Glossary
Acidity – refers
to the PH (the acidity or alkalinity) of the paper. All of our paper
is acid free. This does not make it truly archival, but it is definitely
anti-tarnish and anti-yellowing.
Archival
paper- neutral PH paper created especially for longterm,
indefinite, storage (hundreds of years).
 Adjustable
Cutting Blades – blades which can be varied in size
to produce envelopes of different sizes, including seal flaps of
different lengths and shapes. Used when we do not have the correct
size high die, or when the use of “blades” can increase
the number of envelope blanks that can be cut from a given size sheet
of paper, or when the quantity is too small to justify the expense
of an $1100 or higher, high die.
 "A" Size– Announcement
size. A rectangular envelope whose square seal flap stops at the
midpoint of the backside of the envelope. Common sizes:
A-2 (4-3/8 x 5-3/4), A-6 (4-3/4 x 6-1/2), A-7 (5-1/4 x 7-1/4), A-8 (5-1/2 x
8-1/8)
A-9 (5-3/4 x 8-3/4), A-10
(6 x 9-1/2).
All of these sizes meet the USPS aspect ratio requirement for mailing at first
class letter mail rates.
Artwork – historically a clean sharp paper-based physical image
(picture) of what is to be reproduced. Now nearly obsolete in favor of electronic
art.
 Aspect
Ratio- A USPS term referring to the relationship of the
width (length) of an envelope divided by its height. For further
specifications please see Letter-Size mail.
Avpexine – the most commonly used film
for providing the patch, or window covering material. Commonly
called “Poly”, it is not biodegradable. Other films
include Tricyte (clear and also not biodegradable) and glassine
which is somewhat cloudy but is biodegradable as it is made from
wood.
Banding- a relatively inexpensive way to separate
envelopes into small bunches of as few as 8 to a maximum of
50 envelopes. Automatic banding is done with paper bands, manual
banding with rubber bands.
 Bangtails-
A one-way response/remittance envelope that has a tearoff coupon for
returning information of all kinds (addresses, orders, etc.). Commonly
mailed to the recipient in a #10, or included as a stuffer in a catalog.
Alternatives include Kost Kuts and Hitchikers. We inventory #9 size
(3-7/8 x 8-7/8) in 3 configurations: plain, with an easy opening backside
for ATM use, and imprinted with Bank-by-Mail copy.
 Bar
Code – a series of long and short (about ¼” and
1/8”) vertical bars that represent the ZIP code of the addressee.
Obtained from the Post Office, or included with bar code software.
 Baronial-
A squarish envelope made with diagonal seams and a longish pointed
flap that ends below the mid-point of the back of the envelope.
Common Sizes: 4 Bar (3-5/8 x 5-1/8), 5 Bar (4-1/8 x 5-1/2), Astor (3-5/8 x
5-5/8)
5-1/2 Bar (4-3/8 x 5-3/4), Belmont (4-1/4
x 6-1/4), 6 Bar (4-3/4 x 6-1/2),
Jay (5-1/8 x 6-7/8), Lee (5-1/4 x 7-1/4).
All of these sizes fall within the USPS aspect ratio standards for mailing
at 1st class letter mail rates.
Blank- an envelope that has been cut into the shape of an envelope,
but not yet folded.
 Bleed-
a printing term that means the ink runs off the edge of the sheet,
or folds over to the other side of the envelope. Envelopes with bleed
copy generally must be printed in a flat sheet before the blanks are
cut. To achieve a bleed effect at a score line (for example at the
seal flap fold) the copy should wrap 5/32” to the other side
of the envelope to avoid white showing where it is not wanted.
Bond– A writing grade of paper measured on a 17 x 22” basis.
Common weights are 20 lb. ( per 500 sheets), 24 lb. and 32 lb. Unlimited selection
of grade, sheet sizes, colors, finish, etc. from your local paper merchant.
24# is usually ideal for converting into envelopes.
 Booklet-
any open side (opens on the long dimension) envelope constructed with
2 side seams and a square seal flap (usually 2” on envelopes
6 x 9” or larger, and proportionately smaller on envelopes less
than 6” in height). The advantage of booklets is that they can
be automatically inserted (unlike an open end such as a 9 x 12 catalog).
