in 115gsm.
Bespoke
Envelopes made to customer specifications, not from stock.
Biodegradable / Recycleable
These envelopes can be recycled and will biodegrade, so do not need to be used for landfill.
Blank Fed
Envelopes manufactured from flat sheets, punched out and made up.
Board Back
Generally a pocket made with a cardboard back & paper front. 120gsm paper and around 1000 micron board.
BRE
Business Reply Envelope – normally an undersize DL (105x216mm or 102x216mm) also an undersize C5 (155x220mm). They are both now available from Blake and are gaining popularity.
Colour Wash
Printing technique used to give a tinted or coloured effect, often relates to internal opaque’s.
Corn Starch Window Film
Normal window films will not biodegrade, however using corn WINDOW FILM starch film it will biodegrade in 30 days. See our recycled envelope range.
Card Envelope
An envelope made from card, for instance our Purely Packaging Optima Card range. Sometimes this will refer to an envelope that you would send a greetings card in, in this case this would refer to our Invitation envelopes.
Diamond Press Envelopes
A make of envelope printing press, good for larger sizes such as C3, board backs and gussets.
Drilled Holes
Holes drilled normally in internal mail transit pockets, used to check for inserts.
Flexo
Printing technique carried out during manufacture or printing in-line, for large quantities not up to the quality of litho printing.
FSC
Stands for Forestry Stewardship Council, gives full traceability on raw materials such as pulp/paper.
Glassine
Paper based material used for window and some wage and photographic pockets.
GSM / Grammage
Determines the weight of the paper, measured in g/m2.
Gummed
Refers to the envelope sealing method that requires moistening to seal, refer to the gummed sealing section of this guide.
Gusset
Normally a pocket envelope with expandable sides. Can be block bottom or V- bottom. All our stock is V-bottom as it is suitable for over printing.
Halm Jet Press
A make of envelope printing press most commonly used in the industry. Available in 2 and 4 colour and more recently 5, with dryers that enable the envelope to be printed 4 colours on face and 1 colour on the flap (i.e. return address) in one pass, known as EM 5000.
Hot Melt
Is a form of Peel & Seal adhesive, a narrow band of adhesive with a heavier gram weight than normal gives a shelf life of 5 years, looks similar to double sided tape adhesive.
Invitation Envelopes
A gummed envelope with a diamond flap usually used for greetings cards and invitations and sometimes referred to as a 'Banker'.
Laser Window Films
This window film is double the thickness of normal film enabling it to go through laser/digital printers without melting in the machine. It measures 40-50microns as opposed to standard 22mm.
Machinable
Envelope for use on an inserting/mailing machine.
Mailing Wallet
See "Machinable".
Matt Coated
Envelopes made from coated paper designed for full colour overprint.
Micron
Describes the thickness of paper in 1000mm
Opaque
Printed design or wash inside an envelope typically for security.
Pantone
Reference for shades of print colours - each one has an individual number. Also referred to as PMS colour (Pantone Machine System).
PAS 2020
An environmental standard for direct marketing that comprises a set of objectives, performance levels and indicators which set out how to create and manage an environmentally responsible direct mail campaign.
Method of supplying artwork via email (Portable Document Format).
PEFC
Programme for the endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes, gives full product traceability.
Perfecting
Litho printing on both sides of an envelope at the same time.
PIP
'Pricing in Proportion' is how Royal Mail now charge for posting of mail, based primarily on the size of the envelope. small letter, large letter, parcel.
Envelope with opening on the short side.
PPI
Postage Paid Impression e.g. 1st Class, Mailsort.
Recycled
Envelopes made from post consumer waste, see our Recycled range.
Reel Fed
Envelope manufactured from reels of paper, most cost effective of our envelopes.
Self Seal
Refers to sealing method where the two flaps are pressed together to form an instant bond.
Security Slits
Small slits in the flap of some self seal envelopes designed as 'tear points' for tamper proof security.
Shelf Life
Useable life of an envelope. Generally applied to Self Seal & Peel and Seal envelopes.
Shoulder
Top of the side flaps of a wallet. Can be a critical design aspect for inserting machines.
Set-Off
This is where the print on one envelope marks on another. UV driers will avoid this ensuring the envelope is dry when going onto the feed table.
Side Seams
The seams at the sides of a mailing wallet. These can be outside or inside to suit individual mailing machine requirments.
Throat
Gap between the score line and the back flap of a wallet. Can be a critical design aspect for inserting machines.
Thumb Cut
Shape cut from a topless pocket or wallet, normally a semi circle.
Topless
Pocket or wallet without a flap.
UV Dryer
Fitted to the back of the envelope press, it enables substrates such as matt coated envelopes to be printed without risk of set-off.
Wallet
Envelope with opening on the long edge.
W & D 212/214
The 'Rolls Royce' of envelope presses, more expensive than the other two mentioned, but better built and with heavier roller power which is ideal for solid blocks of printed colour. The 212 is two colour whilst the 214 is four colour.
W & D 102
Reel fed machine specifically used for producing gummed wallet envelopes up to oversize C5.
W & D 249
Envelope press specifically for the production of larger format pocket envelopes, particularly C4 size.