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The Basics The envelope
as we know it appeared around the seventeenth century. It has since
evolved from a piece of paper cut and folded around a message to
a piece of paper cut into a standard size, folded, and glued around
a message. Paying attention to this standard is what ensures that
your message gets where you want it to go.
If you ever have specific questions about your mail,
the United States Postal Service’s Web site, www.usps.com,
is an exhaustive resource for all things sendable.
Size and Shape Envelopes
come in many sizes and shapes, but this doesn’t mean that
you should use all of them, or that the post office will mail them.
In fact, with the exception of some emergency holiday situations,
standard sizes should meet most of your needs.
The Postal Service officially defines a letter as
being from 5 to 11 1/2 inches long by 3 1/2 to 6 1/8 inches high,
no more than 1/4 inch thick, and one ounce or less. Anything bigger
will require extra postage.
Regular envelopes that fit within these parameters
can be found just about anywhere, and they are divided into series.
Commercial envelopes are demarcated by numbers. One of the most
common is the Number 10, which measures 9 1/2 by 4 1/8 inches, and
easily fits a folded 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of paper.
The Baronial (or Bar) series is typically used for
invitations and cards, and comes with a pointed flap. The A series
(A for announcement), which has a square flap, comes in similar
sizes and is used in similar situations.
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