Help in choosing

Envelopes and pouches

Formats, closures, windows, all about envelopes.

1) What type of wallet to use for a fragile shipment?
2) Which sizes of envelopes paper sizes?
3) Weight, window, material, closure, what to choose?
Through this purchasing guide, you will find the necessary information on the different types of envelopes and the purpose for which they are intended. Dimensions, materials, window sizes, opening modes ... the variety of envelopes and pouches are multiple since each characteristic corresponds to a specific use. The first thing to know is that we talk about an envelope when the opening is located on the widest side and pouch when it is located on the smaller side.

The different types of mailings

Commercial shipments

If you have to make commercial shipments, you have several choices in terms of packaging.

Commercial envelopes:

intended for the daily shipments we find in multiple qualities and dimensions. They make it possible to adapt to the mail that you wish to send according to its importance and its format. The formats of these envelopes are international standards.
Find here our commercial envelopes.
Good to know: each envelope size (C4, C5 ...) corresponds to a paper size (A4, A5 ...).

To find the envelope that best suits your needs, consult the table below:
Envelope format Size (H x W in mm) Corresponding paper size Visual
C6 114 x 162 A4 folded in 4, postcard
DL 110 x 220 A4 folded into 3, A5 folded into 2
C5 162 x 229 A5, A4 folded in 4
C4 229 x 324 A4, A3 folded in 4

The envelopes of correspondence:

They have an excellent quality of paper and are therefore intended for sending invitations or prestige correspondence. They exist in 2 formats: DL format (120 x 220) and square format (165 mm x 165 mm).
Find here our envelopes of correspondence.

Envelopes for automatic enveloping:

They are intended for bulk mailings, for mailings for example. They are suitable for all printers and available with or without windows. They are made of white wove paper and close with a gummed paw. They are found in C4, C and C5 / 6 formats, with or without windows.
Find here our automatic envelopes.
The standard pockets:
They are intended for small documents: classic mails or daily mailings. They exist in different aspects: standard brown kraft (economic solution adapted to standard shipments), white kraft (with beautiful finishes), kraft adour (with a better resistance), white vellum (with a perfect rendering, ideal for your prestige shipments) .

To find the wallet that best suits your needs, consult the table below:
Pouch format Size (H x W in mm) Format that corresponds Visual
C6 162 x 229 A5, A4 folded in 2
B5 176 x 225 A5, A4 folded in 2
C4 229 x 324 A4
B4 250 x 353 A4+
24 260 x 330 A4+

Heavy, fragile or bulky shipments

For specific items, gusseted pouches, rigid or padded, are generally used.
Bellows pockets:
Because of their heavy weight and size, they can send bulky and heavy documents thanks to their bellows with a thickness of 3 to 9 cm. Thus, a 9 cm pocket can send an archive box or a file of a thickness of 8 cm.
Hard pockets:
They are also called "cardboard envelopes". They prevent your documents from being folded thanks to their stiff cardboard reinforcement.
Quilted pockets:
They are also called "bubble envelopes". They are ideal for fragile shipments. Covered with a bubble or foam interior, they protect your objects against scratches and shocks.
Find here all our pockets.

Shipments ready to post

To avoid having to postage your mail, there are prepaid solutions such as pre-stamped envelope with self-adhesive closure or Chronopost. For the latter, boxes, envelopes and pouches are available. This solution is simple and allows fast shipments, tracking of the shipment and delivery. Just fill out the waybill included in the package.
Find here all our envelopes ready to post.

Election envelopes

There are also envelopes specially designed to respond to different polls (such as staff representatives, the EC and of course elections). These special election envelopes are generally available in different colors: blue, yellow, bubble, pink and green. Their official format is 40 x 140 mm .
Find here our envelopes elections.

