Do you ever give much thought to the envelopes you use in your mailing operation?

Envelopes are part of the workflow and an essential element of many mail pieces, but we often consider them as little more than a container for the messages within. We don't think of envelopes as an outlet for creative inspiration.

Your default envelope choice for many mail applications may be the reliable number ten single window variety. Envelope manufacturers pre-print the sender's logo and return address and you load them into the envelope feeder on your inserter. Back in my service bureau days, we mailed 90% of our jobs that way, and much of the mail I receive today follows suit. But window envelopes often resemble 'junk mail' to many recipients, causing them to transfer these uninteresting mail pieces directly to the recycle bin.

Lately, I've been thinking about closed-faced envelopes as possibilities for print/mail service providers or in-plant mail operations and the clients they serve. It's worth a look. The outside envelope can transform how recipients perceive and interact with your mailings, making them more appealing and interesting.

Closed-faced personalized envelopes enable a slew of advantages, including security, efficiency, and flexibility - characteristics not always shared by window envelopes.

We Have the Technology

Once upon a time, personalized envelopes seemed impractical. Limitations of the printing technology and inserting mechanisms of the day made it unreasonable to move away from window envelopes. Matching, synchronization, and print resolution were common concerns. Quality and accuracy were questionable, and embracing such an option often seemed like a gamble. I was running a great application for this approach, but we couldn’t risk it.

Today, however, you find yourself in a completely different landscape. File-based inserting and camera technology for mail inserting equipment has erased many worries about matching the printed address to the personalized documents the envelopes contain. Likewise, modern high-quality inkjet printheads installed on inserters can handle the logos that used to be pre-printed on the outbound window envelopes.

Creating personalized envelopes on an inserting machine can be an achievable and seamless part of the mail production process. Mail professionals can rely on this advanced technology to deliver results with precision and efficiency, setting them ahead in the world of print and mail.

Enhancing Mail Security: The Closed-Face Advantage

Envelope window elimination allows you to offer a more secure presentation. Sensitive data remains hidden, thus enhancing privacy and protecting personal information from prying eyes. Envelopes without windows communicate professionalism and trust, subtly altering the way recipients perceive your brand.

Without windows, you avoid the risk of exposing sensitive details through misaligned data, material shift, or improper window positioning. You've probably experienced jobs where confidential data became visible through the window. A page got folded incorrectly or the number of document pages in a set caused information printed below the address to creep into the window.

Privacy compromises can also happen after the mail leaves your facility. Although rare, postal service mail processing machinery can catch on the edge of the window and tear it, revealing part of the inside document. Also, individuals intent on accessing confidential information can peek through the window to see information they should not.

Maximizing Efficiency by Combining Jobs

We all know the key to mail inserting efficiency is keeping the inserters running. Frequent stops and starts between jobs can eat into the productivity of a mail operation. With the declining volumes in First-Class Mail, adopting a method that manages expenses by optimizing machine usage becomes imperative.

Operators stop the inserting machine between jobs for two reasons related to window envelopes:

1. Physical material changes - unload one variety of outbound envelope and load another.

2. Fold plate adjustments - the mailing address location may be inconsistent from job to job, necessitating operator intervention to change the set-up.

The effect of these intra-job adjustments varies according to the variety of jobs you are running, the equipment you have, and the skill of the operator. Changeover processes on older machines can take 15 minutes or more. More modern mail inserters feature automated changeover, which shortens the time dramatically and doesn't rely entirely on operator experience. At PRINTING United this year, I watched as an inserter manufacturer demonstrated a change from number ten to six-by-nine envelopes in 15 seconds!

With closed-faced envelopes, you can combine diverse jobs, including those with varying document formats and different return addresses. The inserting machines can run at peak speed without frequent stoppages for changeovers. Address block location on the documents makes no difference, therefore operators needn’t adjust the folds. You will image plain outbound envelopes with sending and return address information as part of the inserting process, so intra-job material changes become largely unnecessary.

