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.
Printing
Commercial & Packaging Printing
Offset, flexo and digital printing, inks, registration and print quality.
Paper Packaging
Paper Packaging & Mailers
Paper bags, cartons, corrugated boxes and mailers, and how they compare.
Converting Equipment
Converting & Finishing Equipment
Slitting, rewinding, die cutting, folder-gluing and sealing equipment.
Mailing & Fulfillment
Mailing, Inserting & Fulfillment
Direct mail workflow, inserting, sealing, sorting and fulfillment packaging.
How It Works
Mailing & Fulfillment
Direct Mail Production Workflow: Stage Handoffs & Sign-Offs
Stage-by-stage direct mail production workflow from address coding and press finishing to inserting and USPS entry, with a handoff sign-off record table.
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
Envelopes
Security Envelopes: Tint, Fiber-Tear and Closure Features
Understand security envelopes by interior tint, fiber-tear evidence and closure behavior, with sample checks that separate privacy from evidence of opening.
October 2026
Envelopes
Envelope Sizes Guide: Commercial Formats and USPS Limits
Compare commercial envelope sizes, #10 and 6 × 9 formats, enclosure limits and USPS letter-versus-flat rules before printing or inserting a mailing.
October 2026
Mailing & Fulfillment
Direct Mail Production Workflow: Stage Handoffs & Sign-Offs
Stage-by-stage direct mail production workflow from address coding and press finishing to inserting and USPS entry, with a handoff sign-off record table.
October 2026
Envelopes
Self-Seal vs Gummed Envelopes: Which Closure Fits?
Compare gummed, latex self-seal and peel-and-seal envelopes by sealing steps, machine compatibility and storage, with a stock verification checklist.
October 2026
Printing
Flexographic vs Offset Printing for Packaging
Compare flexo and offset for the same packaging job: ink transfer, substrate, artwork, finishing, setup, waste and the cost of accepted finished packs.
October 2026
Labels
Label Applicator vs Printer and Print-and-Apply
A label printer makes the label, an applicator places a preprinted label, and print-and-apply does both when the data changes by pack. Width, speed and price stay blank.