Envelopes
Envelope Manufacturing & Materials
Types, papers, sizes, windows, adhesives and the machines that make envelopes.
Knowledge library
Practical Guides to Printing, Mailing and Paper Packaging
Plain-language explanations of how envelopes, labels, printed materials and paper packaging are made, specified and checked. Every article cites its sources and shows when it was last updated.
Explore the Guides
Topics
Labels
Labels, Sleeves & Product Identification
Materials, adhesives, printing, application and inspection of packaging labels.
Paper Packaging
Paper Packaging & Mailers
Paper bags, cartons, corrugated boxes and mailers, and how they compare.
How It Works
Envelopes
How Envelopes Are Made: Production Workflow
How paper becomes an empty envelope: blank and web routes, printing, cutting, scoring, windows, folding, seam and seal-flap gum, and what to inspect at each step.
From the Historical Archive
Historical context: Mail-Well Inc. (1994 to 2004)
Mail-Well, Inc. was a North American printing and envelope company formed in 1994 around an envelope-manufacturing business, which later added commercial printing and labels. On 17 May 2004 it announced that it would operate under a new name, Cenveo. This site is an independent publication and is not that company; its historical pages are research notes written from published sources.
Sources and further reading
- Mail-Well Inc. company historyEncyclopedia.com
- Mail-Well, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2002 (exhibit list dates the 1994 registration statement)U.S. SEC EDGAR, filed 21 March 2003
- Cenveo/Mail-Well completes name change with new web siteWhatTheyThink, 18 May 2004
- Mail-Well Inc.: Company History and Its Cenveo TransitionOn this site
Latest Updates
October 2026
Labels
Paper vs Film Labels: Choosing the Face Stock
Shortlist a paper or film label face for water, scuff, container curve and print method, and keep the adhesive and overcoat as separate unchecked lines.
October 2026
Envelopes
Types of Mailing Envelopes: Uses, Materials and Formats
Business, window, catalog, booklet, remittance and padded envelopes explained by opening, seam, closure and paper, with the U.S. letter and flat size limits.
October 2026
Envelopes
Window vs Non-Window Envelopes: Sample Approval Sheet
Choose a window or a printed envelope address, then record the folded sample: visible area, insert shift, exposed lines, and the reprint path.
October 2026
Envelopes
How Envelopes Are Made: Production Workflow
How paper becomes an empty envelope: blank and web routes, printing, cutting, scoring, windows, folding, seam and seal-flap gum, and what to inspect at each step.
October 2026
Historical Archive
Mail-Well Inc.: Company History and Its Cenveo Transition
Mail-Well, Inc. was formed in 1994 from envelope businesses, grew into printing and labels, then refocused and announced its new name, Cenveo, on May 17, 2004.
October 2026
Labels
Pressure-Sensitive vs Wet-Glue Labels
How pressure-sensitive and wet-glue (cold glue) labels differ in materials, machinery, changeover, cold and wet performance and recycling, and how to choose.