Glossary
ACID-FREE
The higher the acid content of paper the shorter the life expectancy. Paper becomes increasingly acidic as it ages and is exposed to light and air. Acid-free envelopes can be stored for a lot longer without the risk of becoming brittle or discoloured.
ANNOUNCEMENT ENVELOPES
Also referred to as A style envelopes. Commonly used for greeting cards, invitations and photographs and typically have a square flap design.
BESPOKE
Custom made envelopes to meet specific customer needs and specifications; not from stock.
BIODEGRADABLE ENVELOPES
Envelopes which do not contain chemical additives and can be decomposed naturally without causing harm.
BOARD BACK ENVELOPES
Generally, a pocket envelope made with a cardboard back & paper front; often printed with “Please do not bend”.
BUBBLE BAGS
Envelopes lined with bubble cushioning material to provide product protection.
CAPACITY – see Gusset Envelopes
CELLO BAGS
Transparent cellophane bags commonly used for storing gifts and sweet treats or protecting artwork and greeting cards.
COMMERCIAL ENVELOPES
General term for the most common style of envelopes for business, direct mail and personal correspondence.
CONQUEROR
Conqueror are leading manufacturers of high-end paper. They are known for their premium quality and are a staple of brand identities worldwide. Conqueror have given their own names to their paper finishes, so we have included them in the finish section of our envelopes guide and below.
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD
Cardboard shaped into a series of parallel ridges and grooves to give added rigidity and strength.
FELT / Conqueror Stonemarque
The surface of felt finish paper has small, random, crater-like depressions. Conqueror have named their felt finish envelopes Stonemarque.
FLUTE
Structure of the wave shaped cardboard material combined with flat liners that makes up a board. There are several various flute forms and combinations with different flute thickness and number of flutes per linear foot.
FLAP TYPES / SHAPES – see Envelopes guide
FLAP OPEN / FLAP CLOSED
This refers to how the envelopes are delivered. Flap open means they are boxed with the flap open, flap closed means they are shipped in the box with the flap closed.
FINISHES – also see envelopes guide
Paper finishes refer to the texture of the paper’s surface. Paper may feel smooth or it may feel rough, so make sure you’re choosing the appropriate finish for your envelope.
FULL VIEW
A full view envelope has an extra-large window designed to give maximum exposure to the contents. Especially valuable for attracting attention and enhancing response to direct mail advertising.
GLASSINE ENVELOPES
Made of translucent, smooth and glossy paper with a wax paper finish that is air, water and grease resistant. They are mostly used for storing stamps, collecting coins, or photographs due to their acid-free, anti-static and pH neutral qualities.
GREETINGS CARD ENVELOPES
A large range of white or coloured envelopes with wide variety of shapes and formats to suit all popular greetings card sizes. Ideal for card and craft manufacturers to enhance greeting cards, invitations, and letters.
GRIP SEAL / ZIP SEAL
A type of self-sealing packaging which generally has two plastic ridges near the top that click shut together. Also known as resealable bags, they offer a perfect packaging solution for securing content and avoiding leakage or contamination.
GSM / MATERIAL WEIGHT
Stands for grams per square metre. It means how many grams a single sheet of 1 metre x 1 metre paper weighs.
GUSSET ENVELOPES
Envelopes with expandable sides for extra capacity. They have been created to hold larger, bulkier items such as catalogues.
GUMMED
To seal the envelope an adhesive strip needs to be activated by application of moisture.
HAMMER TEXTURED / Conqueror Contour
This distinctive tactile texture looks like what you’d imagine paper looking like after being bashed with a hammer. It has an embossed textured effect perfect for wedding stationery and business stationery.
HAND DELIVERY
These envelopes are not recommended for posting as they do not feature a secure closure.
KRAFT PAPER
A porous paper with high elasticity and high tear resistance, designed for packaging products with high demands for strength and durability.
Kraft papers have a coarser finish than wove thanks to the long fibres giving the paper its strength.
LAID TEXTURED
This classic finish has a subtle ribbed texture. It is made up of evenly-spaced parallel lines also known as “chain lines”. Classy and elegant, this is one of the most recognised finishes in the Conqueror family, an ideal choice for business stationery.
LASER COMPATIBLE ENVELOPES
The plastic window of these envelopes has been specially formulated to resist the heat from laser printers so that it will not melt during the printing process.
LENS ENVELOPES
Lens envelopes are predominantly used by opticians when mailing contact lenses and optical lenses by mail. The envelope flap features two round apertures.
