What was mail and communication like before paper envelopes? Of course we’re fascinated by envelope history, as well as its role today.

Looking Back

Here are some enlightening facts from sources like Maynard H. Benjamin’s "The History of Envelopes”.

• The first “envelopes” were clay wrappers used by Babylonians in 2000 B.C. to protect important documents. Clay was folded over the original message, crimped together, and then baked. It was foolproof, as the outside wrapper had to be completely destroyed to gain access to the tablet hidden within.
• The first postal envelopes were nothing more than folded sheets of paper. Postage in Europe and the U.S. was charged according to distance and size of the letter. A “double letter,” which cost twice as much for postage, consisted of two sheets and so on.
• America’s first envelopes were handmade. In fact, the West and Berlin factory in New York employed about 100 hand folders in 1855, producing 200,000 to 250,000 envelopes per day.
• The raw material for envelope makers has always been paper. Scholars trace paper’s creation to ancient Egyptians who pressed papyrus; however, the first “handmade” paper was made by the Chinese during the second century B.C.
• In 1908, Western States started as a pioneer in developing a system for printing envelopes flat before folding.

Looking Forward

Since paper is an envelope’s source, it’s good to know that a 2016 Report released by Two Sides shows these and other positive trends when compared to surveys from 2011 and 2013:

• 94% agreed that print and paper can be a sustainable way to communicate (compared to 72% in 2013).
• 79% agreed that reading from paper is nicer than reading off a screen (70% in 2011).
• 76% agreed that print on paper is more pleasant to handle and touch when compared to other media (68% in 2011).

There’s also a positive consumer shift in mail perception, which is good news for business correspondence and direct mail campaigns. To learn more, get your complimentary white paper on the 2016 USPS Mail Moments findings here.