You’ve got a stack of envelopes taking up your dining room table. They’re already stuffed and ready, but there’s one step remaining: sealing the envelopes. But with so many envelopes to get through, you’re on a mission to seal envelopes quickly.
These days, you may be wondering: is it safe to lick an envelope, what with germs going around? Even if you’re not worried about licking per se, you’re still interested in figuring out how to seal envelopes without using your tongue for the sake of expediency (and avoiding that nasty paper taste in your mouth).
Here are three easy ways to seal envelopes without licking a single flap.
Do You Have To Seal An Envelope?
First, a basic question: do you actually have to seal an envelope?
The short answer: yes.
The U.S. Postal Service processes more than 180 billion pieces of mail each year, and it does it with the help of automated mail sorting machines. Unsealed mail pieces can get caught in the machines and jam them.
This creates a whole host of issues, from mail content security to mail damage to mail delays. It also messes up the equipment, contributing to poor mail service.
What’s worse is that many unsealed mail items are special items, like wedding invitations, holiday cards, and letters. They’re items you send in bulk and forget to seal an envelope or two, but they’re also more fragile than the average mail item and you want them to arrive in good condition.
So, you need to seal your envelopes. The question is how. There are several ways to do it, but most people choose between one of three categories: sealing with water, sealing with wax, and self-sealing envelopes.
Seal Envelopes With Water
If you want to seal a lot of envelopes, you don’t need a glue stick or your tongue. In fact, an envelope water sealer is perfect for a quick, simple seal.
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How to Seal with WaterThe easiest way to seal with water is by using an envelope moistener, which is basically a small bottle of water with a sponge at the end. To use an envelope moistener, simply flip the bottle so the sponge side is facing down. Squeeze the bottle lightly and run the adhesive on the envelopes. The key here is a light touch. Don’t go overboard with the bottle, as your envelopes can quickly turn to paper pulp with too much water (or at the very least, become wrinkled and ugly). The same thing is true of applying the sponge. Go lighter than you think you need to–it’s better to go back at it a second time than ruin an envelope. |
Creative Ways to Seal with Water
That said, there are a few ways to seal envelopes with water if you can’t get ahold of an envelope moistener or aren’t keen to ruin your envelopes by trying one.
One way to do it is to take a Q-tip or cotton swab and a cup of water. Dip the Q-tip in the cup of water (just the tip). Then, gently swipe the water along the edge of the envelope. This is a great DIY method if you’re worried about ruining delicate envelopes and don’t want to break out messy glue sticks for fancy invitations.
You can seal with a clean sponge and water in a pinch, but it isn’t recommended. You may release too much water too quickly and ruin the envelopes, potentially even dampening the contents of the envelope.
Seal Envelopes With Wax
Do you ever look at your envelopes and imagine a time when letters were a prettier affair, sealed with wax and sent off with flair? Okay, a wax seal may not lend you the drama of a period movie, but you have to admit, the effect is pretty striking.
What if we said you could seal handmade envelopes without glue? All you need to seal wedding invitations like a period heroine is a wax seal.
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What is Sealing Wax?When you wax stamp an envelope, you’re using what’s called sealing wax. We mention this obvious name because it’s important to distinguish between sealing wax and, say, candle wax. Wax seals were traditionally used to seal envelopes, ensure they indeed came from the supposed sender (since many people had unique seals), and ensure the letter hadn’t been tampered with. They were also used to save on postage as travel became widespread and an envelope would have doubled the cost of postage. Traditional sealing wax was made with 2/3 beeswax and 1/3 resin with coloring, typically black or vermillion. Modern sealing wax is made to withstand the modern machinated mailing process, but the common ingredient is resin, which is why you can’t use any old wax. |
The difference between other types of wax and sealing wax is that sealing wax is designed to stick to the paper and quickly harden after melting to form a bond around the paper. This makes it difficult to separate without noticeable tampering. Candle wax, on the other hand, won’t stick to the paper and won’t hold up to very much handling.
How to Use Wax Seals
The most economical form of wax seal is bead wax, which is useful for big projects like wedding invitations. To do it, you’ll need a candle, a melting spoon, a wax seal stamp, and a heat source like a small tea light.
Once you have your supplies, figuring out how to do wax seals on envelopes is pretty straightforward.
To do it, simply place three beads onto the melting spoon and hold the spoon over the tea light flame until it’s almost completely melted. The wax should resemble cold honey. Don’t over-melt the wax–if you melt it completely, the wax may be too thin to hold together and it could ruin your envelopes.
Pour the melted wax on your envelope and emboss it with your wax seal stamp. It can help to wait a few moments before embossing, as it can create a better definition and prevent the wax from thinning. Make sure to dab the seal with non-sticking treatment before embossing.
If you don’t use a non-stick product and the seal sticks to the wax, simply wait for the wax to cool before gently removing the seal. If you’re working with a strong wax, rest the seal in ice before embossing, as this will quickly set the wax.
Self Seal Envelopes
Finally, there are self stick envelopes, also known as peel and stick envelopes.
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With this type of envelope, you don’t need to apply an adhesive. The adhesive is already on the envelope when you buy it. All you need to do peel a piece of material off the flap of the envelope to expose the adhesive before pressing the flap and the envelope together.
This is a fast, easy way to seal multiple envelopes, especially if you’re worried about the fuss of wax seals and the Goldilocks method of water sealing. Plus, these envelopes are quite widespread, so you won’t have any trouble finding them. The standard size is A7 self seal envelopes, which can fit 5″ x 7″ cards. |
Looking for Self Seal Envelopes?
If you’re in the market for self seal envelopes, we’re here to show you how easy enveloping sealing can be.
Our regular business envelopes are a great option to make everyday mail quick and easy. They look great, they come in a wide variety of colors, and the seal like a dream. What’s not to love? Make sure to order yours today!
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| SELF SEAL #10 ENVELOPES | PEEL AND SEAL #10 WINDOW ENVELOPES | SELF SEAL A7 ENVELOPES |