LINED ENVELOPES
Envelope interior decorated with different paper to the rest of envelope (e.g. tissue paper, decorative foil).
LINEN TEXTURE
The subtle embossed crosshatch texture of linen paper is comparable to linen fabric, and that is what it is named after. Considered a classic. Great for personal stationery and business stationery, anything where an elegant look is required.
LUSTRE / Conqueror Iridescent Sparkle
You could think of a lustre as being a finish that is somewhere in between gloss and matte. The envelopes with this finish have a gentle sheen and a soft glow ideal for weddings or special events.
MAILING / MACHINABLE ENVELOPES
Envelopes configured for use on machines that automatically insert the contents.
MICRONS / THICKNESS
Or mcs (µm) measure the thickness of the paper or card in microns.
OPEN TOP
There is no closure or seal flap.
PEEL AND SEAL (P & S) / SUPER SEAL
Type of pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the flap and covered with a removable protective waxed strip until the envelope is ready to be sealed.
Envelope with the opening flap on the short edge.
POUCHETTE ENVELOPE
Also known as petal fold envelopes. They feature 4 round petals that wrap around a card or cards in multiple ways and interlock like the petals of a flower for a stylish, organised invitation.
RECYCLABLE
Envelopes that can be recycled and reused.
RECYCLED
Envelopes that have been made from recovered waste materials.
RIPPA STRIP / TEAR TAPE
A self-adhesive tear tape, which gives fast, safe and immediate access to the contents of packaging.
SECURITY OPAQUE
Envelopes that are 100% opaque with printed security wash inside the envelope making it impossible to read the contents even when holding the envelope up to a light source.
SEAM TYPES
CENTRE & BASE SEAMS
The seam that joins the two side flaps together at the centre of the envelope.
OUTSIDE SEAMS
Side flaps are folded over the bottom flap for clear insertion.
INSIDE SEAMS
Side flaps are folded under the bottom flap for clear insertion.
SELF-SEAL (S/S) / PRESS SEAL
Pressure sensitive adhesive strip applied to top and bottom flap. The envelope is sealed by pressing both flaps together.
SHINY METALLIC
A high-shine paper used for our mirror-finish envelopes, named after its reflective surface. The glossy coating can make it troublesome to write on with a ballpoint pen and not the ideal choice for litho or digital print. However, its distinctive look makes it the ideal choice for award ceremonies, announcements or special occasions.
STRING AND WASHER
Mechanical closure with one washer (or eyelet) attached to the flap and one to the body of the envelope. A piece of string is affixed to the top washer and goes around both washers to close the flap.
TEXTURED SILK
Our textured silk envelopes are a combination of our lustre finish and linen textured envelopes. It has a lustre finish but includes the embossed crosshatch texture of linen paper.
TYVEK® DuPont™ ENVELOPES
DuPont™ Tyvek® are high-performance protection envelopes made from DuPont Tyvek, a strong and durable material. Tyvek is puncture, tear, and water-resistant, so easily withstands the most gruelling conditions. It’s also extremely light weight and carbon footprint free.
THICKNESS - as MICRONS (µm)
THROAT
The space between the top fold and the top of the bottom flap.
TRANSLUCENT ENVELOPES
Made from translucent paper to give a hint at the card or invitation inside. Excellent for an eye-catching finish to your mailings and to get people curious.
TUCK FLAP
When the seal flap tucks into the bottom flap without the need for adhesive. Allows the envelope to be reusable. Our Butterfly Envelopes feature the tuck flap closure.
UNBRANDED
None of our envelopes bear a brand name except for: Conqueror, Communique, Tyvek® and Jiffy envelopes.
WALLET
Envelope with the opening flap on the long edge.
WINDOW POSITIONING
Window envelopes have a clear area on the front to allow the address from inside the letter to be seen, this is to save writing out every address individually. The position of the window on an envelope is usually measured looking at the envelope with the flap at the top, unless position of the flap is specified.
The window position is measured up from the bottom (UP) and from the left-hand side (LHS) or the right-hand side (RHS). The first dimension of a window size is the window height.
WOVE / SMOOTH / Conqueror Recycled Wove & CX22 Super Smooth
This is essentially smooth paper, like laid and linen this is premium quality paper but has a uniform surface with no visible marks. This is the most widely used paper for envelopes as it is very easy to work with. CX22 Super Smooth refers to Conqueror’s silky, ultra-polished envelopes.
UNGUMMED
Envelopes that have not been treated with adhesive gum.