When I’m making a card that I want to mail to someone, one of the things I always struggle with is envelope size. I’m never sure what size to make my card to fit in the envelope. It seems like I try something new every single time!
In an effort to help myself out because I’m terrible at measurements and numbers in general, I decided to make a basic guide for myself. I’m going to share it with you in case there’s anyone else out there suffering from the same issues I have! Remember, if you have an unusual sized envelope, make a thick design or have embellishments that cause the surface of the envelope to be bumpy, you’ll have to pay extra for manual processing by the post office.
Here are six basic envelope types:
Business Envelopes The most common type you get in the mail. There are a few standard designs within this group: Commercial Flap (like most of the “junk mail” comes in), Square flap, Wallet Flap, Side Seam and Policy.
These come in a variety of sizes but the most popular size is the standard #10 envelope which measures 4.125” x 9.5”.
Whatever you’re designing, the best size for the final product (after folding) would be 4” x 9.25”.
Booklet Envelopes: These are larger envelopes for things like booklets (obviously!) brochures, and other sales material. I believe my Tiffany’s catalogues come in a booklet envelope. Big girls version of the Sears Christmas catalogue! Anyone else have that memory of flipping through the fat, glossy Sears catalogue and making your list for Santa based on what you found in there?
These can come in a variety of sizes but for cards I personally would stick around 5.5” x 7.5”.
The final design for this size envelope should be 5.25” x 7”.
Catalog Envelope: This design is ideal for Catalogs because it has a center seam that makes it sturdier and can handle heavier contents. I’m going to skip this envelope because it’s hardly ever used for card designs.
Square Envelopes: These are a modern design that is sure to stand out in someone’s pile of mail. However you should know that this shape requires extra postage because it’s considered “nonstandard.”
Whatever square shape you decide to go with, a good rule of thumb is to shave off .25” from the final card design. For example if you’re going with a 5” by 5” envelope, you’d go with a design that was 4.75” x 4.75”
Baronial Envelope: These are more traditional greeting card envelopes with the triangle shaped flap. You also see them used for invitations to a wedding or other special event. These also are available in a variety of sizes. Since it’s a more popular card envelope I’m going to provide a few size options. [http://www.envelopes.com/invitations/pointed-flap-envelopes]
Envelope 3.625” x 5.125”, your final piece should be 3.5” x 4.875”
Envelope 4.75” x 6.35”, your final piece should be 4.625” x 6.25”
Envelope 5.25” x 7.25”, your final piece should be 5.125” x 7”
A-Style Envelope (also called Announcement): This style is commonly used for stationary, cards and invitations. Where the Baronial envelope has a traditional triangle shaped flap, the A-style is squared off and is more modern in design. [http://www.envelopes.com/invitations/square-flap-envelopes]
A-2 Envelope 4.375” x 5.75”, your final piece should be 4.25” x 5.5”
A-6 Envelope 4.75” x 6.5”, your final piece should be 4.625” x 6.25”
A-7 Envelope 5.25” x 7.25”, your final piece should be 5.125” x 7”
A-8 Envelope 5.5” x 8.125”, your final piece should be 5.375” x 7.875”
A-9 Envelope 5.75” x 8.75”, your final piece should be 5.5” x 8.5”
A-10 Envelope 6” x 9.5”, your final piece should be 5.875” x 9.25”
I hope this information helps!
If you want more information about guidelines for mailing, I encourage you to visit the United States Postal Service website!
Artsy Crafty Katy 