A Quick Guide To Printing On Envelopes

Marketing material designers and marketing executives understand the importance of using outgoing envelopes when it comes to sending out enveloped packages to prospective clients. Replies would more easily be facilitated for with the proper knowledge and application of the printing on envelopes. Come to think of it, it’s only the postcard that can be sent out on its own when it comes to the business correspondence exchanged at conventions. As such, knowing a thing or two about how to print on envelopes can prove to be quite useful regardless of the industry you are in.  There are a lot of things to learn when it comes to using your Houston printer and printing on envelopes. Such knowledge can come in handy when you least expect it. These include the size (as defined by the application from the smallest coin variety to expansive x-ray size envelopes), paperweights, sealing methods, aspect ratios (envelope shape, rectangular or square), the texture of the paper surface, flap shape, colors, and the inclusion of a window among others. My recommendation is to request an envelope printing brochure from a local commercial Houston printer company like Advanced Business Copiers. I have come across great examples that cater to this specific issue perfectly. Such a publication can help make your experiences much easier.

1. Direct Offset Printing

Offset printing directly onto the surface of envelopes is one of the many ways through which you can print an envelope. This method is considered to be cost-effective when it comes to printing a huge number of envelopes. A jet press that can process thirty to sixty thousand envelopes every hour, or a small offset press, can be used when you are only printing a few simple graphics or words on to the envelope. For simple graphics, this is quite fast and is the best alternative as per my experience. To make things even better, my recent findings indicate that the method can be used when using ink that drips off the envelopes’ edge. However, to avoid any uncertainty, I recommend asking Advanced Business Copiers, your #1 Houston printer company to recommend the best option between printing directly on to the envelope, and printing onto a flattened lithographic press sheet that’s to be made into an envelope, later on, considering the nature of the artwork involved.

2. Conversion Printing

For heavy ink coverage, I find conversion printing to be the best option. This is especially the case if both sides of the envelopes in question have full ink coverage. The quality of the resulting product can be enhanced by printing the artwork on a flat sheet, which would then be converted into an envelope after it going through die-cutting, folding and gluing. Note that this is different from printing on to a blank, which is usually a standard size envelope. Conversion printing can be quite costly considering the fact that the process calls for die-cutting of the sheet paper used before it is folded and glued into the final product; the specific printing cost is of course determined by the number of envelopes required. As such, you need to have a reason to use this printing method such as custom envelop sizes, amount of ink coverage and complexity of the artwork to be printed.

3. Flexography Printing

Flexography is the most suitable option when it comes to printing larger amounts of envelopes, upwards of a hundred thousand. In this method, envelopes going through the press are printed by a rubber relief plate that is installed around a cylinder. This is different from the offset litho alternative which employs flat plates, in which the image and non-image areas are located on a similar level. If

4. Digital Or Laser Printing

Digital printing is best suited to printing a smaller amount of envelopes. Since this method does not require any setups, the cost of printing a small number of envelopes, say three hundred, similarly remains reasonably low. In comparison, using an offset press to print out about three hundred copies would almost cost the same as printing out three thousand copies due to the set-up costs involved. Since there are no set-up costs involved in digital printing, the overall cost of short printing runs remains low. Another great advantage associated with digital printing is that it allows you to print different messages on each envelope. As such, it’s possible for you to change the marketing copy on each envelope or even more importantly, the address details. The same cannot be said for offset press printing, where the address details are left out entirely. For more information on the Houston printers at Advanced Business Copiers, make sure to visit our blog. If you are interested in speaking with a Houston printer specialist, call us today at (281) 397-7429.