Question: Labels And Envelopes To Use For Postal Covers (Newbie Questions)

Hello Colleagues,

I am new to making my onw postal covers and sending them off for processing. I used some envelopes purchased at Staples.

1) Question: is there a better / high quality envelope I should be using?

I used some peel address labels and they left a mark on the return envelope.

2) Question: in your experience, what is your prefeed label to use on your covers?

This information will be most vale added for me

Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance you may have

Regards,
Glen

I'm assuming you're looking for the US standard small size, 6-3/4. The previous best was rag content envelopes, now called cotton fiber. Unfortunately, they don't exist except in oddball stationery sizes these days. And those are expensive today, like 40c-50c an envelope. The best you might be able to do nowadays is an envelope in a somewhat heavyweight stock like 24 lb. The office supply stores probably won't have anything like that, you need to go to a real stationery store or online envelope supplier. I would not use self-stick/self-adhesive envelopes since there's nothing archival about that stuff for envelopes.

I used to use Avery peelables long ago when I was sending away for special event/pictorial cancels. Results would vary, since there is no accounting for mail sitting in a hot mailbox or postal vehicle, for example. Pencil addressing is tedious but it works. Use an HB pencil, so you can erase all with a soft eraser like a Mars Staedtler. Then again, the cancel may cover the address, but so can it cover an address label.

Do you get your covers sent back under self-addressed return cover? It's recommended, because covers sent through the mails may be easier and preferable, but are overcancelled at least a third of the time nowadays.