Home | Business | Office Equipment, Supplies, Services

Pushing The Envelope – How Envelopes Have Changed Over The Years

By: Mark Bartley Click author's name for more of his/her articles

If you go to your local stationery supplier or buy your envelopes online the options will be far less exotic, although far more likely to ensure the contents arrives securely. Envelopes and envelope design and build have fortunately moved on since ancient times, though not so rapidly as you might imagine. Modern designs and the ranges of options seem to have peaked, both in practicality and their popularity, which speaks volumes for their versatility and user-friendly design. So fit for purpose are they that envelopes have in fact become a hugely successful stationery phenomenon – over 450 billion envelopes are manufactures each and every year. What's the secret of their success? How have envelopes becomes so useful and such a part and parcel of modern society?

Until the 17th Century letters were usually just folded, sealed and sent; the Babylonian, Egyptian and Chinese options put to one side for cost and practicalities sake. Around this time in both Spain and France, formative envelopes stared to appear. Often sealed with wax impressed by a signet ring to prevent the contents being read by the wrong person, this form of privacy was extended on particularly important letters with the use of a gallows mark. Failure to deliver was punishable by death.

In addition to privacy letters needed to be protected and in some instances great lengths were gone to, ensuring that the contents remained safe. Letters transported by the Pony Express in the USA for example needed special protection. Already secured in paper envelopes, they were then wrapped in oiled silk and stored in a bag over the saddle. It sounds like a tough life, not just for correspondence but also for the riders. According to the Smithsonian, an ad for riders in he mid 19th Century stated "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18, must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred."

In the far more genteel surroundings of Victorian England, UK envelopes were enjoying a rather more dignified coming of age with the introduction of the incredibly ornate Mulready envelope, the world's first prepaid postal wrapper and precursor to the modern envelope. So ornate were the designs on the first envelopes that you were left with very little room to write the address. Mail volume increased dramatically, machines to manufacture envelopes were invented and the wonder that was the British postal system soon spread around the world.

In France the Rabbate envelope-making machine could produce more than 100 pieces an hour, but even so, these new mass production techniques couldn't keep up with demand, such was the popularity of writing letters stimulated by postal reform making postage affordable to everyone. The production log-jam in manufacturing envelopes was that the gum still needed to be applied manually. The gummed envelope developed by John Dickinson in 1851 and drying machines like those designed by the Arnold Drying Chain solved the problem.

Once the main production issues had been ironed out, other than new envelope shapes, sizes and innovations such as padded or air bubble envelopes changes became more subtle – the window envelope being one of the more noteworthy exceptions. Invented in 1901 by Americus F. Callahan and patented 10th June 1902, the window envelope has over the years saved countless gallons of ink and thousands of trees.

These days if you need any advice or to select from the widest ranges possible, simply search for envelopes online. Your supplier will be able to expertly advise you on the best brands, the most appropriate styles and the beat value for money. There are certainly plenty out there, take professional advice to find the right envelopes for your needs.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Writing materials have changed over the years. More information about the development of envelopes, paper and other office stationary is provided in the regular consumer reviews by Mark Bartley.