Envelope Styles
Regardless of whether you manage your own eBay business that ships items of different sizes or just send the ocassional gift, bill or invite through the mail, understanding the different styles and sizes of envelopes will help you find the best mailer to fit your needs. While some are more widely used than others, there is a broad variety of envelope shapes and sizes.
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Commercial
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Commercial envelopes are used for business correspondence, as well as personal correspondence. Commercial envelopes are sized from 3 1/2 inches by 6 inches up to 5 inches by 11 1/2 inches. They are sized to hold standard letterhead, invoices and banking statements. Airmail envelopes for international letters and Bankers Flap envelopes are both considered standard commercial envelopes. Other varieties of commercial envelopes include the Pay and Lens envelope; the Dual Purpose Mailer; the Flip-stik; and the Side-seamed envelope.
A-Style
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A-Style envelopes are generally used to mail announcements, small booklets, brochures and promotional mail. The A-Style envelope is available in a wide variety of paper styles and colors and has a squared-off flap on the back that reaches straight across from one edge to the other (instead of the typical flap that dips down in the center of the back of the envelope). The A-Style comes in a variety of sizes ranging from the 4 3/8-inch by 5 3/4-inch A-2 envelope to the 6-inch by 9 1/2-inch A-10 envelope. The Slimline envelope is also considered an A-2 style envelope. It measures 3 7/8 inches by 8 7/8 inches.
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Booklet
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Booklet-style, also known as Catalog-style envelopes, are primarily used to send annual reports, brochures and catalogs. The Booklet envelope has a side opening and comes in sizes that range from 5 3/4 inches by 8 1/2 inches to 9 3/4 inches by 12 1/2 inches. The Catalog envelope has an end opening that is suitable for magazines and larger booklets. It is available in the same sizes as the Booklet envelope. The Catalog envelope also has a larger adhesive area for more protection. Some Booklet envelopes have a metal clasp fastener in place of, or in addition to, the adhesive. Also included in this category are the Coin envelopes used to hold coins or small envelopes and the Bank Deposit envelopes that have side openings and a gummed end flap to secure the contents. The Bank Deposit envelope is primarily used when sending and receiving cash through a bank drive-in. Neither of these styles--Coin or Bank Deposit--are mailable.
Baronial
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Baronial-style envelopes are used for greeting cards, wedding invitations, announcements and other formal correspondence. This type of envelope is also used for business announcements and promotions. The pointed flap on the back of the envelope gives the Baronial a more formal look. These envelopes vary in size from 2 3/8 inches by 3 3/8 inches to 7 inches by 10 1/4 inches. Matching Baronial-style envelopes are often enclosed in the original envelope for RSVPs and other return requests.
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References
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