Card Envelopes Backing Up Your Post
Posted: Friday, September 25, 2009
by Mark Bartley
Did you ever consider just how brutal on your delicate letter our postal service is? How, every day
A stalwart of Fleet Street (when photographers still used 35mm film rather than digital cameras), the card envelope proved itself to be an integral part of business life for years. Now, with the advent of electronic mail and the demise of old-fashioned film, card envelopes are still playing a part in office life, albeit a somewhat diminished role.
The principle is very simple. Take an ordinary envelope, cut the back off and replace it with a stiff sheet of robust card. In invention terms, it's not exactly the greatest leap forward but it's often the simple things that make a big difference. Even though photographers may now send their pictures to the news desk via email attachments, there is still a role for the card envelope to play. Often referred to as backboarded envelopes, these tough folders are still the most common type of envelope carried around by motorcycle and pushbike couriers in cities all over the world. Nobody really pays backboarded envelopes much attention, but their rugged design makes them ideal if that all-important document or proof copy of your advertising leaflet is to get to its destination without being creased, ending up dog-eared or possibly even torn to shreds.
If you send out proposals or important documents on a regular basis, it's worth finding yourself a decent supplier of backboarded envelopes. They are slightly more expensive than ordinary business envelopes but those extra few pennies could make all the difference between that contract being signed and a major business deal going through or a, "thanks, but I don't think your company can work with us" response. Presentation is everything, and taking the time to put an important document into a protective card envelope shows that you care how the recipient sees your company. Jiffy bags offer a great deal of protection for fragile objects, but they suffer from one major drawback no backbone. They're flexible, just like ordinary envelopes and while they may be great for sending an electronic motherboard for a computer through the system, documents and photos still run the risk of being creased or crumpled.
Most card envelopes come in one colour brown (the official term is 'manilla' but let's be honest here, it's brown) although some suppliers are now stocking white backboarded envelopes. The humble backboard envelope has one other major advantage over the Jiffy bag it's completely recyclable. Whereas the Jiffy bag often contains plastic bubble-wrap as part of its protection layer, the card envelope is made from 100% recyclable paper and card, making it a greener choice for companies looking to maintain their environmentally friendly profile. They are also more reuser-friendly just peel the address label off and the envelope is ready to go another round with a despatch rider or a sorting machine with no loss of protection.
Tough, reusable, recyclable and guaranteed to protect your precious photo or document from looking like it's spent a month in the back of a truck, the card envelope is the unsung hero of the postal service. It's always worth having a stock of these versatile and strong envelopes in your stationary cupboard.
Protecting your business post with stronger card envelopes makes sense if the contents are valuable or easily damaged. Office stationary products and various envelope styles are covered in this niche product review by Mark Bartley.
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