Bangtail - Perforated coupon attached to the body of a return
envelope; must be torn off before the envelope is sealed. Used for
remittance envelopes, order envelopes, and other direct mail applications.
Baronial - Type of envelope recognized by large pointed flap,
usually open side with diagonal seams. Used most often for social
correspondence, including announcements, greeting cards and invitations.
Blank - A die cut sheet of paper before it is folded into an
envelope.
Bleed - In printing, an image that extends off the edge of the
page or envelope. Envelopes with bleed generally must be printed before they
are folded, since the fold line runs through the printed image.
Bar Code - Used by the Postal Service to speed mail processing.
Generated by the Post Office as mail passes through OCR scanners or
pre-printed by the manufacturer. If not pre-printed, space must be available
on the bottom right of the envelope for the bar code.
Bulk Pack - Efficient way to package envelopes by putting
directly into a corrugated carton. Not utilizing an interior box which is in
turn packed into an exterior carton.
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.
Bond Grade - Grade of writing or printing papers, often used
for letterheads and matching envelopes. Characterized by strength, rigidity,
relatively low opacity, and erasability. Sometimes with cotton fiber
content.
Booklet - 1) A large, open side envelope for catalogs, annual
reports, and brochures. This style is gaining popularity over traditional
Catalog (Open End) envelopes because it can be used with automatic inserting
machines. 2) Also refers to Commercial Open Side envelopes with two side
seams.
Brightness - The light reflecting property of a paper. The more
light it reflects the higher its brightness. A bright sheet offers the best
print quality and appearance.
BRE - Stands for Business Reply Envelope. Normally printed one
color with standard business reply copy.
Camera Ready - Copy or art which is ready for photography in
the plate making process.
Catalog - Describes a large Open-End envelope usually with a center seam.
Cello -
Abbreviation for cellophane which is a window material that is very clear.
Due to the expense, cello is not used as much as it once was. It can be too
reflective, causing errors in OCR reading.
Chip Box - A chip board folding box which is somewhat
inexpensive in packaging envelopes.
Clasp - Metal fastener sometimes used with remoistenable gum on
Booklet and Catalog envelopes, allowing for repeated opening and closing of
the envelope.
Color Key - An overlay proof composed of an individual acetate
sheet for each color.
Commercial - General term for the most common style of business
envelopes. Open Side usually with diagonal seams.
Corner Card - Return address and other identification of the
sender in the upper left-hand
corner.
Cross Cut - Envelopes cut so that the paper grain is
perpendicular to the paper side seam fold. This makes the envelope more
difficult to fold.
Deckle Edge - Feathered edge on envelope flap deliberately
produced for decorative purposes. Formed especially on formal announcement
or invitation envelopes.
Diagonal Seam - Seam style frequently used in Commercial Open
Side envelopes, invitation and baronial envelopes. It’s name is derived
from the seam running from the back corner of the envelope diagonally to the
middle.
Die - Precision tool used to cut out envelope blanks, windows
or other shapes.
Duotone - A common printing technique by which a halftone is
printed in two ink colors, most often black and another color.
Dylux - A fast self-fixing
proofing paper that is sensitive on both sides.
Embossing - A process performed to stamp a raised image into
the surface of paper, using engraved metal embossing dies, extreme pressure
and heat. Embossing styles include blind, register embossed, and foil
embossed.
Expansion Envelope - Envelope with a gusset or box bottom and
sides, allowing it to expand for bulky mailings.
Face - The side of the envelope without the seams.
FIM - Stands for “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.
The vertical bars are located at the top right corner of the envelope.
Finish - The surface properties of a paper, including
smoothness, gloss, absorbing ability and texture. A paper can be smooth or
textured, coated or uncoated, soft or hard. Different finishes offer
different printing characteristics and their own relative advantages and
disadvantages. The finish of an envelope paper contributes greatly to the
emotional judgment about quality. A slightly textured surface, such as
vellum or antique, can impart a sense of higher quality than the very smooth
surface of a white wove.
Flexography - A form of rotary letterpress using flexible
rubber or photopolymer plates. Most common type of envelope printing fast
drying process, suitable for screens of 65-85 lines. Least expensive printing process mainly for line
type and simple logos.
F.O.B. - Stands for “Freight on Board” without charge for
delivery to and placing on board a carrier at a specified point; the point
at which the shipping charge is calculated.
Glassine - A smooth dense semi-transparent paper. Sometimes used as window patch material,
but losing popularity compared to the new poly- styrene materials which are more transparent and less
sensitive to moisture. Glassine is biodegradable and recyclable.
Grain - Direction in which most of the fibers lie in a finished
sheet of paper. Paper folds more easily with the grain. It offers greater
resistance to being torn across the grain, and demonstrates greater tensile
strength in the direction of the grain.
Gripper Edge - The leading edge of paper as it passes through a
printing press or folding machine. No printing can take place on 3/8"
of the paper on the gripper edge. Referred to as a “common edge” when
jogging a stack of paper.
Guide Edge - The side of a printed sheet from which copy
registers left to right. This is the second “common edge.”
Guide Marks - A method of using cross line marks on the offset
press plate to indicate trim, centering of the sheet, centering of the
plate.