The characteristics of envelopes and pouches

The closure

There are several types of closure for your envelopes and pouches that will optimize your shipments.
The gummed legs:
This is often the most economical solution. It allows a manual insertion but also automatic insertion. To close the envelopes with gummed tabs, it is sufficient to moisten the strip of adhesive deposited on the closure tab and fix it by pressure. Attention to the conservation of the closing system of the envelopes with gummed legs which is only 1 year.
Sticky tabs:
This solution is the fastest and ready to use. It is suitable for one-off shipments or for pre-printed envelopes and stored before use. To close this type of envelope, a pressure on the flaps is enough. These envelopes are stored away from moisture, heat and dust. The conservation of the closure system is 2 years.
Self-adhesive tabs with protection tape:
This is the easiest, fastest and most effective method. Perfect for daily shipments, the envelope closes by taking off the paper protection and folding the tab. Attention, the conservation of the closing system is also about 2 years.

This is the easiest, fastest and most effective method. Perfect for daily shipments, the envelope closing the tab. Attention, the conservation of the closing system is also about 2 years.

The windows on the envelopes represent a significant time saving for your mailings and are ideal for your mailings or grouped mailings: no need to write the address of the recipient on each envelope. The size of the window will depend on the size of the addresses:
  • Address of 3 lines: 35 mm window
  • Address from 4 to 5 lines: 45 mm window
  • Address from 5 to 6 lines: window of 50 mm (more often present on the pockets)

The weights

The choice of the weight of your envelopes and pouches will have a direct impact on the cost of your shipments, the image you want to transmit and the desired protection for your shipments. Each grammage nevertheless has its qualities.
  • 80g: recognized as the standard grammage, it is an economical solution for your daily shipments.
  • 90g: an excellent quality / price ratio to improve your image with your recipients.
  • 100g: for large shipments, to give a prestigious image to your company.
  • 120 g and more: for large shipments and / or those requiring optimum protection.

Opacity

The background color of the envelopes has an influence on the opacity and therefore the confidentiality. Some envelopes therefore have a background often gray to hide the content thereof. In general terms, the greater the opacity of an envelope or pocket, the more the documents you insert will be protected from prying eyes.

The subjects

There are different materials to protect your shipments.
Kraft Adour Kraft armed brown / white Tyvek Polyethylene Polyethylene or kraft lined bubble Kraft lined foam
High resistance to tearing and bursting Very high strength, anti-perforation, lined with a protective reinforcement film Tear-resistant, waterproof, beautiful, perfectly smooth appearance Lightness and anti-tear system Anti-shock system for fragile consignments Anti-scratch and anti-scratch for objects and fragile surfaces

Storage

We draw your attention to the fact that since envelopes are made of paper and glue, improper storage can degrade the quality of your envelopes.If you apply a few simple rules, your satisfaction will be complete until the last envelope of the box .Ideal is to store them in their original cardboard packaging, in a dry place and away from the light of the day. Also avoid the proximity of windows and radiators.

Ecological envelopes

An envelope or pouch will usually be discarded after use. It is therefore preferable to choose pouches with the smallest possible impact on the environment, by their composition or their method of production / routing.
To participate in this ecological act, you can choose:
  • Envelopes or pouches made in France that reduce the costs of transport and CO2 emissions dispersed in the atmosphere.
  • Envelopes made of recycled paper: more secondary raw materials used are less raw materials consumed.

To find your bearings, look at the standards and eco-labels indicated on your boxes of envelopes or pouches. Many certifications help to limit the impact on the environment.
Find here our ecological envelopes.

Standards and labels

As with paper, certain standards and labels guarantee the responsible manufacture of envelopes and pouches in order to limit their environmental impact.
The FSC standard:
which aims to promote sustainable forest management. This logo ensures that the wood used comes from forests that meet social and environmental criteria.
The PEFC program:
which guarantees the sustainable management of forests through the certification and labeling of wood and wood products. Products marked PEFC commit to the raw material coming from sustainably managed forests.
The NF environment standard:
ensures that the manufacture of products has a lesser effect on the environment compared to other products with similar characteristics.
Ecofolio:
It is the eco-organization that organizes and finances the recycling of papers. His mission of general interest was entrusted to him by the State. It involves mobilizing, guiding and supporting stakeholders in the paper collection and recycling sector.
With EcoFolio: Maxiburo encourages the recycling of paper.
If the information in this guide did not answer all your questions, do not hesitate to contact our customer service at 0 825 80 15 15 - 0,1667 € ht / min + prix appel .