Electronic mail is quick and easy but has not taken the place of regular mail (a.k.a. snail mail). And with mail service comes the need for envelopes. Envelopes are necessary to safely transport everything from personal correspondence to business proposals to wedding invitations to announcements and the like.

Envelopes come in a variety of different forms, styles and sizes. Just to name a few, there are commercial envelopes (think business size), window envelopes, open-end envelopes, self-sealing envelopes, remittance envelopes, booklet envelopes, square envelopes and so many more.

There are also specialty envelopes such as the ones used for greeting cards, wedding invitations, birthday/shower invitations etc. Depending on what type of correspondence you are sending, some items come with envelopes to match while others do not. It's always a good idea to shop around at a number of different places to find exactly what you require.

Envelopes come in different colors as well - practically every color of the rainbow if you look hard enough. While white is a standard color and considered the professional way to go, a great deal of packing envelopes with bubbles inside, are yellow. And holiday envelopes (such as for Christmas) can often be purchased at stationery stores in festive colors such as red or green.

When deciding on the most appropriate size and style for what you need to mail, take into account the shape and size of the item(s). Don't stuff the envelope to busting capacity. Always remember to leave enough room to comfortably seal the envelope. Allow each item some space to move around in!

A regular envelope is also referred to as a business size envelope. These are standard envelopes and are used on a regular basis by businesses and individuals alike. They can be broken down into two kinds- legal size and letter size envelopes. Incidentally there is a size of legal (business) envelope that is the most popular and that is the #10 envelope. This envelope's dimensions measure 4 1/8 x 9 1/2. This size of envelope is used so frequently because a piece of standard size paper, 8 1/2 x 11, when it is folded three ways slips effortlessly into a # 10 envelope.

There are also other sizes of business (also referred to as commercial) size envelopes as well. There is the # 11, #12 and #14. What happened to the # 13 envelope is anyone's guess. The measurements of each of the above envelope's are as follows: #11 (4 1/2 x 10 3/8), # 12 (4 3/4 x 11) and # 14 (5 x 11 1/2).

To describe three other types of envelopes briefly, square envelopes have no seams and therefore are often used to send items such as booklets, announcements about new businesses and promotional deals. As a rule this kind of envelope can be purchased in stock that is made with white wove and comes in two sizes, the 24-pound and the 28-pound. Another kind of envelope, called the A-series envelope is also a favorite of businesses and comes in 6 different styles, the A-2, A-6, A-7, A-8, A-long and the A-10.

These envelopes are very sophisticated looking and are available in three kinds of weights, 60, 70 and 80 pounds. Open-end envelopes, which also go by the name of catalog envelopes, are often used to mail items such as thicker booklets, pamphlets and magazines. They are good for items such as these for two reasons, they have a gummed flap and the flap opens on the side that is longer so bulky printed materials fit inside very easily.