Brightness- the capacity of paper to reflect light. The higher the
# the brighter, but not necessarily better as strength and opacity are compromised
to obtain the brightness. Most 24# white wove envelope paper has a brightness
of between 84 and 89.
 BRE – Business
Reply envelope. Specifically refers to a USPS approved format that
allows a mailer to receive First-Class Mail back from customers without
the customer having to pay postage. The mailer pays the postage and
fees upon the return of the envelopes to the Post Office.
Bulk Pack- the practice of putting envelopes directly into a carton
without first being put into an inside box (usually of 500). Saves raw materials
and the filling of land fills, but can be detrimental to long term storage
of envelopes unless the fit is perfect.
 Button
and String- a method of holding seal flaps down. Uses include
interdepartmental mail. Supplanted by Peerless Tac, and in some cases
Velcro.
Cartons- a master container usually made of brown (unbleached) fluted
corrugated stock.
 Center
Seam- refers to the construction (click here to visit
How to Build an Envelope) of an envelope that has a seam down the
middle of its back, and across the bottom. This construction is
preferred for making envelopes that open on the narrow (short)
dimension, called open end envelopes, but can also be used for
envelopes opening on the long dimension (open sides).
Chipboard – refers to cardboard type material used for making
folding boxes. These boxes have little structural integrity unless they are
filled with the correct size envelope, in which case they become stiff as bricks.
 Clasp-
a metal seal flap closing device meant for repeated opening and closing.
Somewhat replaced by reusable Latex seal &/or Peerless Tac.
Coated Paper –paper that is made with a clay coated surface
on one side (C1S), or both sides (C2S) of the sheet to enhance its appearance
and printing qualities. Finish can range from dull (or matt) to a high gloss.
For good folding characteristics the caliper must be a minimum of .004” for
C1S, and 0045” for C2S.
Coins – small
open end envelopes, usually made with center and bottom seams.
 Commercial-
the most common style of envelope used in the USA. Open side (opens
on the long dimension) and made with diagonal seams.
Converting – refers to the practice of making envelopes from
sheets of paper supplied by a printer, paper merchant, or end user.
 Corner
Card – the return address (logo, typeset, or both)
of the sender which is located in the upper left corner of the envelope.
Usually 3/8” from the left, and 3/8” from the top (of
a #10).
 Courtesy
Reply – unlike a BRE, the customer pays the reply
postage by following instructions such as Place Stamp Here.
Cross Grain – grain going 90 degrees to the direction it should
for making or folding envelopes. When paper is made it is formed with its grain
(the orientation of the cellulose fibers that give paper its strength) all
going in the same direction. When envelopes are die cut out of the sheet into
blanks, it is critical that the grain go in the correct direction. Cross grain
envelopes have the grain going perpendicularly to the correct direction, which
can create excessive seal flap curl, puckering of the glued seams, and rollouts
on the side scores.
Cylinder
Die Cutting – refers to using a beefy horizontal printing
press with a steel rule die mounted thereon for cutting out envelope
shapes one sheet at a time. Time consuming, but for intricate shapes
and small quantities it can be the most cost effective solution.
 Deckle
Edge – refers to an envelope made from paper which
was formed with deckle, or serrated, edge. The envelope die is overhung
off the sheet as the blanks are cut in order to preserve the deckle.
Diagonal Seam- the most common form of envelope construction.
Die – a
precision made cutting tool, forged into the desired shape for cutting
envelopes. Commonly 4” high and ½” thick at the
top. Costs about $1100.
Die
Cutting- the process of manually cutting a lift of paper
(usually 200-300 sheets) into envelope blanks with a minimum of spoilage.
Other cutting methods include automated programmed cutting, adjustable
blades, cylinder die cutting, or, for runs in the millions of envelopes
in-line cutting or off-line AMC high speed die cutting.
 Doorknob
hang-up envelopes – envelopes made expressly to be
hung up on a door knob for a variety of reasons: bill payment, fundraising,
delivery info, etc. We manufacture and inventory these in white and
colors, in addition to weather proof paper for leaving them hanging
outside.
Duotone – a printing technique for obtaining enhanced results
by holding the halftone dots in very close register.
Ears – malformation
of one or more corners of an envelope caused by the top score or side
score being out of position.