This strategy plays a vital role in your efforts to deploy an effective white paper workflow. Job merging at print time can deliver high-volume presorted mail sequences to the inserting operation. Switching from pre-printed inserts to onserts and closed-face envelopes allows you to standardize the inserting operation and keep those machines running while simultaneously opening the door to precise targeting and personalization.

Your ability to print envelopes dynamically, customized for each client, positions your services as a value-driven option in a competitive market. When you leverage the power of job combination, you maximize your resources, improve productivity, and enhance profitability.

Captivate Recipients by Marketing with Envelope Graphics

With data-driven variable messaging, you can craft each envelope to connect with its recipient. For instance, rather than a generic "Special Offer Inside," you might state something specific, like "Exclusive Savings Just for John!". Such tailored messaging can compel recipients to open their mail, knowing it was customized specifically for them.

You can incorporate other targeted elements, too. If you know about a customer's interests, membership status, giving amounts, or past purchases, consider highlighting related offers or products directly on the envelope. For example, identify a previous electronics buyer and entice them with "Discover the Latest Gadgets Inside" right on the envelope. This targeted approach can significantly increase engagement, and ultimately, response rates.

Depending on the application, you can even sell advertising space on the envelopes that refer to targeted offers included on the documents. A message about "How to Cut Pool Operation Costs" would only appear on the electric bill envelopes of pool owners. Your document pages would include a paid ad from a seller of variable speed pool pumps.

Varying messages based on geographical data can also aid in personalizing experiences. You might attract residents in sunny regions with text like "Hot-Weather Must-Haves Await, Alice!" tailoring the inside content to match the customer's gender and environment.

Data-driven variable messaging transforms each mailing piece into a mini marketing machine, ensuring every contact gets a personalized invitation to explore further. This customization builds stronger connections with your audience and turns a simple envelope into a powerful marketing tool.

What About Large Single-Windows?

When considering envelope options, a large single-window envelope might appear advantageous. This approach gives you the ability to display messages and visual elements, much like closed-faced envelopes. And they mitigate the need to adjust fold settings to accommodate address block placement. However, using large window envelopes means you must carefully avoid placing any sensitive or identifying information within the window area. This design restriction presents a challenge when laying out your document content.

Certain content, like account numbers or balances, should not appear in these spaces. You risk privacy breaches if these elements inadvertently show through the window. Consider the unfortunate situation faced by a major insurance firm some years ago, when their large-window envelopes revealed private health diagnosis details. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential pitfalls of using large window envelopes for sensitive communications.

While large-window envelopes meet some needs, weigh the risks and limitations carefully. They may work in situations where you have great control over the document design, allowing you to combine jobs and reap the benefits of a white paper workflow. Mail service providers, who may have little influence over their customer’s data presentation, may find a large window approach presents too much risk. Closed-faced envelopes offer greater security and flexibility without compromising the privacy of your customers' information.

Embracing Personalization

As you contemplate the future of mail services, consider making personalized closed-face envelopes an element of your strategy. By harnessing the power of personalization and targeted messaging, you'll captivate recipients with relevant content that resonates before they even open the envelope. This approach increases customer engagement while also elevating the efficiency of your mail operation.

Closed-faced envelopes provide a secure and distinctive canvas for your messaging, free from the constraints of windows. You can maximize individualization, ensuring that each piece of mail truly connects with your recipient. As a result, you foster stronger relationships and drive better outcomes, all while streamlining the production process.

File-based processing and cameras ensure documents and envelopes remain in sync, minimizing the danger of mis-matched mail.

Consider this innovative solution to revolutionize your mailing strategy. By taking advantage of technology that allows for personalization and efficient mail production, you'll position your business for continued success in an increasingly personalized world.

Mike Porter at Print/Mail Consultants creates content that helps attract and retain customers for companies in the mailing and document industry and he assists companies as they integrate new technology. Learn more about his services at www.pmccontentservices.com. Follow @PMCmike on X, or send him a connection request on LinkedIn.

This article originally appeared in the November/December, 2024 issue of Mailing Systems Technology.