Gum - An adhesive made with a plant base to seal paper
envelopes. Some gums take moisture to seal, others such as latex gums will
adhere to themselves.
Jet Printing - A general term for printing presses set up to
print already manufactured envelopes. Allows for fast, high quality
turnaround. Can print screens up to 133 lines per inch.
Jogged - Process using vibration to keep a stack of paper in
register after printing.
Laid - Type of paper finish, characterized by a closely lined
appearance.
Latex - An adhesive used to seal envelope flaps which sticks to
itself. It is usually placed on flap and back of the envelope. When the two
gum surfaces meet, it seals. No moisture is required.
Latex Auto Seal® -
See Latex.
Lift - A stack of jogged paper (approximately 150-200
sheets) placed on a cutting table to be die cut.
Litho - A generic term for any printing process in which the
image area and the non-image area
exist on the same plate and are separated by a chemical repulsion. Usually
oil based offset printing.
Love Envelopes, Inc.
- The source for all of your envelope needs.
Manila - 1) A semi-bleached
chemical sulfate paper. Not as strong as Kraft, but with better printing
qualities. 2) Light ecru commonly associated with manila stock.
Offset Paper - Also known as book paper. General description of
any paper primarily suited for offset printing. Can be coated or uncoated.
Characterized by strength, dimensional stability, lack of curl and freedom
from foreign surface material. Finish can be vellum or smooth.
Offset Printing - Also know as web offset or lithography.
Offers highest degree of precision, clarity, and quality. Uses screens of
133 lines or more, printed flat sheet, then folded. Can be solid PMS, in
multiple colors and process printing.
Opacity - Paper property that measures the degree to which
paper stops light from passing through. The more opacity a paper has, the
less show-through it permits of
the envelope contents. Inside tints can be used to compensate for low-opacity
papers.
Open End - Style of envelope in which the opening is on the
shorter side.
Open Panel - Die cut opening for a window envelope that does
not have patch material behind it.
Open Side - Style of envelope in which the opening is on the
longer side.
Patch Material - Translucent or clear material covering
windows. Made from plastic or paper.
Peel & Seal - Term used for adhesive which is exposed by
peeling away coated release paper. Will adhere without moisture.
Point - In paper, a unit of thickness measuring one-thousandth
of an inch.
Printing - The choice of a printing process depends upon the
size of the run, the complexity and quality of the camera ready art, the
number of ink colors, the paper stock and the level of quality desired.
Seam - The back of an envelope where it is glued together.
Center Seam - on an Open End
Catalog or Booklet where the seam runs down the middle of the back; Side
Seam - on an Open End Catalog or
Booklet where the seam is on the side of the envelope.
Size - The measurement in length and width of an envelope or
window.
Split Seal Gum - Broken gum pattern on seal flap to prevent
“tabbing.” Gum is broken where flap covers envelope seams; prevents flap
from sticking to the back panel during storage in humid conditions.
Stamp Ready - Seal gum is stopped 2" from the postal stamp
side of the envelope. This is done to keep tacking from occurring when a
postal stamp is applied.
Straight Grain Cut - Envelope is cut so that the paper grain
runs parallel to the side fold. Envelope is easier to fold and has less
tendency to curl or warp with the straight grain cut.
Text - Type of high quality paper, manufactured in white or
colors from bleached chemical wood pulp and/or cotton fibers. Made in a wide
variety of finishes, including antique, vellum, smooth, felt marked and
embossed (linen). Often has a matching cover stock. Usually deeper colors
than bond or writing grades. It is desirable to use an envelope that matches
or complements the enclosure when used for annual reports, brochures or
other prestigious mailings.
Thermography - Printing process that produces raised lettering
simulating engraving. Used in letterheads and matching envelopes, business
cards or announcements.
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, for easier extraction of contents.
Tyvek® - Spun-bonded olefin product manufactured by DuPont.
Offers maximum protection and durability at a very light weight. For
example, 100 10" x 12" envelopes weigh the same as 57 envelopes of
the same size in 28 pound Kraft. Tyvek® is unaffected by moisture and inert
to most chemicals. Acid, lint and sulfide free. Often used for floppy disk
and microfiche carriers where protection from acid, lint, and abrasions is
needed.
Velox - The trade name for one of the chloride printing papers
made by Kodak; sometimes erroneously used to describe similar developing
papers. A black and white print of the halftone image; a screened print.
Also referred to as a positive proof, which shows the printing image as seen
on final piece.
Watermark - Translucent mark visible when sheet of paper is
held up to the light.
Web - A roll of paper used in Web or rotary printing. Also, can
be referred to the manufacturing of an envelope where die cutting and
folding is done on one machine using a continuous roll of paper.
Window Cutout - Cutout in the body of the envelope positioned
to show mailing address, return address and/or special messages. Eliminates
the duplication of effort and the potential for error in addressing
envelopes. Usually covered with transparent window patch material. Can be
left open with no patch, except in Canada.
Wove - Paper having a uniform surface and no discernible marks.
Soft, smooth finish, most widely used envelope paper. Relatively low
opacity, brightness and bulk. However, recent changes in paper making from
acid to alkaline sheets have improved the brightness. Mostly run in white.