Electronic
art- paperless art used for graphic arts reproduction.
Embossing – a
process for raising paper to form a pattern, usually done with pressure
and heat at slow revolutions per minute. However, simple patterns can
be embossed at high speeds on some folding machines as the envelope
is being formed.
 Expansion
envelope – envelopes made with a gusset on all 4 sides
to accomodate thickness. The degree of expansion can range from ½” to
3”.
Note: when an envelope’s contents are thicker than ¼” and
you wish to avoid paying for an expansion envelope, use a flat mailer such
as a 9 x
12 or 10 x 13 but be sure allow an extra inch or more around the edges
of the insert.
Face – the front of the envelope, as contrasted to the back.
 FIM – facing
identification marks. A pattern of vertical bars printed in the
upper right portion of the envelope just to the left of the indicia,
used by the USPS to identify the envelope’s orientation.
Finish- surface properties of paper. They include smoothness, gloss,
absorption, texture, hold-out. Common finishes include wove (#1 for envelopes),
laid, linen, vellum.
Flexography -letterpress
printing (the actual plate that does the printing comes in contact
with the paper being printed). The inks can be either water or alcohol
based. For environmental reason we use water based inks. Screens should
be no more 85 line, vs. 110-130 for offset.
Glassine-
older style window film that is 100% green. Biodegrades quickly, but
also is hydroscopic and takes on moisture if stored in a humid area.
Poor readability at the USPS due to a usually cloudy appearance. Relatively
short shelf life, which high relative humidity can make even shorter
(a few months).
Grain – orientation
of the fibers in the sheet of paper being cut into envelopes. In booklet
and center and bottom seam style envelopes it is critical that the
grain go straight from the top to the bottom of the envelope. Interestingly,
grain direction is not important with diagonal seam envelopes.
 Gripper– the
leading edge, or gripped edge, of paper as it is pulled through the
cylinders of a printing press. In general sheet fed offset presses
use mechanical grippers to advance paper through the machine. Envelope
machines use a combination of pusher pins and vacuum cylinders to move
an envelope blank.
Guide edge – the edge of the sheet that rubs against the side
of the press to get its left/right positioning.
Gum-
another name for the adhesive used for seal flaps and seams. Years
ago this was animal (horse) derived, but now is starch or resin based.
Grade-
refers to the kind of paper vs. substance weight.
 Hitchhiker – a
2-way envelope for imprinting on small presses.
Size: 10” x 9-1/8”flat; 4-1/2 x 9-1/8” in the mail; 3-3/4
x 9-1/8” return envelope.
4-1/2’ x 9-1/8” order form and 1-1/8” x 9-1/8” customer
receipt.
Inventoried in white, yellow and pink.
Holes-
opposite problem from ears, but also created by the top and bottom
scores or side seam scores being misadjusted.
 Indicia – postage
permit printed in the upper right of an envelope, and negates having
to apply postage separately.
Inside side seams- seam construction of an open side envelope where
the back panel folds on top of the small 1” (usually) side seams that
form the envelope.
Inside
tint – the printing of an opaque design on the inside
of an envelope to increase its opacity, and stop peeping eyes from
reading what’s inside the envelope. By step-and-repeating a
logo as the design, the security tint can also become an attractive
addition to a company’s print media.
 Kost
Kut – another name for a remittance envelope whose
seal flap is nearly as long as the height of the envelope. We inventory
size 6-3/4 and #9.
Kraft – grade of paper that is stronger than wove, generally
at commodity pricing levels. Available in white and brown.
 Latex-
adhesive used to stick seal flaps down by pressing the latexed seal
flap against the latex on the body of the envelope. Latex sticks to
latex, but nothing else. Shelf life is not more than year. Adhesion
is quickly and adversely affected by dust.
Letter-Size Mail – Mail that qualifies to be mailed at one ounce
first class postage rates. The aspect ratio (the ratio of the envelope width
to the height) must be between 1
.3 and 2.5, and the thickness not more than ¼”,
nor less than .007”. For example, an envelope with the height of an A7
(5-1/4”) when multiplied by 1.3 (the minimum width multiplier) could
be as short as 6-7/8”, or, when multiplied by 2.5 be as wide (long)as
10-1/2”. If outside these dimensions, 2 ounces of postage is required
even though the envelope and its contents weigh less than an ounce.
