Specialty Envelopes: Beyond Your Average #10

If you have ever had to send correspondence to someone or mail billing, then you are familiar with the #10 size envelope. To many, when someone says envelope, that is the first image that comes to mind. However, envelopes come in many different shapes and sizes. Each one has a specific purpose, allowing its shape and size to suggest its purpose. In this article, we will cover different envelope styles and how they can be put to use.

Outside of the #10 Envelope

So we already know everything about #10 envelopes, which is the most commonly used size of commercial envelopes. Businesses typically use these envelopes, and they range in size from #5, smallest, to #14, the largest. They are open-sided, and may or may not contain a window on the front.

Direct Mail Speciality Envelopes You Should Know

There are 5 envelope options that can make you stand out. They are:

1. “A” Style Envelope
2. Catalog Envelope
3. Booklet Style Envelope
4. Remittance Envelope
5. Donation Envelope

Here is what makes these specialty envelopes…well…special!

A Style: Have you heard of A-Style?  There is an easy way to remember it. The “A” stands for “announcement.” They can come in two forms: either with a deep pointed flap or a shorter flat flap. They are usually used for special announcements, whether that be business related or more personal. They can also be used for photographs, small booklets, and greeting cards.

Catalog: Another familiar envelope style is the catalog. It is the standard mailing envelope for important documents such as reports, folders, and contracts. If you are like me, when I hear Manila envelope, these are the kind of envelopes I think of. They are typically open on the short side of the envelope and may have a flexible piece of metal to hold the flap in place or a mount to tie it shut.

Booklet: Similar to catalog but different in its own respects, the booklet style. These kinds of envelopes are typically used for magazines, catalogs, booklets, media kits, and other multi-page documents. They are open ended on the long side of the envelope and have some sort of sealant to close the flap.  

Remittance and Donation: The final two envelope styles we will cover are remittance and donation. Remittance envelopes have large flats and are used to hold private information like credit card numbers or other private documents. Donation envelopes also referred to as offering, pew, or tithe envelopes, are a cheap way to collect donations. These are most prominently used by religious organizations and nonprofits and cannot be mailed.   

Direct Mail and Other Use Cases  

Marketers should carefully consider the envelope that will contain their marketing materials. After pouring over every detail of that document, you should not put it in something that is not equal in quality. As you can see, there are a lot of different options. Whether you want to attract attention by using a different style than the standard commercial envelope, or you want to spruce up a commercial envelope to stand out, One Stop Mail can put to use its own in-house envelope printer to fit your marketing needs.

The use of specialty envelopes doesn’t stop there.

Perhaps you are in real estate and need to send an important property notice that is time-sensitive?

Or perhaps you own an auto care shop and want to make car drop offs more convenient for your customers.

Envelopes have many other use cases outside of mail. With the ability to fully customize them to your needs, consider them as a solution to improve customer service, or increase the efficiency of how you handle day-to-day business.

Remember, we’re here to help you – check out what else we can do to help or give us a call 602-233-3003!