If you think about it, the window envelope is a highly useful piece of stationery, but it does take certain things for granted. You need to write the letter in a particular format, with the recipient's address printed at a chosen place, to a specific depth allowed by the window.
What kind of window envelope would they use in Japan, where they write from top to bottom, or in Arab countries where it's from right to left? I wonder if Americus F Callahan, who is credited with designing the first window envelope in 1901, actually thought about this.
That little piece of film, however, was a labour-saving device, because now you didn't need to write the address on the envelope. The idea quickly caught on, but when raw materials were short in the early 1900s, it is said someone came up with the idea of dousing the window area with oil, so that the paper became translucent and the address below would show through (what that did for the letter inside we do not know).
In the UK, John Dickinson began producing window envelopes in 1929. The company, now part of the French Hamelin group, was named after its founder. John Dickinson, born in 1782, was an endlessly inventive man. In his 60-year career he was responsible for dozens of patents, many of which were for pioneering techniques in paper-making.
The John Dickinson company began producing machine-made gummed envelopes in 1850 and by 1876 their machines were turning out a staggering 3 million envelopes per week. Dickinson brands remain familiar household names – think Croxley and Basildon Bond. In fact, Basildon Bond envelopes became part of popular culture as you'll see in this clip, though I hope you'll forgive stereotyping!
But back to office stuff. If you're looking for window envelopes that give your business a professional image, then Basildon Bond fits the bill. You have a choice of C5 90gsm Basildon Bond envelopes or in the C4 envelope size you can choose either 100gsm envelopes or 90gsm Basildon Bond envelopes, but there's also a huge range of other Basildon Bond envelope products. Whichever you choose, all the envelopes are made of 100% recycled paper and the window film is made from corn, not petrochemicals, so the entire envelope can be recycled.
Then there's the classic Croxley Script envelope range. These window envelopes are made of high quality paper. You have a choice of 100gsm window envelopes or 120gsm pure white envelopes, and the envelopes have Peel and Seal closure. The paper is not opaque so that the envelopes give a sheer finish, and they are available in pocket and wallet ranges.
So the next time you need window envelopes, you know what to choose.