The minimum mailable size is 3-1/2” x 5” (regardless of postage),
and the maximum size that can be mailed at the one ounce rate is 6-1/8 x 11-1/2.
Note that at this large size the envelope plus as few as (3 or 4) 8-1/2 x 11
letterhead size sheets will probably weigh more than an ounce.
Litho – another term for offset printing. The plate
with the image comes in contact with a blanket (originally a flat stone)
which then contacts the paper.
 Litho
converting - refers to the making of envelopes from printed
sheets previously imprinted with the images of anywhere from 1 to
50 envelopes which are then die cut and folded into envelopes. Large
solid areas of ink may require extra drying time to avoid smudging.
M – Roman letter for 1,000, which is the common quantity and
pricing count for envelopes. i.e. price per 1,000 envs.
Opacity-
property of paper that governs the degree to which light can pass through
. The more opaque, the more difficult it is to see what is inside the
envelope. The printing of an inside tint can increase opacity.
 Open
End- an envelope that opens on the short dimension. Construction
can be center and bottom seam, single side seam, or even 2 side seams.
 Open
Side – an envelope that opens on the long dimension.
Usually diagonal seam or 2 side seam construction (with 1” side
seams), but can also be made with center and bottom seams.
Open face window – window cut-out, also called a mortise, that
has no covering. Our Boomerang #8 two-way mailer for quick printers has no
patch in order to allow the printing of both the corner card and the return
envelope in the same pass. Click here to see Boomerang #8.
Patch
material – refers to the window covering material
such as Polystyrene, Trycite (clear) or glassine (cloudy, hydroscopic
and biodegradable).
 Peel
and Seal- adhesive which is exposed by peeling away a release
strip, and which will then stick to just about anything. FedX pack,
as an example.
PH – the degree of acidity or alkalinity measured on a scale
of 0 to 14, with 1 being highly acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being highly
alkaline.
Postage
Meter Style – a window envelope oriented so that its
window is located 7/8” left, ½” bottom but with
the seal flap at the bottom of the envelope, rather than the top.
Can be advantageous in some automatic Inserting machine applications.
Seams – the
overlapping pieces of an envelope that hold it together. The alternative
to seams is welded seams, wherein one sheet of paper is glued directly
(welded) to the next. In this case the inside dimension of the envelope
is foreshortened by 3/4” (3/8” on both ends).
Split
seal gumming – refers to the practice of eliminating
seal gum from that area of the seal flap that comes in contact with
the diagonal seam that runs underneath it. At that point, because
of the additional ply of paper created by the seam plus the seal
flap, there is an increased tendency for the seal flaps to stick
during storage. This is called tabbing, and can readily happen in
areas of high humidity, or when the storage period is excessively
long (a year or more).
Stamp
ready – the seal gum is stopped short of the area
where a postage stamp is placed in order to keep the seal flap from
inadvertently tacking when the stamp is applied.
Tabbing-
a visual/ physical way of keeping count by inserting a small paper
tab at every 100th envelope. Adds a little to the cost per 1,000 envelopes.
Banding, in qtys. from 8 to 50
is an option.
 Throat -
The distance between the seal flap fold line and the top of the back
panel.
Tyvek® - Dupont’s Spunbonded Polyolefin that has become
the standard material for wrapping houses, so there is no question about it’s
durability or strength. It is so light that it can often save having to pay
for an additional ounce of postage. However, it is difficult to fold or automatically
insert as it lacks stiffness. Has a distinct TyvekR feel.
Vellum-
a commodity grade paper which has the good folding characteristics
of wove, but a toothier feel.
Wallet
flap – a rectangular seal flap with either square
or rounded corners.
Weatherproof
paper - paper that is able to withstand water or very high
humidity without dissolving or turning into mush. Examples are TyvekR
and our Custom Laminate.
Wove – the
most common grade of white paper used in envelope manufacturing. Smooth
finish.
Watermark – a
mark put in paper by a dandyroll when the paper is still wet on the
wire or fourdrinier. Watermarks can be a design that belongs to the
paper manufacturer or it can serve as the private logo of the company
for whom the paper was made. “Strathmore 24 Rag Content” is
a watermark familiar to many. |
